Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1847-04-09
For The Enquirer.
TO WuLOUGHBY NEWTON.

| congratulate you upon your ies'o'" ~ .,ond;
favor of your party. You are now ,"e -. .a" ,ho
date for Congress in the oIh ois''Ie', ana nv ,"N
Wings will vote for you with mlghl anu na'n -,
which is more Than they did when you WEI. e ,aS'
candidate: not that they will elect you, pu1 po.
without opposition. They have slai.eu you, SUI
posing thai from your past polltIcai coutse ;,e
smallest iayors will be thankfully fecelVeu, d. III
dIcaling their returning confidence Id Que Mno
for some time past, has been suffering Poli'ical
probation, for matters 10 which snal ne,ea..ea
allude. And you have been SO well accuslo,ne a
10 defeat and crosses as politician, lnat 10 We yea
ten will not add much TO your past sorro".' Linz
Dogberry, you have had your troubles anu eau
easily bear up against them. Anu, 'loue" ia
were bat The second choice OF your parry "a. :n.
that in a district not boaslng many e.I,'.. IA
Whgs-yet il becomes you to 90 you' o.S., a n',
strive lu prevent your old pupil from oeas'ns ~"
ultimately, besides keeping you very unSun ,Or
able during the canvass. And, cons1e'hs linz,
rather desperate pros poets, canno heip 'n'na'15
that The questionable honor OF being inc canll'
dale Of your party indicates more malicious ue-
size TO punish you for past ranssiessohs' Iuan
10 reward you for returning SUBMISSION; ms
is mol improbable, when you remember wnd' us
may you spread through The ranks IN lo4f, %neh
your letter to The Wing Convention was pnDiish-
ed. You were then Congressman, ana display
ed some hopeful signs of conlrhion ana sorrow
ior pas. political errors, which gave more plea
sure 10 The Democrats than 10 your own parry
But as your gentle admonlions aoonl "honesly
being the best policy" and catching BIRDS OF eve
ry leather" were di>resarded, you have gotten en-
lrely over your od-fIshioned ideas about these
matters, and show yourdevo,ion 10 your friends by
acting in this canvass directly The reverse OF your
former mschievous advice, showing how COM
plele a change party discipline can make even in
The most refractory. But yon were roughly used,
and donbl whether The drubbins you received
from "Exlra William" severe as il was much
surpassed the repeated cas,isalions Of The Rich
monG Wing. II was very wrong in you, my dear
sir, to ask your parry to be honest; and il was as
unexpected as that Of "Oliver Twists asking for
more" You should have known better than 10
have demanded what you knew your party was
unable 10 do. How llae, very little, did you
think that your letter would fall like bomb in
The very middle OF the largest stores Of Wing mu-
nitions scattering wel.concocted humbugs and
elaborated documents in every direction, in mo-
menl destroying The labors OF an age, Central
Committee, and host Of "gee Ministries"
That letter, friend Wil!oughby, was death 10
the iross-no, The CooLs-I beg pardon, Federal
Whigs-(you see your party has so many names,
some are apt TO forget luem)-but created some
sport for The Democrats Many cornered,
chopped-up, usei-up Wing orator. groaning un-
der the blows OF a Democratic champion, doubt
less exclaimed during the campaign OF "A, when
The choice portions If your letter were read 10
him by his merciless fee, "Save me from the
good advice Of my friends, and | will take care of
my enemies" And such remark would have
been very true-tor yoa "gave il TO them" Tor
their mal-praclices in fac style. You did no.
thing else" Willonehby, though they were aol
lacking in reciprocatins the favor, as The "Whig"
wiillestiIy. There is no gratitude in this world,
my dear sir. But We will talk little more FULLY
abuu, the letter, for wish 10 communicate freely
with you upon variety OF malers.
The Federal Wing parry mel IN solemn coun.
Gil in the city OF Richmond, some time during The
memorable year of 1914. /, was gathering TO-
eeiher OF the chiefs oil the tribe. There came
from all paris OF the State men Of every age
some gray haired politicians who had followed
The fortunes OF The party though all lis changes
10 principles and names, and STOOD hfm, though
defeated again and again.
There were others, mere youths, who entering
The political world in 1910, mad quafed deeptrom
The cider ivunts of WhigseY and became faithful
partizans-Nol undis .ingusned, walked other lead
ers-lallen Democrais-wh had Quilted their
former parry, either from disappointed ambition
or love OF "lhe loaves and fishes" knowing how
literally they had been distributed during The
shor, political existence Of l1arisoD's cabinet.
Among the chiefs of lhe last mentioned class
nigh, be seen, il mistake not, two men well
known tor their talents integrity and political
FAITHeuLNEss. They stood the greatest among
The great deseners from the Democratic party,
and many Whg as he gazed upon Wilson X.
Shipp and William e. Riyes, tell additional as
surance of success.
But alas! these recolleclons, my dear Will
louphby remind me that one OF these distinguish
ed champions OF Whiggery has been gathered
10 his ahsfi hMsa r f Hive e.baefae t and The
90 sne runs einpioynents VI private lie, and
oil whose political existence We know bur lille,
save when stray letter reaches the Northern
States advocating The protective sysem-a ia
vorite measure oil your party It's sad 10 think
Wilouehby, that such distinguished man as
VIM. c. Rives should be laid upon the SHELF
whilst you have still an opportunity OF suffering
manyrdom for your party. All, my dear sir,
yours is a distinguished honor, and you may
have the satisfaction Of knowing that his lot will
he YOURS. SO soon as the election shall have taken
place. and then you may refer to The quotation
III ilyre. recubnas," which was so apply made
once in your hearing. You rememember the &C.
casion. You were mol present, you know, al that
Convention. About that time you were engaged
in voting upon both sides Of the Texas question:
which was then before Congress, and consequent
y doing twice as much as any other member
for the rest were satisfied with one side Of the
matter.
How laborious must have been your dHtes!-
II was doubtless we'll that your friends did not
permit gOl TO reipn The next session; Tor had you
continued your efforts 10 vote and speak upon
both sides and al the same time 10 be consistent"
AMI "honess il would have injured yourconstitu-
ton. Considerable consliIuency-how grateful 10
them you should be, sir, for sending Mr.. Hnnler
Though you were absent from the convention
in person, YET your friends supposed you were
with them in feeling, and that letter from you
would contain on the very best specimens OF
devotion, respect and love. The supposition was
natural one. Who would have supposed thai,
after voting as you had done upon both sides OF
the Texas question, after submitting quietly TO
the practices of the party in ls4O, you would have
talked about "honesty" and Spreading nets TO
catch birds of every teather2" They thought you
had ouafTed from The cider barrels OF The party
Lclheean draughls, and every Thing like political
integrity and recliude had been buried in obi
WON. So your letter was, have heard, publish
ed without examination BY any member OF the
rar,y, save The printers devil or type selters.-
What a mark Of confidence was this, my dear
Willouehby How sadly were they deceived
in YOU, when the "Richmond Wing" gave 10 the
public your immortal letter. That epislle con-
signed you 10 the shades Of private life, and fill
ed your party with terror and dismay: il arose
before the convention like an accusing minister,
and told its members OF their past political mis-
deeds and evil dongs: il was rod placed by
The very Benjamin OF their party-lheir well be.
loved wiilonshbyain he hands s,. Of . heT - oppo
nents, with which they knew they would be mos
numerically scourged. The letter was sum-
ming up OF earIu! truths, which told OF their lur-
pi,ude and fraud practiced upoE an unsusPeclins
PEOPLE: il brough, before them, with terrific clear
ness, their objectionable suppression OF heirrue
principles, aud their attempts 10 gain disconnected
men Of every parry by false promises and disre,,
sarded assurances OF reform. Had The ghost OF
Osle appeared, il could moi, BY denying the gold
spoon" humbug, have created more fear than
did your memorable letter.
Ihaye often thought what scene for The PEN
ell of he arts, the Wing Convention would have
presented al The moment when the first intelli-
gence OF your letter and lis character was receiv-
ed. The genius OF Hogarlh would have reveed
IN 1, With what historical pajntng or event