The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-03-02
Movements Of the Wing Party on
the Presidency.
Virginia.
R,cuaonp Va Feb. Is, 1867.

WAtg Politics Of Vrrgnia an the Sum = iae RE
sides,iR Question M. Filemne IL Vrgini1. |
vcMs Scott All Webster Movements of the |
So,ahgu States DInger of Scott xpon Non
Com 9,ntai Platform from Seicard AID the AbRi-
tso,,istS
Relying upon The NEW YORK HERALD as the in
dependent press, free from party bias and party
predictions free from the influences Of party
managers, and perfectly Independent Of all mere
political parties, North or South yet open TO ali
par ses ask the favor Of your columns ss the most
desirable medium for an xsosition Of the pro-
sent attitude Of the noble vhg party OF Virginia,
and Of the whole South, upon the Presidential quss-
ton. ask it as friend Of the Union and the
Consti lution-of the Comp romises between the two
seosiops-and as Southern man. jealous and dis.
trustfu! OF the Interior schemes of Northern abo.
litionists against our Southern Institutions. The
HERALD, too, having been the steady and conss-
tent doendcr Of Southern rights, under the Consti
tuition and in the Union, ask with comic ence the
favor OF this exposition of Southern whig politics
through your columns.
The position of the wings of Virginia and the
South, in reference their principles for the ap-
preaching campaign, is easy of solution. II is 40
hesiop to the compromises Of 1850, as q settlement
Of the Issues between The North and the South on
the slavery question. 1t is position OF nan inter
vention in the affairs of Europe. Upon the minor
questions Of finance, the tariff, the public lands,
rivers and harbors, So, the Southern wings are
conservative, as heretofore. The distinct issue
which they will press upon their Northern brethren
s, o firm and inAexible adherence to tho sla
very adjustment Of 1850, and especially to tho En-.
gitive Slave Law. permanent compromise be.
tween tic n orth and the South.
Such being the principles of the Southern wings,
it becomes difficult task 10 determine who is the
man they would prefer all other available men,
rs their candidate for the November election. II
is none other, it can BIO none other, than Willard
Fillmore present conservative chief agistrate
to whom the country is indebted, next to Horny
Clay, for the settlement of those tremendous issues
which SO lately threatened the existence of the
Union. The nominations which Mr.. Fillmore has
received from the wings of Kentucky and of Ten
nossee, is positive evidence ON this point-the GO
neral tone Of the whig press Of the South corrobo
rates this testimony; aHd fe n facts will serve to
indicate that he is equally as much the choice of
the whgs of Virginia do Of Tennessee, or Kentu,ky
or North Carolina, OF Maryland, or any other
Southern State.
During the last summer, President Fillmore made
two pleasure excur sions into Virginia. The first
was dos nthe Potomac river to Old Point Comfort;
thence, up the James River to Richmond; thence,
by wsy OF Fredericksburg, back to Washington.
The second excursion was by way of the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad, to Harper's Ferry; thence, up
the beautiful valley of Virginia ts Staunton thence
70 the White Sulphur Springs, and thence, by
more sGutherly route, his return to the seat of
government. In these two excursions he compass
ed the extreme northern section of the State, and
tho southern. the eastern, and the western He
passed through the great tobacco raising and sla
holding counties Of the tide water district, whore
popular prejudice on the slavery question is almost
as ultra as that Of South Carolina-he passed
through the great valley Prain growing district,
where the sturdy Gei man population Of Shenan-
doah sDd Rockingham, and other counties, do their
own labor, and care very little about slavery; he
explored the vast abyrn ID Of the Allegheny noun
tains in which, from the smalness of the valleys,
slavery is almost totally excluded; bat everywhere
ON the seabeard, 10 the great valley, and among
the mountaips-be was received by the Same frank
and hearty enthusiasm. by men an d women Of all
parties, indeed by the whole population as refer
ence to yeur own columns will show Mr. Web
ster anticipated the President in his visit to the
great valley ana Gen Scott followed o., close upon
WAS considered as the apGnn courier of his official
superior, and the other as the rear guard of the
commander in. chief of the army and navy. Ger |
tainly nothing was said or done, In behalf of Web
ster or Scott by the wings, to weaken in the slight
est degree, their marked expressions of Partially
for Fillmore
Why was this The fne personal appearance of
the President, his easy, unaffected, asd graceful
manners bis unconstrainec and frank familiarity
with the people, certainly told in hisfavor But the
people Virginia had been p-epossessed In hil behalf
by his manly and patriotic couree on the slavery
question He declined to make any professions to
fatter or humbug them, but referred to his acts
and the results Of his administration, as the stand
ard upon which he was willing to BIO judged; and
this confirmed them, To the people Of Virginia.
border State, the Fugitive Slave law is actical
measure. They felt it at once, and they felt them
selves under obligations to this man, who had thus
maintained the rights of Virginia and the South
at the risk o! being victimized by Seward and the
whg abolihonists of the North.
Mr. Webster was also we'll received in Virginia; |
His reformation came too late, and there is yet in
him too much Of the leaven of old federalism, of
the Hartford Convention, of rigid PUritansm, OF
these costive whig principles which result In poll
tical dyspepsic, TO make him, under any circum- |
stances, scoe Ftsble to the South. No Southern |
State has expressed preference for hiG; and this
will be the cate in the National Convent IN, unless
all the iI6i cations of the times arc deceptive
General Scott ia also in & bad position for south
ern support extremely bad Not one solitary |
State-not one solitary Southern press as lar az
| am intormed-has come out FOR General
champion Of Seward, and mis- whole tribe OF wing
abolitionists His nomination in Pennsy 'aais by
the wings, in their State convention at Lancaster,
last spring, was made in direct opposition 70 line
com promise wings Of that State, and ey the anti
slavery Johnston wing Of the party. His nomina-
tion In Ohio was intended also - en- abolition con-
cession; and though the wings failed in both
states. the result has not weakened the suspicens
Of the South. The impression here prevails that
Seward is an able, shrewd, cunning, and dangerous
abolition demsgogue-the very lie and embodi nent
ofNorthern conspracies against our Southern instr
tutons We hold that he has an object TO accom- piish
in the election OF Scott-an object of personal a m
bition ara sectional fahaticisnl. We suppose that
he will be content to have Scott elected upon the
non-oonmittal platform OF Gen. Taylor. Thus the |
repeal OF the Fugitive Slave law, and the question of
aboliehiAg slavery in the District OF Columbia and
The question OF excluding slavery from the terrific
ries will be left open for agitation, and with the
qpread Of abolition fanati,ism and the new and omi
nous doctrines Of foreign Intervention, it may be
possible that by the year 1856, Seward himself may
become the sll-powerful candidate Of the wings OF
the North. And as the North in y atiopal Con-
yention ovorrules the South, We shall then only |
have to submit to be destroyed.
Be not surprised, therefore, If tho whigsot Virginia,
and Of the whole South, go to the Philadelphia