Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1850-04-05
NEW ISSUE.
.prs,roy iis web Of solhlsiry IN YAM.
rhr creatures al his dirty work again

ro.oond to The action ot the Legislature" OH ~"
A NEW ISSUE.
.p.,roy his web Of soI,hisiry IN ram.,
The creatures al his dirty work again
rho Richmond Whig, the most virulent, unscrupuio"s' IA
,o,sr,n, md contradictory print, belonging 10 that heteroge-
""-anl un,rinciplcd afilation, banded together by lhe
-, ,hev have 80 long and loudly denounced, "the COHESIVE
no..r If nublic plumber" and rallying under the banner VI
,,n,, z.c.,, finding the wall over Heath ana Lawson >
.n,oscription'' impotent to galvanlzc the dead CARCASS u
TavIor Whiggcry into life, presents now 10 Tie country ="
ocw i.s,e. With their usual perspicncity, The editors ui'eo,
. and with their characteristic candor thcy aeciafe' 'e
,r,c and great issue ought now 10 he, the principle ih'oNea
in The election of the present Public Printer
Let us examine this question, and lei us examine me wing
III. LEGISLATURE Of 1889 was called upon, by the sudden
death of the public printer, Ia elect another IN his place
The senior Editor Of this paper was elected TO perform 'he
du;ies of the office. We had, as we supposed, as m'Ich rieh'
"a become a candidate Tor il Is any other Tree citizen u II
,;pia-to Tor we have vet TO learn, why one man is not AS
much entitled To nm office as another, II he can perform III
duties Of il. There Is not in this country, thank God, any
pursuit or profession which entities any man 10 any honers Oh
emoluments 10 the exclusion ofall others. Capacity and worth
are the only REQUISITES which deserve 10 be looked nj. Ana II
will be time enough for the Wing 10 find fault with us, and
traduce those who elected us, when il can show evidence, q
littIr more 10 be relied on than their anonymous scrlooiefs'
like 'Sidney' in Ire Wing that we have notfully dlscbars-
ed the duties of the oficeiu every particular with p%roihptness
and fidelity. MOI one word of complaint, So iar as we nave
heard, has escaped the lips Of those 10 whom We are fcspoh-
sible for our work, either Wing or Democrat. But says 'ne
Richmond Uhig, a practical printer should have been eie''e'
TO fill the office. And why so, pray! Is there any reason why
a printer by trade should be elected 10 n particular Office,
sooner than a blacksmith, a carpenter, "A lawyer, or an editor!
There is none that we know OF. There Is none We ever
heard adduced. that had anything more III il Than n plausible
humbus Ia deceive and mislcad the people.
II certainly viii no, DO to say that none but Il practical
printer can fully and properly discharge the duties OF The OIL
flee. The bIindest partizans Of the Wing would not swallow
thnt gorge-no man would believe one word u il. tic who
would make such Il statement would himself know II To be
false or the same kidney is the statement that 'tlic public
printing" has been 'anatched from the hands Of the laboring
workman Can il be possible that the Wing intends 10 be
understand by the people of The country a. meaning that Mr..
Sbenherd the former printer. did all the work himself IL
would seem 50. from lis everlasting sing-song about practical
printers being entitled 10 The Office, and the patronage Dflhs
conferred upon one who never set II type. we employ as
many "laboring workmen' 10 do The public printing AZ ever
Mr.. Shepherd did-probably more then, where Is inns
"snatclinp" awsy from the hands Vi practical printers their
employment! Ii, then, the pay for printing amounts i"
more than the wages Of "thc labodng workman what right
has one practical printer 10 the excess more than another =
According 10 the Wings reasoning, il should he ascertainea
first how many "lab0flng worRnlcn IL Wouid require ~ NV
cu,e th. work and then. all Of them should be elected. The
ubsurdily of such an idea is too manifest 10 require ihe
slightest notice. We hazard nothing in saying, that SO far
from ~.natching employment from the practical pnntcr' ue
"laboring workman we give more into ms Nahds IMAM WAS
ever given before 10y any public printer.
I'm, il is ALLEGED that, being the Editor Of a newspaper, we
sh,ouLl not he appointed TO This Lucrative Office under Tie 60
ye.nmenr. Ii this be true in any sense, il must be 50 because
The Editor, for fear of losing his employment, Will sac!lhce
his principles and his independence. Let us feat rms US
| sumption. Would the yirtuous SIDNEY" or The Immaculate
Editors Of the Wing, he corrupted by Officer Would they
give up their cherished principles, for filthy lucre! These
renlry who would not hatrer Neptune for his trident, sure
" would not surrender their faith for paltry pcii! Would
they not stick 10 their timc-honored parry allegiance "at all
hazards and 10 The last extremity!' If so-and who dare
DENY twill these modest luminaries set np exclusive claim
10 all the virtue, as we'll as "all the dccency and all the Ia
lent7" For "tte honor Of human nature, We hope not
We will mol believe they are of that notable fraternity
who make broad their phylacterics, and choose their "chief
seats in the synagoeues-thanking God they are not like
other men,, however true this may be. II then, All Editor ran
be a public printer, and not "bend the pregnant hinges oil the
knee that thrift may follow fawning;" Is II not at least wen
enough to let the present incumbent alone, until some overt
act has been committed, which will show his unworthiness!
If there is anything 'rotten in Denmark" We Know the
Wing has a nose for it--"a will 10 do, and soul TO dare."-
Let il be exposed, and then ii will be time enough for US to
plead 10 the Indictment.
Iii with real regret we are compelled 10 forego the plea
sure of laying entire before our readers the Wings history
Of Legislative action for a year or two lasi, relative 10 Inc
public printing--our necessities and aot our will prevent
We should be glad 10 exhibit 10 our readers, in tile Wing s own
language, its fanfaronade Of wretclled %balderdash, exhibiting,
as il does, a perversion Of facts and feeling, altogether
without n parallel, except in lis own columns. The strut,
too, which the wiseacrc assumes, the naughty indignation,
the lofty sliperciliousncss, the offended patriotism, the insult
ed virtue standing out conspicuously like warts upon Il
loads back-all these lend force aud elect 10 the patriotic APP
peal, which, to be properly appreciated, must be seen. Inc
ahis,orv" amounts to this, that the then Editor of this pa
per resigned the office of Public Printer III ls31-3S-that
Mr.. Shepherd was elected to fill the y~acancy that this gen
,leman continued tn hold the appointment until his death,
when we received il as stated above. How Indignantly this
shin-plsstcr representative Of the English patriot Sidney
dcnounces this procedure, lei him tell in his own language
"Whigs of vireinia, you see That, after Il ten years divorce,
with tile appreciation OF all parties, the incestuous connec-
ton between the public printing and the political press has
been renewed. The loss TO the treasury by this ner Demo
cratic arrangement, monstrous as il is, is yet of small i'm
portance compared with the darker shade of the picture.
God help us, this must mean the visage of Sidney" him
selfD He continues:
"The public money is contributed equally BY all, according
TO their means. ion pay your Just proportion "i the ON
mon burthens, and yet Your money Is lavislied freely to sls-
tain a press, whose daily vocation 1t is 10 reviic your opini-
ions, inpugn your motives, and bring into contempt pflnci-
Piles which you hold most dear. II is bad enough at any
time 10 be exposed 10 the yindiciivc assaults OF Il party press
even when supported by lis own means, but TO be COM
PEELED not only 10 pocket their ISLANDERS but 10 pay for them,
is n refinement of tyranny which no freeman can patiently
endure. We are familiar with the angry feelings always pro-
duced when any attempt, real or imaginary, is even made To
abridge the freedom vi religion. The services OF chaplain
cannot be compensated from the Treasury without raising
The cry that liberty of conscience is in danger, and yet ouI
political rights hardy second in Importance, are invaded
with IMMUNITY by the ruthless hand of party ~despotism.
Wings are not only prescribed and DISTINGUISHED but COM
pellcd 10 furnish the Spoilers with the means Of prolongine
their degradation, and defending the system OF plumber by
which il is effected"
CANCELS and ministers Of grace defend us" wings are
not ONLY prescribed and DISTINGUISHED" but, horrible drtu!
.horrible, most horrible 'this new Democratic arrange
ment" has been brought about by the unanimous vote OF the
whole Wing party in the last MISUNDERSTANDING
only one solitary voice, tthat of MIR. Lacy OF New
KentD The present public printer received every vote in
the Legislature but one; though the Wing had made
this 0incestuous connection an issue last Spring =
Nor when these monstrosites were being perpetrated, did the
ocounterfeit presentiment' of the great Englishman or tho
Wl,is have one word 10 say against the outrage!-Whorc
then was the indignant eloquence OF ''the WHISPERED panders