Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-02-20
RICHMOND, VA.
Thursday Morning. February go, 1915
THE SENATORIAL ELECTION.

Thursday Morning. February go, 1915.
THE SENATORIAL ELECTION.
The Richmond Wing" has been pleased 10
tender us ae great issue TO be decided in The Spring
Eleclions-lhe propriety oil the course pursued oy
the Democratic Party in relation TO the Unilea
States Senator. Whilst we cannot SO lar extend
our mercy 10 The Wings, as to wish Them entirely
exonerated in The Spring from The popular odiuiii
which they have Justly incurred BY their unpalrl
olic and iac,ious conduct on the Texas question:
BY their prescription oil one of the purcs and lnos
aniable and most accomplished public oihcers IN
| Vrginia-and by the waste OF time ana money ca
pended in This, which stands pre- eminently conspl-
cuous as the most worthless and The most humilia-
ting of any session that is comprised in our lc,
| ris!aiive annas-we are, nevertheless, ready ana
willing 10 meet, and do meet, with alacrity and
confidence, the Richmond Wing, or any OF lis
compcers, on this question-not doubling thal
Virginia will pronounce upon the Wings thai
sentence OF rcprobalion 10 which knowledge OF
the facts would conduct every appropriated MIND
| The Wing does not conGescend 10 argue inc
ouesion-Oh no. Its genius is too lofty and
towering 10 sloop 10 argument II fronouhces,
CT CATHEDRAL that our course is 'vioenl, disorsah-
iZinc, unconstitutional, unworthy Of The reputa-
ton OF Virginia" and wo bctde The unfortunate
creature, who, presuning 10 call himself so 200
Wing. should be rash enough 10 question The
correctness of these wild and random assertions.
In what the evidence" and 'dsorganization" con-
sist this worthy oracle has not vuuchsaed 10 in
form us, and il there be any thing IN the whole
proceeding unworthy OF The reputation OF Viz
sinia" we trust the followers of the "gaan
! Harry will moi so far shrink from the respon-
sibililies incurred BY their own conduct, as 10 try
10 place that nnworlhiness at our doors
FeIlow-cil;zens, listen 10 plain recital of the
facts and see il The vapouring and swelling oil
the Wing be any thing more Than the olt-Tepeat-
cd 'catcl-lhiel' cry, by which trahsgressors have
over and again attempted 10 transfer public con-
domination from their own heads, and iasen their
crimes on the innocent.
When il was proposed TO fix the 29th day OF
January for the election of Senator the Demo
Gratis objected on the ground, that members Of
their parry were absent, and that one certainly
Qhe Delegate from Frankln) and probably
Others OF our friends, could mol be present on the
day designated To this il was responded by The
Wing party, Gil cst, by Vincent Witcher, ESD
that the absence Of these members was no cause
for delaying The election-that Wig membersmen
aiso absent-that il was impossible 10 fix on day
when all the members would I've prescnl-hof, M
al human probability, the House aro"id ncref &c
| fgRer ttan ii then wds-Qhat is, on the day when
should go into the election, and take the chances
OF members being present or absent Under The
| influence ofihs argument, our friends were over
powered and the 29,h day Of January was lUccd
upon them as the day for The election OF Senator
The 10Th day Of January, then, was their day
the day of their Sclection-hc time, OF all others
most suited TO their CONFERENCE.-The time, by
the arrival of which they had declared that We
could fully prepare for the conicst-ani Of course
they could prepare hy that time-because they
had doubtless fixed upon that time in caucus be-
fore it was announced in the House, and had,
therefore, longer opportunity for preparation
| The day calne-lt has passed and gone. Why,
then, is there no Senator elected, 10 represent the
sovereignty OF Virginia in the Senate oithe Unionl
| How came il 10 pass, that no vote was iaken!-
that no effort was made by the Wing majority
/ in lie Legislature TO rescue The State IRON
condition Of things, which the mouth piece Of that
| majority now pronounces "yiolent, dsorsanlZing
unconstitutional, and unworthy the reputation Of
Virginia." Was this Wing majority outvoted
By the Locoioco minority? Or, how came their
strength 10 be paralyzed, and their religious vene-
ration for the Constitution. and for their duties
under the Constitution, which mperiously re-
quired that they should perform the "consli-
lu,ional duty" OF electins a Senator entirely
FRUSTRATED How came this affected venera
lion for the Constitution 10 be utterly dis
regarded-or treated with fragrant contempt
Would il BE- believed that they who had pre-
viouSly urged, that the absence of Democrats
was no cause for deierring The election because
taigS rerc also abscnt-who had declared that
on no day could all of either party be present
nor could we at any time expect a fuller house
! than we had when the resolution pasSed-and
that we should 20 into the election, fokins lie
cAaaces-could il, we say, be believed, that these
very men would exhibit The astonishing elironery
Of rising in the House and moving 10 postpone this
CONSTITUTIONAL duv?" and this motion, sustained
by them for the alleged reason, that their absent
men had not returned-andlhat ifthey went into the
conflict which they had challenged and provoked
ON the day and al the honr OF their selection
they were airaidth they would be beaten. Col.
Campbell also was sick. No allowance was
made for the absence OF one of our members who
was tending dying wte-that another was from
town, when the Senate agreed 10 The resolution OF
the House. tending sick father-and that not o1e
Iphg-h not one-who was present when The re-
solution passed the House Of Delegates, was alb
sent when The day Of election arrived. But as
they had determined 10 play no other game but
that pretty little game al which they might win,
/ but couldn't lose, the noisy rng-leader Of the
party, who had previously urged The propriely of
holding the election that day and who has shown,
on more occasions than one, that he is possessed
OF the "glt OF longues'-now spoke different
language, and held forth 10 the faithful, that he
should go into the elcclion-5nt 'chcnH suited him
and Mat If 6nOfAer day Of his selection accyc mp
poiatcd anil whcn The time came he aras not really,
he wonid refusc e aiSo 10 procccd 1rith e election.
Can any man suppose, that the Democratic
Party is So lost TO all sense of selfreSpect-ls so
dead 10 every sentiment OF justice-is so re-
! CARELESS of The rights OF their consiituens-so
utterly reckless of constitutional duty" that they
would suffer and permit an election 10 come on,
when they were warned that no day-no one
OF their own seleclion-woud suit our ad-
verSaries, unless, when That day arrived, those
adversaries conld clearly see that they must sue
/ ceedf Could any reasonable man expect OF the
Senate 10 concur in the last resolution of The
1 House fixing The lith insi rs anolherday for going
into the election when the House had already
treated the Senate with The srossest contempt, by
| refusing 10 execute the joint order which the Sc
nate had adopted al the request Of the House
and when The House plainly and emphalicaly
/ spoke, through The lips of its leader, language OF
! The following import: ave have fixed on another
! day; we have appointed The nth inst. for The Sc
| nalorial election: but, take notice, and bear il
well in mind, that, when The day arrives, we do
not proceed with the election unless we are sure
OF victory. If we can defeat you, We go into the
election bnf, if VIC find out when the day ar
rives that you can defeat us, the election must be
again postponed" Had the Senate, under these
circumstances, consented to be hifed with BY The
House, and TO fix another day for the election,
they would have exhibited an imbecily of intel
lsct, which woud have entitled them 10 The pity;
or, depravy Of mind and tra,orous disregard
o. the connry's interests, which would have en-
sured them the odium and delestalion OF the
| public.
The pretence, that the absence Of their men,
ga, IL, II
I too shallow TO deceive any one who had view
I Of the whole ground. aThc Knight OF empty
/ barrels" from Wood and Richie proclaimed fire.
quenlly to gentlemen around him, that he would
proceed with the election forthwith, if The Demo-
Gratis would Withdraw Mr.. Hunter. This shows
that it was not owing TO the absence of members,
hui because their members present would not
vote as they wished, that poslponemenl was de-
| sired. They wanted time TO make the crooked
ar cDeol- morn Il, N, In