Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1854-02-01

treat Men,
We wrote an article some weeks ago con the sud-
den dearth ofgreat men in Virginia" 1t was intend
Cd as a hit at the tmc.worn custom of the Demo
-a'c press OF this city of taking up very small men
and puting them into vain conception of their own
distinction and not only but giving them ia fictitious
reputation that they had legitimate pretentions to
We had observed, shortly after the opening of the
Legislature an absence OF those periodical magnetic
passes in the Enquirer which transformed country
youth Of common parts, but not uncommon brass into
Statesmen, orators fnancicrs and future Presidents
IL was n hiatus in that mastery policy which had
given to the leading Democratic Journal Of the State
an influence and power for which nothing seemed to
furnish an adequate solution, We felt disappointed,
forwe took harmless joy in seeing these young but.
teri'es bursting from their cocooons at the signal
from the Enqurcr-and fiaunt themselves in the SUM-
Their twiucrings and 6utterings were amusing to US
NOT hurtful to us in any way-and giving them
season Of joy which, alas, too we'll we knew
would end with the FIRST frost. We say we
were disappointed We knew how many of these
youths, ardent as Southern sun could make
them" had struggled up through toll and
tribuation to seat in the Legislature with their
eyes rcverenty bent on that source from which fame
was dispensed by the stroke of pcn-which made
Judges and Governors ami all sorts Of officer in the
mother of statcsmen--and thinking we saw some
looks Of implorng despair their counteaances our
kindly nature prompted us to to their aid and
endssyor to bring back, if we could, recurrence
OF the good old times, when heroes wero made in n
night and the morning that ushercd nthe Enqui-s
rer informed the world, like the signal gun when a
Prince is born, that another great light had burst
into our sphere. 1t a matter Of benevoence or
our part We knew that it part Of the harmless
policy Of the Ereat tactican Of the Democracy to fire
these Hcdglngs with lofty ambition. We do not mean
70 imply that there was any other purpose in view
though tue unchartable may have thought that per.
hnps 1t was available mode Of building up the De-
mocratc party by thus creating one great Democratic
light IN every county to whom the sovereiens nigh,
look up with ave- and follow blindly-and then this
light owning the Enquirer who had flung it out q
Ginning orb into space its great central sun around
which it wheeled with the regularity aud ixedness
OF the fianets--aord to the Richmond press aiore-
said, the grateful and patriotic power Of moulding
the opinion of the State to its will
Now we say the suspicious or the unchartable may
have thought these things, but we never did IA We
said before, it was to harmless pleasantly TO see
Geo. Washington Squibbs or Patrick Henry Goggles
don the arInor and affect the talents of the distin
guished men whose names they bore. We had read
Esop, and were familiar with his fables, and among
the rest, the story of the Daw and the ASS in tie
lions skin. We had faith in time and real tslen,
and true requirement. Bur II seems that all our
charitable designs kindly as the hearts or The Chee
ryble brothers--have been received with IN grace
Let that pass.
"A lew words spoken by us, expressive of our Jus,
OPINIONS oil some OF the Legislative body-Of men o,
real talent, as they have shown themselves to be-
snch as Staples, jackson, Christian, Crockett
Moore, Gally, and others equally worthy Of note
has called forth from the present Editor of the Exam
liner, whom we personally esteem, two columns of
aoortlvc attempts Mt humor and vapid comment
we shall neither attempt the feeble humor of the Ex
aminer, nor reason seriously with it,
Has the Examiner like ourselves, discovered In,
sudden dearth, and resolved to atone for il in
different way from us, by efforts quick wit directed
on the Wing members of the II usc? Does il hone
to impair the drought in its own crop by showering
hal on ours The Examiner ought TO remember
That drought c0ns"mes-thc hastorm NAV beat
down and impair but the glorious sun again uprears
tiedrooPing stalk Or has the Examiner discovered
what we spoke as pleasantly, is .n urpalatablc
futn? Is pleasantly no longer pleasant but as often
happens, too serious joke; We knew and ought TO
have remembered, that
"MAny shaft, at random sent
Hits point the archer little meant
We assure 1t we intended to wake no unkind rcmem.
brancc nor ungrateful reality
For the Wing members of the Legislature there is
one fact wo!h more than all the praise we can be.
stow and defyng all the paper pellets Of the brain at
the command Of the Examiner, and that is that in a
minority for years, crushed by numbers, overwheln.
cd by dominant majority they have never failed to
lind little band strong enough to wage equal battle
IN discussion with the Democratic side Of the
House.