Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1847-03-19


denim Mr.. Harvie ior beslowng The office, both
being done BY the me mean>2 But what is this
mode Of election which this writer, and those with
whom he has talked 50 much condemn, lna
they will vote for a Wing rather than Mr.. Har-
vie, because he, amongst others, adopted H. Tor
this writer says that This alone us sufficient =
Is il not the mc,lr Of f.ciion required by The
State Constitution Certainty j! is. Then they
condemn lhe Constitutional mode. And what
are he "mcans" they would sanclion9 Those
Mr. Harvie nscd in compliance Mlh The Ccnsii-
tuition are condemned, and We ale not lo.d wha,
h. means" arc witch wou,. be appruvei.-
We are lett 10 inter that The means referred 10
by The writer though h. does no. sa; 81 are by
caucus. This "mrans" is mol known 10 the Con-
stituiun or laws. potion Of the members OF
tn. Legislature, constituting patty, or such as
choose 10 consult together, meet usually al night,
without any warrant Of law, slt with closed
doors, admit no spectators, and acI under The I'M
piled pledge mol 10 divuge The yor> al the differ
IN members or any act dGLr Ihere, nnits> per-
miilet is The assemolaae. Thl>, believe, IS
caucus ! am no member oi the Legislature
never have been, and never was Al snch a meet
iag. am plain man, and NAV mistake The
lhing. Bu this is what have been tol il Is
There is another law Of King Caucus which
forgot and which believe he esl,rm> above all
other. because IL is The rue source II MS Hingly
powers II <, that every ole y no goes L. one ~
these sec ct meetings sha bind n,cl - gnle and
acl 4 h. snail require. Now, do net mean 10 say
taa = ucu. may not sometimes oe advisable; but
would warn myl .ilnw-cnnaiymen against giving
their sanction 10 II lar as 10 condemn their De-
legale merely because he would mol go into one.
Let King Caucus once obtain such sanction IL
his authority as this from The people, and he will
soon become absolute. Evc:y legislative acl
whether law making or electioneerns, will be
done by means OF This secret conclavc. And
how. then ask, shall We hold our Delegates and
Representatives responsible 70 US, heir conslilu-
entsf We shall have transferred our authority
10 King Caucus How they vote in This caucus
We can never tell. They keep no journal there
al! is secret rs the grave. We may SUI
| know how they vote in the Legislative HAL,
but how they shall vote there has been decId,
BY his Majesty, King Caucus, ard they will
plead lis authority, now greatar than ours; Tor
our Representative will tell US, You iequirea
me 10 % TO the caucus; ! cannot tell you Row
vo,ed ,hcie-and in ths Legislative Hall voted
rs he caucus required, aud as you compelled
/ me" Bur do not intend IN discuss the caucus
system. ! only mean 10 say that We should ne
| yer condemn IN honest representative merely
| because hr did not 90 10 a GAUGES, Or is opposed
10 them Especially should not our present de-
leeate BE- condemned Tor hi~, because he told Is
before - rieclrd MIN last >frrg that he was
! utterly opposed To- the caucus system, ard wcul.'
not again 90 into one-aDd we elected hin VIII
| this declaration IN his lips. With wha: justice
can we nhl-c, 10 him now, because he would moi
attend the recent caucus? Was lie not bound 10
| believe thai we dn no; :cqmifc him 10 attend?
But perhaps Ire #Tier in me Enquirer meant
| that he was dissatisfied with the manner oil the
election. because The Wings voted with some OF
| The Democrats (Ar. Harrie amcL. them; Tor
The Senator'S elected. | say perhaps, ior the
wri:cr does not tell what The particular man.
nrip is 70 which he objects So vehcme n,.v, that
he is going 10 @olc Tor 4 Wing rahef than sane
lion il ; nor does he tell the grounds III his oblec-
ton But there was certainly "manner" about
| il that h. dis!kes excessively-and very strange
manner too for while i! makes Mr.. Harvie,
who could get nothing by il, very unpopular, II
makes he writer and others very "well satisfied"
! with he Senators who got the Office ~ il But
| Mr.. Tlaivie was no more 10 blame because The
Wings chose 10 vote with him than The Senators
were He and they, no doubt would have pre-
erred greatly that all tic Democrats should
have voted with him; bur they could not help he
Wings doing SO, il they pleased. How were The
aclsl King Caucus had, by very lean majo.
| rily Of his followers, directed that MIR. Smith
should bc clcc,ed- OF the Democratic de-
esa.rs, in addition 10 Mr. HunleI's particular
friends, mol choosing 10 attend the caucus meet
ing Mir Harvir, with other Democrats, pre-
TERED Mr. Hunter 10 Mr.. Smith, as believe
large majority oil his constituents did, Democrats
as we'll as Wings He, therefore, with other Demo
cratic delegates voted Tor MIR. Hunter, and alter
| number of ballots, a large number OF Wing de-
egaies, also pfeiering Mr.. Hunter 10 Mr.. Smith,
voted with MIR. Harvie and those other Demo
Gratis, and elected Mr.. Hnn'er with whom We
are all very well pleased" This is The whole
/ NJ 1 int mad
which is So vehemenlly condemned, though the
result oi il is SO very pleasing. That Mr. Harvie
preferred Mr.. Hunter 10 MIR. Smith, or 10 any
other man. we all knew. We are all "well pleas
ed" with Mr.. Hunter now, and none OF US, no,
hct one, i; is believed, informed Mr.. HarvIe then
that we would be better pleased with any one
else We failed 10 instruct him 10 vote Other
wise. ii we wished il. He would, under such
| circumstances have been knave, had he vote;
l Otherwise Well, the commands oil King Caucus
net having been obeyej, he refused in his royal
displeasure, 10 call another meeting, and when
the next election came eli, the Democratic dele
gates divided between Jones, Mcdowell, Smith
| Mason and Hopkins-Mr Harvie voting for
! Mr.. Jones until il was manifest that his election
was hopeless, and then voting Tor MIR. Mason
and after frequent ballots in this way some oil
4 The Wings vo'ed also Tor Mason and ne was
elected Again, We arc all 'well pleased" with
The substance, but some OF us don't like The "man-
| ner." The "ead" is very good, but il docs not
| Justify The means | should be glad 10 learn the
I objection 10 these very odious "means, for
confess cannot sec il; and especially that Curl
Gus objection which will acQuil Mr. Mason
and condemn MIR. Ilaivir. Espec'auy an,
| al loss 10 conceive This weishly anu
\ curious objection, now, Tor the fist lIm' DIS
covered or invented when Iccollect that IN our
former elections. precisely similar case &C.
4 CURED and exactly The same "means were usen,
and then with The warm appreciation oi me parry,
and particularly Of the Democrats oil hmei,a, anu
of The then able editor Of the Enquirer. In The
election OF United States Senator 10 NIL line va
cancy occasioned by the resignation OF Inc laie
Judge Parker, without cancus ineehns, WHICH,
| understand, was dtsienediy avoided, Inc Defno'
cratic delegates divided between JnoSe Dahie',
! Mr.. Jone, and The la,e Mr.. Roane. Alter one
ballot Mr. Jones's name was dropped and MI
| Ruane e.ecied b. the joint vote Of Democrats
and Whigs-a large number OF Wings voting
| for him. Two ot the Wings, who had voted Tor
Mr.. Jones, Judge May and MIR. Mallory during
the election, expressed their gratihcalon that The
caucus syslem had heen oyerihrown and a''rihuI-
ed Il Ia Mr.. Joness particular trieDds, saying II
| had, on that ground, given them great pleasure
10 sustain him. The present worthy Senator,
Mr.. Cox. then delegate from Chesterfield, the
| la,e esimablc delegate from our own county,
Capt Wiley and Col. Hopkins, then a deee
ftom powha,an. were Mr.. Jonsss most zealons
friends and pull him in nomination When Cap.
Wiley retired from The Legislature, The people
CT Amelia passed resolutions warmly approving
his whole course. which we'll deserved Their en-.
tire Appreciation; and The editor ., The Enquirer,
SIR. Thomas Richie, ST., referred 10 ine iac'
that Mir Roane had been elected BY Inc a,d OF d
number of WING votes as evidence that ne was
worthy OF The high post 10 which he was elec'ed.
These "means" we're lhe, all right. How comes
il 10 be they are all wrong now-paniculaIly,
100, 10 The las, election, when, from The number
Of Democratic candidates before the House, and
the pertinaci,y Nth which their respective friends
adhered 10 each, il would seem impossible 10
make any election without The votes oil The
Whigs7 cannot perceive, then, why these