Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-10-08
T6he Editors IF Tic Enfnirr:
THE WING CONVENTION AT CHAR
LOTTESNILLE.
"A chiefs amang We iakin' notes,
An faith HE'LL prcnt en-"

An faith HE'LL prcnt en-.
Gentlemen Ii may no, be urin,ercsng 10
some of vonr readers To receive through your
columns, a brief account of some Of the savings
and t,oins> of the Wing mass meeting OF this,
the midland district vi the old Commonwealth
In what. as a mere chronicler of passing events,
shall say of some things that heard, and looked
upon. shall endeavor 10 diresi my narrative AZ
far as possible. of all color Of prejudice. shall
snohing extcnuae, nor set down au9ht in ma
lice" and if any observations may seem harsh, il
is due To canGor say, that such effect will result
from nodesen 10 msrcpreSeni the actors or pcryert
their proceedings
The Numbers in attendance, upon this Wing
conyora,ion. were respectable They have been
ya,o,sly computed. Wills. before tie gaze ol
some enthusiastic Wing they swe!led to the null
titude of FIVE Observation-Disclosures, more mode
rate in their calculations, were we'll content 10
estimate them al three, and others al two thousand,
whilst many raced them down 10 fifteen hun
,!red including men, boys, ladies OF all ages, from
the Miss in her teens and below. 10 the s,aid mat
ron of many winters. Both parties turned on!
larselv-hc Wings, 10 keep their system OF asi-
,ation agoinc-the Democratic Republicans, III
mark the mode Of warfare in which their poi-
cal adyerSarieS indulge Ii would he imposing
too great a task on YOU, and your readers 10 give
any detailed account OF all The thunder that was
manufactured at This meeting. The speeches of
Messrs Rires and Bots, (what a conjunction y
NAV be taken as specimens OF the whole.
A political adversary can do justice TO Mr..
Senator RiyeS. Much of the Senator'S speech
was devoted To an extended highly wrought,
and will add, 4 most eloquent paneslric on the
Union. | have heard this gentleman many a time
and Oft and il is justice 10 say, that here ne was
eloquent His cloqnence however, was mixed
and dashed with rancorouS hate: and ever
and anon, a caiiseless malice poisoned with The
venom OF lis sting periods which might Otherwise
have fallen on the ear with something OF pleas
ing. ii not persuasive harmony. In connection
with his c!oge upon the Union, he said, q do not
give his words exactly but precisely his meanins)
iha, lie would not have 10 90 one hundred leel
from the stand where he stood, TO find those who
would be ready to turn their parricidal hands
agaiEs, IL, to tear in pieces the glorious fabric,
which had been ccmenled hy The common suffer
ings, tolls and blood of our ancestors. Who made
the Virginia Senator Inc@e in Israel, thai ne
should presume 10 assail IN The lump, Tie motives
Of men who can hold upto The world . course, al
lea>, as faulc>s as his own? Those men
Whose virtues are more felt than seen,
Mus, drop the hope OF party praise"
But the charity which a lofty statesman should
never discard, ought to have stayed the rcngeiul
though harmless Ire OF the Senator. II is,
indeed, passing strange and wondrous pitt
tul that Mr. Riycs should have selected his
own county, and large concouise ol her CT
items, 10 launch forth, in their midst and
against 4 portion ot them charge so absurd, 81
ridiculous as this. Mr. Bots, had he been pre-
sem, Che arrived too late TO hear The Senaor)
would doubtless have started W like John Den
mis- of old and exclaimed, That's my thunder. -
Ii was truly, rather the thunder oi the green room
Than the holt OF Jovc Much of his speech con-
f,l ni,an ia :
and the abuse OF patronage, and Il locker on could
but admire here in old Aihcmalle, the apparent
delight with which intelligent Wing Gentlemen
seemed Ia drink in the stately tones oi his denun-
citation Wills, many OF them doubtless would CON
sign 10 an eternal political oSiraciSm The politician
who dasheS into. and out OF their ranks, just as
lis views of political advancement may suggest.
With all his acknowledged requirements varied
information, and pleasant social qualities he
must stand confessed, the political Dagelty OF the
age who takes service where h. deems tue pros
peci of Dr0rani best As elsewhere The Senator
here announced himself a Wig, hencciorih
and forever" and that never, in his whole lille,
had he performed any act with mere pleasure,
than that which he would perform On the first
Monday in November b. depo>ilin. his vote for
Henry CLAY" In regard 10 the Wings, Mr..
Rives stands politically, like distinguished
Vicar, whom song has rendered tamous-a glass,
in which many political character may see HIM
sell reflected:
"To Wigs, | Justify will swear
Whilst they can keep possession;
And in my faith and loyalty
never once will ialier;
But Hoi, my lawful ctoirc shall he,
Except the times should alter"
This suits the distinguished Senator, perhaps,
better than any politician OF the day; for, II IS
We'll known 10 honorable gentlemen oil this coun-
", to whom he communicated the fact, that II
General Cass, or Mr.. Calhoun had been TIC can
dida,e Of the Democratic party, he would have
been found fighting as bravely under the folds
of the Republican banner, Is he IS now VAL
ring under what he is pleased 10 compare to
the yanachc the glorious white plume OF Navarro.
Rather, by their own showing al the Baltimore
Convention, n Whic cO0H instead. What tall
and Oh. what contrast Could Wing have
acted old Rip Van Wrinkle. and arisen from his
sumbers, Just in time 10 witness the Senator'S
classic thruss against the Executive attributes Of
power place, patronage and the like, he would
al once have exclaimed: This surely cannot
be the man, who cTouchei down ~ lowly
n, the fee: of the old Lion, in The days hs pride
and unaispu,cd power, and received with warm
gratitude, the daiDties which the monarch oi the
forest had TO bcslow, This is no; that man, who
also paid the Wolf his homage, !, cannot be
my eyes deceive me. Yet, il il is, how dare he,
now that the old monarch Of the wild has retired
10 his den 10 die and The prowlcr OF the woods
been driven back to his lar-how dare he now
come forth, when the field is empty, with his
pointlcss dagger, 10 insult now, long, long after
they are gone those whom he wanted the courage
TO oppose in the noon-dav oiiheir power! Away
with him away with him what does he here?
II the winds Just shifted from The East, she'll
take his departure, and offer his service on toihcr
side This would be the language OF such
Wing, and wiihou, doubt, the secret Thoughts oil
many could they he laid bare, would parlake of
this hue and complexion.
A portion OF Mr.. Rives' haranguc was undig-
nified in The extreme He seemed 10 forget him
self, his position and all. Perchance, something
should be parioned, because OF the physical de-
biy, under which he announced that ne was
laborine-This might have increased his excite
ment To a morbid state Under any other circum-
Stances he is without apology or e1cnsc' Inc
language by which he characterized ihe IIeSi-
is now in a state of opposition, was low-ralher
suited 10 the hrawers of pot-house, than dig
niiied Senator, informing and instrucllnS large
and intcigeu, auditory Of his immediate conn-
irvmen, composed as il was oi boia poliiical
parties He denounced, what he was pleas
cd TO call I'olltsm, as "Snberranean Van Bu-
renism;' and said among other dainty lhinSs,
that the Democratic party reminded nm OF
an opinion, which he had heard advanced, ana
defended, by a distinguished Atiache 10 the rchch
Embassy at Washington; that this Frenchman
maintained that the African, the negro, was no
thing butt degenerate specimen OF The monkey,
with his tail cut oii;-so with the present Demo
cratic Republican pary-the Van Buren, party
was the monkey-the Polk party the same ami
NAL, all to the tail. He spoke most coniemplu-
ously OF Governor Polk, designating him. once
and again as IA Duck river Militia Colonel, ard
of what can call BY no other name Than vulgar,
even impious abuse, he denounced his nomination
as "a daring insul, 10 the American people, the
objectionable sin, not 10 be forgivcn"-yes, he
would "say with all reverence, twas like the sin