Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1846-09-30

soNII u
The gentleman who has favored us with several letters.
under this signatorc, seems to be very unpopular with some
OF our eotemporares. isstyle 10 not quite refined enough
Tor their exquisite taste. Like Ben Hardin, OF Kentucky,
he cuts sometimes with n butchers knife. ground on a brick
bat He is apt to call a spade. a spade and. we believe
be does sometimes go 50 far as to set at defiance some OF
the rules OF LindDcy Murray. We believe John does no,
Get himself up as a model Of courdy elegance. II he did.
these Criticisms would be entirely legitimate. lie has more
regard Tor substance than ornament; and hence he fails to
decorate MS letters with those attractive graces OF style for
which his critics are themselves so remark able.
These sarcastic hits at the alleged inelesance Of our cor.
respondents style, however, are less worthy of notice than
tho insinuaion OF our neighbor Of the Standard, that he
Is "a renegade fankco"-by which phrase. we presume,
thst paper means. a Northern man by birth. now a resident
OF Virginia, and who r~opudiates the land OF his nsuvity
II John were IN truth a Yankee, the term renegade" would
DC evidently inapPheable to him, since he has manifesty 4
suong parnahy Tor some OF the habits and customs OF the
North-parieularly. for their enterprize, their industry and
their economy. But the fact is, he is a virginian by birth.
ha'inP hfs' seen the light in this soodly city, tho prospen-
~ OF which he is so DESTROYS OF promoting. as well as tina,
OF the State at large. Tho Standard, however, seems to
think IL something criminal to speak of tho comparative
decline OF Virginia." even If the object OF those who use
that phrase is TO stimulate her citizens to tho development
oil her acknowledged resources. We beg leave to dissent
from that opinion; and, 50 dissenting, We shall not fail to re-
Ter to this TACT, TO the causes which have led to IL. aud to the
remedy, whenever circumstances shall in our opinion rem
80 he"y W. Sht NC kIahncu, however,. III the
Standard can satisfy us that we are in error on this head
and if it can, we shall not hesitate to proclaim that Virginia
ne now, as she was nifty years ago, the most powerful State
in the Confederaey. A physician might with as much pro.
priety be rebuked Tor informing a patient OF the bad symp-
toms of his disease, with n Wow Of leading him TO resort
to the necessary remedies Tor the restoration OF his health.
Us a citizen who refers to the decline OF the State. as COM
pared with Others possessing fewer advantages, with the
hope that the knowledge Of the fact may result IN the sdop-
ton OF measures calculated to restore her prosperity.
The Enquirer, too, gives "John Smith" a hit, and ac-
euses him OF humorous misrepresentation" They are
not pointed out, however. In the paragraph commented on
by the Enquirer, certainly there is no Misrepresentation"
John says that he saw Seth Barton, Solicitor Of the Trea-
sury, a, the Faueuier Springs. The Enquirer admits that
be was there. The Misrepresentation, then, must have
been in the inference, that Mr.. Barton, during 'his long rus.
ucauon" at the Springs, was not attending TO his duties at
Washington. Ii was a natural inference, sssuredly and
even IT 1t be an erroneous one, the Enquirer Is aware that
our correspondent could not know that Mr.. b. devoted
much of his time to The law papers which be had with him,
and despatched his opinions 10 Washington after studying
the important cases IN which the government was concern
ed" Had John been sufficiently familiar with the habits
OF Mr.. Seth Barton TO be aware that he was hard a, work,
like other members of the Woodworking Administration of
which he is an officer, doubtless he would have been as
ready TO do him justice as we are now, by giving him the
benefit Of the Enquirers explanation. So far as ire are
concerned, we did not feel the weight of Mr.. Seth Barton's
blows in the campaign of 1874, for which the Enquirer
thinks the Wings can never excuse that gentleman. We
remember, indeed, that he wrote certain ponderous essays
under the signature Of Randolph Of Roanoke" b, we
confess that we did not read one OF them. We attempted
It several times, in consequence Of the numerous psEs by
which they were preceded, accompanied and followed but
they were as efficient as poppy and mandragord," in su-
Perinducing the visits Of the drowsy god, to whose gentle
enueaties We invariably succumbed under the narcotic in.
fuence Of those prosy productions.
1t may not be improper TO add, that although John
Smith is a Wing, his father is an Incorporating Demo-
crat-indeed, having been for forty years or whereabouts a
subscriber and constant reader" Of the Enquirer, how
could he be any thing else2 The junior John, having
enjoyed the benefit Of that for which Ajax prayed, "IrsHr,"
has discovered a better way. His series OF letters. how.
ever, being now concluded, The acute sensibiiies of gen.
temen whose nerves have been SO mdely Jared, will no
longer be disturbed, for the present at least by the rough
and unmusical style OF his epistles.