Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1853-03-21
WIG MEETING.

WING MEETING.
The Wing meeting on Friday night was one of
he largest we have ever witnessed in this city
Some slight opposition was manifested in certain
quarters to the adoption of strictly party organ,
cation in the charter elections but overwhel-
ming majority of those present approved the plan
nod evinced an inhsxible determination to carry
It into effect. We cannot permit ourselves to
doubt that the action of the meeting will ulti
nately receive the cordial appreciation Of the
whole Wing patty of Richmond. There are
many persons in our ranks, we know, who louthes
prescription, who regard the principle of making
the political opinions Of candidate test quail
f6cation for civil Office, as highly perncious and
who are extremely unwilling to see it enforced
BY the Wings. But what would these gentlemes
have US do! Have not our political opponents
adopted this principle of prescription in the dis
trbuton both Federal and State offices, and do
they not apply it wherever they have the pow
er, with remorseless and undiscriminating cru
city! What has become of the Wing officers in
our State Capitol What was the fate of James
E. Heath, of Fabius Lawson of James Brown,
and OF Gen. Richardson These men had grown
kgray 10 the service OF the Commonwealth; they
were universally admitted to be honest, capable
and faithful in the discharge of their duties, but
they entertained Wing opinions, and tor this
reason. and this alone, they were deemed unfitsto
hold office under Democratic dynasty. The fiat
Of the dominant party expelled them from the
public service, and assigned their places to De-
mocrats. The same proscriptive principle is
systematically acted gu by the Democracy of this
State 10 every department of the government
All the Offices within the gift of the Legislature
or Executive, ate held to be the property of the
Democratic party. Was Gov. johnson ever
known to make Whigappointment Was the
present Democratic Legislature ever guilty ofany
such act of liberality! Does any Wing ever dream
even of making application for place to either of
these fountains of power2 We venture to say
In all seriousness, that should any prominent
Wing in this State get up application to our
present Democratic Governor, or to tho Legisla-
ture, for some lucrative post, the sanity of the
man would be called in question by the commu
nifty. Our Locofaco functionaries would stand
aghast at SUI CHI an act of brazen audacity and fol-
ly, and would deem the applicant a filter occu-
pant of lunatic asyIun than of an Office under
the Government. Wing might apply to the
Emperor of Russia, to Louis Napoleon, to
Queen Victoria for office, with far better cham
ces of success than to the Democratic authorities
OF this Commonwealth, SO firmly and irrevocably
is the principle established that none but Demo
Gratis need expect patronage at the hands of that
party. To this extent, the convict, the idiot
and the pauper are not more hopelessy proscri-
bed and DISTINGUISHED than the Wings of this
State. Can any man, Wing or Democrat, deny
this!
Wings of Richmond, we ask you to reflect on
these things We appeal to you to know whe-
Their overy consideration of self-respect, whether
the instincts of self-preservaion should not
prompt US to retaate on our opponents, and use
our power as they use theirs? Prescription may
be bad rule, but if applied at all, it should be
made to work both ways. We acknowledge our
inability to appreciate the views of those Wings
who at this late day, decaim about the euormity
of making political opinion test of qualification
and who would dssuade the Wing party from
pursuing sucha course. These gentlemen ought
to address their arguments to the Democratic
party. Let them first convince the Democracy
Of the error of their ways and prevail upon them
to abandon their present proscripsve policy
Their reasoning and remonstrances will then
have far more weight than they likely to ex-
ercise under existing circumstances. As long ~
Democrats prescribe US, we shall be slow to be-
lieye that we ought not to prescribe them.
The Democratic party of Virginia are every
day becoming and more proscriptve. All
their measures tend to the concentration of all
the Offices of the Government ia their own hands.
Board of Public Works is soon to be elected,
and every Democratic paper in the State, far
we know. has proclaimed that none but Demo-
Gratis should be elected to that station. And yet
9 member of the Board of Public Works should
properly have more to do with politics than
the Mayor of city, or the Captain Of the Night
Watch. But the Democrats having majority
in all the districts choose to appropriate these
Offices for the reward of their own partizans.
1t must be evident that if the Wing party of
Virginia would save itself from annihation, it
must present firm and determined front to the
enemy it must fight them with their own wea-
pons: it must orgarize its forces and make its
strength felt wherever it eau. The spirit that
pervaded the meeting at the African Church on
Friday night, leads TO believe that the Wings
of this Metropolis at least prepared to stand
by their principles al all times and under ali cir
cumstancss.
A white lad named Henry Stephens, was ar
rested in New-York ss iugitiTe from service,
which he owed apprentice to the claimant, in
New Jersey, The case WIS fully Investigated