Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1851-12-15
PARTIES In PETERSBURG.

1t appears from the following statement Of the
Petersburg Intelligencer that the Democrats OF
that city propose to take advantage of their pre-
sent majority by monopolizng all the municipal
Offices:
For the purpose of intimidating the Wings of Pc.
tersburg, it has been openly proclaimed the streets
that, in all time to come, the Democracy to have
the gilt of every office, both State and local This
declaration. when properly translated, amounts to the
following proclamation 10 the Wings: " You have
been beaten. You are in minority, and if You want
Office YOU must desert your standard and array your
claiion of fourteen years with the Wing party of Pc
tersburg should have enabled 10 form toIerably
accurate idea OF its temper and tone, and we have
mlstak en- both, if language like the above does not
have the precisely opposite effect to that which was de-
sired to be produced The Wing party has never been
characterized by overweening love of that public
plunder' which, according to Mr. Calhoun, alone
keeps the Democracy together aparty, and have
ne.apprehenslon that at this day, they will develop
new and odlous feature of character. The Wing
party have desired victory for the good of their
try; and as long as they have that country 10 serve
ihey Will never give up cause which they believe,
IN their hearts, to identified with its best interests
We have little doubt that the threat will be
carried out, and that the Wing officers in Pc
tersburg will be cashiered Such is the general
practice of the Democratic party wherever they
have the power in their hands. 1t is true that,
in Virginia, the principle of prescription on &C.
count of political opinions was, for long time,
eschewed but, Of late years, it has come to be
enforced by the Democracy with an unsparing
hand. Under the late constitution, it would have
baan as idle for any Wing to expect to be elected
Judge, as to be translated in the flesh to Hea-
ven. The people became indeed, disguised with
the manner in which the Legislature filled the
judgeships, and they sought remedy by taking
from it the power of appointment. But the
Democrats, as party, sustained no loss of popu~
lar strength by their prescriptions. The fact
that the scope of their central operations is con-
sderably curailed, will probably render the leaders
only the more eager for an appropriation of the
spoils. Looking to the experience of other
States where the system of popular elections
prevails, there is no reason to suppose that
the Democratic party will not adopt and act upon
the doctrine of prescription, in the selection of
all kinds Of officers.
THERE'S one consolation, however: Democratic
as Virginia may be, she contains nearly as many
Wing as Democratic constituencies. If the De-
mocrats in Petersburg choose to prescribe the
Wing officers, the Wings in Richmond and
Norfolk, and Alexandria, and Lynchbnrg, can
just as easily prescribe the Democratic officers:
and SO in every Wing county of the State. In
This city, particularly, the Wings have abundant
reason for adopting the Democratic principle; for
there are here number of office-holders, treat
busy-bodies in elections, who make their Offices
the means OF exertng certain poll teal influ-
ence.