Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1848-09-26
RICHMOND, W
saturday Morning, September 23. ls4s.
MR. RIYES' SpEEcH.

II.
a. "Wednesday night last. Mr. Rives address
ed mite large assemblage OF the c''izens Oh
p;.hrond in the African Church, by the invita-
,;o, ,f the Trough and Ready Club" VI
course. there was no opportunity afforded oil re
nIv 10 him; and although his speech was 'haiA-
ed by his known ability and practised ingenuity
%, VIC cannot believe that he would have ven
tured on some of the grounds assumed by MN III
the face Of political opponent entitled 70
exnose their well concealed fallacies. we
wish we had time and space to review his re-
marks at once; for, though artfuly covered as
,ve concede we believe it would not be difi
cult task to strip off the veil which no had
sklfully adjusted with great labor and OBVIOUS
nrenaration, to hide the unwarranted assunp-
tons, false premises, illogical conclusions ano'
as we conceive, dangerous heresles, "h'e"
characterized this effort Of this post anomalous
politician. We can only, at present. s"'
meagre outline of the course OF MS renia' No.
rarro,t;no that we cannot do them Inc justice
they deserve. ha,;evs
Hscommenced with his usual, and we oeileSe
,,r,r;abie disclaimer ofany expectation OIL oe',.s
called IN TO make regular speech, or any sun
c;ent preparation properly to perform the 'ssAi
and yet delivered perfectly conhec'eu a'''
v;ously we'll concocted Grafton oil tnrce nuns
length; thus evincing in the outset '"a' wan
&C s;ncsr;tv and candor which, as it strikes US
re tho a,,rbutes of all his talking, II not OF all
his acting; we, Of course, mean poi''ca1'
ue now had access to his ear, we wouio Pr
yateIy advise him, as friend, to drop TINS arr
foo. for he has worn il threadbare, and Il dc
ceiyes no one.
He proceeded, in the ordinary course OF al
Who sneakers now -a-days, 10 arraign me fie'
sent administration for lis conoucl III anu 'ooN.
the Mexican war, and in the usuai
and uumeaning style OF the most vioien' Pa''
zans. in language generally more poiisheo auu
decent lhan we commonly hear from them, ou'
sometimes with the sane oft.repeaIed phrases
and in the same senseless slang, ne denounced
The war as "unnecessary and UNCONSTITUTIONAL
declared the President 10 be "a king" IN disguise
and our government as administered, the ~ots'
sort OF "despotism" We should have ieH sur
prsed al hearing all these unmerlted ana Outrage
Gus calumnies against the war, the President anu
our Government borrowed from wing orators
and presses, and repealed by Mr.. Rives with what
ever CLOSES, if we had mol been convinced 'ha'
he was prepared TO sing any song ana cu' any
caper that might afford chance, however nope
less. TO regain The high political position, as oe-
major OF the United States, (trom when ne sa'o
the Democrats had driven him. in exchange lor
his present more humble one OF Eleclor, IN
which The Wings have condescended 10 put him.
He then, as is also usual, connected ms itienu
Lewis Cass with The administration IN support oil
all these pretended enormi,ies, and conceding 10
MIR. Cas- much ability and many good pefSonai
qualities, ne oil course represented hlm 10 De ana
attempted TO make him out, The "most dangerous
noIilician" in the United States. II is needless 70
opote Mr.. Riyes against himself about this; Tor
il is plain ,ha, he uas bound by his new allegiance
10 the Wings 10 have said the very same thing OF
any man. either among The dead or living, who
raieh. have been chosen as lie Democratic can
tiiate Tor the Presidency. He said |, under
d,.ress and ough, not 10 be held accountable ior
!, nor ought The slightest weight 10 be given 10
H. lie coul: not help saying so. But VT were
surprised as sell as amused al another thing ne
sal! about Mr. Cass aad that was that he
Lewis CasS) is the greatest Political chanse'ins
Of the age Mr. RiveS surely torg0t himsel'
,ynen he ga G mis-, ihere IL stood, lew years
ago thorough going Democrat, no" q st'iing
Whig, aud had thc unh'nshing assurance 10 talk
about spolitieal Inconsistency" With much hu-
NOR and point he represented Gsa. Cass on some
political question, We believe IN: annexation ui
Texas, as having made in his efforts I" accom-
dish snmc change OF political position, "an eie'
nhan,ine leap" across the whole Uni'et States,
,ncludine ihe new territories of California ard
New Mckee Ii this were so, il is nothing to
the lea in political gymnastics which Mr.. RlveS
himse, has performed in the face OF the World
and ABBOTT which there can be no mistake; tor he
has lnmpei from one pole OF The whole political
globe 10 he oih"r and may proudly say 10 any
4.omprtiiar III this accomplishment
No peut No Ithaca contracts our powers,
But The whole boundl-ss continent " ours"
sie talk about IAN elephantlne leap in politl-
cal teruiycrsa,ion, Why neither man nor
beast ever made such, or SO many, as ne has
DONE No comparison can hc found for them,
unless in some Munchausen account OF iabu-
lous performances For shame upon him 10
rink ercn Of charging any man with political
Inconsistencies The very thought ought TO
impel him to hide his head il an effort to con-
zeal the honest hushes that should crimson his
cheeks, if he has not lost all regard for political
consistency, aud all adherence Of political
apostacy.
He next turned 10 "0ld Zack"-ap plauded
him after the usual fashion, and in much the
usual language admitted that he was uncom-
mitted Oh The Slavery question defended him
for this and tried 10 construct decent, no
party platform for him out Of the two Allison
letters. which consisted of three principles, like
a three legged STOOL on which ounces USED 10 DC
pu, at school, and on which the Wings, (no, we
beg their pardon but all the 6shy, vacillat'ng,
restless, olice-secking, discarded, unaccount.
able, anomalous politicians in the land, like
VIM C. Riyes, are striving TO put The whole
people of the United States. We do not believe
they will find them SO easily made foos Of
Las, no' least, he care 10 Miila'e ri'i"oie.
We viii oaly say, that, except an appeal al the
conclusion, ms speech ended with This unworthy
subject. We cannot, for We have mol time, out
also beraI,e we really feel reluctant 10 do ~ re-
cord what We were surprised to hear Nj Rives,
a Sounern man and virginian, say about this
now notorious Aboi,ionist, except that, while
Mr. Rives defended Fillmore agans, that charge,
he admitted that he could n"t agree with him 10
opinion on The slavery questions bu, thought
him a, least as sound as General Cass, whom,
as Mr. Lyons did, hc called Barnburner. In
reply 10 This idle appellaIion, we will only repeat,
that, il General Cass is a Barnburner the Barns