Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1848-08-30
FROM THE BATTERY.
MR. WISE'S LETTER

The Union publishes long letter from Henry
A. Wise, under its favorte head piece of"Another
Gun Spiked" The meaning of this is, that MFR.
Wise has spiked his gun of 1887 His gun was
the oath that he believed Lewis Cass to DO a cor
rupt officer and a corrupt man. The spiking pro
cess Is prayer 'to God that he may be elected,
and carry out the measures and principles of the
Administration of James X. Polk" Thus we see
Henry A. Wise raising the very hands with whose
digital eXtremies he tweaked Mr. Folks nose. to
enforce his recantation of the oath with which his
lips announced the corruption of Mr. Cass He
takes IT all back-"the truth the whole truth. and
nothing but the truth" He s,vore in 1887 i'm
merely Pickwckian sense. His oath was intend.
ed to lay the foundation of his charges, in conse-
quence of the letter Of President Jackson repenp
and repudating investigation into the affairs of his
departments. II was only quasi OATH Ii was n
sort OF Iylerized oath. Ii was an oath with re-
servaiion. He swore to his charges with mental
proviso TO wit: provided that they should prore to
he true!
We have seen a class of men, and read of them,
characterized as "poor DEVILS" But we have now
for the first time realized beau ideal of that ca
tegory. Hencefnrth ''poor devl'' and Henry A.
wise Will be synonymous, and may be used inter
changeably, the one for tho other. When we fall
In with remarkably used-up man, we shall say
involuntarily, he is perfect Henry A Wise Ola
man Nature is ingenious in packing essences
She gets great deal, sometimes, into small COM
pass; but how she managed to pack so much mean
ness, venom, and bitterness she has put into that
small soul of his-a soul that might easily lose it
sell IN the circumference of six penny piece--we
are at a loss to divine.
| The time has been when we thought very differ
emily of this individual. His severe invectives in
the House against Mr.. Cass, and Jacksons Admin
lstratlon we enjoyed good DEAL without altogether
approving them They were something too coarse
and vulgar to square with good taste, good judy
mcnt. We like to see opponent of considera-
ton carved like dish fit for the Gods not hewed
| like carcass for the hounds. The weapon for a
gentleman is the Damascus blade-not the toma-
hawk If we fancied different style of treatment
now, we should leave this doughty warrior head
less and limbless trunk on the field but shall
merely peel him gently here and there with light
blade, and then leave him to his eXcoriated
face IN the tervor of public Indignation.
Mr.. Wise says that, In consequence of the view
taken by General jackson Of the powers of the in
vestiSaung committee, which was adopted by the
majority, 81 submitted to take the oath that be-
lleved there was good ground for both investigation
and inquiry" As we have already republished the
entire testimony of Mr.. Wise, it is only necessary
for US to refer to it, without again encumbering
columns with anything but the extracts material to
disprOve this allegation:
81 believe that Lewis Cass, Secretary Of War,
was engaged in specializing in the public lands
whilst Secretary Of War; that he made sxorbtant
allowances to favories; paid for services never
performed; another, after he had full knowledge
that the favOrite had forged his official signature
permitted commissions under him 10 bc antedated
and has ordered Treasury warrant to be paid to
the assignee of disbursng officer, who had gam
bled 1t away after ii had been protested by depo-
site bank, and was countermanded by the Secrea
ny OF the Treasury, and 10 have been guilty ofsev
eral other acts of violation of duty
81 believe that the wars with the Creek and Sc
mnole Indians have been caused by want Of nteg-
rlty in Executive officers of the Government and
that the defeat OF our arms, which has covered the
nation with disgrace in these wars has been owing
to neglect OF want of ability in the War Depart
ment"
This, Mr.. Wise calls an oath to lay the founda
ton of inquiry. He had heard of these things, and
he believed them and he to his belief on in
formation. Well on what information? Did Mr..
Wise take this solemn and deliberate oath-n that
position of high responsibility, with the eyes of the
whole nation fixed upon him-did he take this
lemn and deliberate oath on the mere say-so Of a
stranger, or man whom he could not place that
firm reliance which could alone clay the founda-
ton" OF such an oath in the mind of an honorable
man2 How, then, could belief, founded on in
formation competent to carry the conviction autho
rizlng such oath, be remCucd2 BY counter
proof, or by proof of the worhessuess of the evil
dence which he relied in the first instance p
Mr.. Wise himself tells in this letter, that ''the
main and most serious charges against Gen. Cass,
as Secretary of War, were never touched and the
truth or the faLsehood Of them tested."-
Mr.. Wtse's belief, them has been shaken By
counter proof, does he no'u impcacI the credit
Of the ,oineSSes aciose information he took that
solemn oath upon his lips.
MIR. Wise goes on to say, that at the time he
made them he believed ''most sincerely in the
truth of these charges. He admits that he has
seen no evidence to disprove them. If they were
sufficiently authenticated in 1887 to produce this
sincere belief-and we do not think Mr. Wise so
mnch of a smpleton as TO believe ,cithoW evidence
what has shaken his confidence in the statements
which produced this conviction? Is his belief de-
pendent on his party position? Nothing appears
on the face of things 10 shake this belief, except
his retention in lucrative office by Mr.. Polk, his
want Of lucrative office at this time, the certainty
that he never receive it from party that he
has betrayed, and his expectation of receiving it
from Mr.. Cass it is only question Of pay and
rations with him-just as il is with his ally, Mr..
S277 ,46S Rchie.
But MIR. Wise thinks that he exhibits his sense
OF the degradation" of the Wing party by giving
his preference under such circumstances to Mr..
Cass. We think on the other hand, that he only
makes his own degradation manifest. He init
mates that, if Gen. Cass were as bad as he once
beloved him TO be- the principles Of the Wings are
still more TO De abhorred! We apprehend that the
Wing party will be very much mortified TO know
that so pure and upright man as Mr.. Wise thinks
! Ill OF them. Mr.. Wise says, however, that his
: opinion Of General Cass would not affect General
7 Cass, but only himself We admit that his opin-
ion Of any body is Of very little consequence, after
. eating this formidable oath. If we cannot believe
, him ON oath, his mere JtnsUorn opinion must DO o
no sort of importance. This must be the consoa
ton Of the Wing party, in view of his present cab
. horrence" Of them.
. And when did Mr. Wise get this light in Fogart
u to the opinions Of the Wing party7 Are they any
worse now than they were in 1887? Are they
any more 10 be abhorred than they were when Mr
y Wise was lsboring with "patrotic passion &