Washington sentinel., 1855-03-18
KNOW-NOTHING NOMINEES IN vIR
GINA. 80. NJ e.aa .l.

KNOw-NOTHING NOMINEES I'm vIR-
GINIA. sen Fs5#s48 Esfs.
The Know-nothngs Of Virginia have made q
brave start. They have three candidates on
their State ticket. One is Wing, the other
two are Democrats.
We do not question their right to nominate
whomsoever they please; but in one aspect
their nominations are amusing. Not that their
ticket is not personally respectable. 1t is emf
nently SO. We have no personal fault TO find
with the. nominees. They are all ex.honora-
bles. Mr. Flournoy is Whig, and he stands
high as a gentleman. Mr.. Beale is also gen.
tleman. But he is an ambitious and disafected
Democrat, and an indignant patriot, who was
determined, by hook or by crook, to do some
thing for himself--to make capital out of the
Know-nothings, and to recover that high estate
from which he incontinently fell. Mr.. Patton
is very learned and distinguished lawyer,
who has carried into politics all the pliancy
and accommodating conveniency Of the advo-
cate. His changes in politics have been so
freqnent that he even jokes about them. "How
are you today, Mr.. Patton" (meaning how are
your politics, to-day,) is the common salutation
of his friends. But for some time past Mr..
Patton has been a Democrat. The first inti-
nation that we had of his affiliation with the
Know-nothings was the announcement Of his
nomination by them. Mr.. Patton is, perhaps,
the most successful lawyer in the State Of Vir-
ginia. s a fibseIl ias
The amusing aspect of these nominations is,
: that the Know-nothings who, with few excep-
tions, are Wings, should have found it neces-
sary to bestow their honors on Democrats.
They have stolen Jove's thunder in order to
conquer Jove. They have not only renounced,
abandoned, and given up their Wing princi-
pies, but they have renounced, abandoned, and
given up their Whig wheelhorses- their Wing
orators and their Wing politicians. They have
paid high tribute to the name Of Democracy,
for they have made it the best two In three.
Oh, the deep discontents, the horrible dis
appointments, the rebellious disaffections that
will follow this preference of Democrats over
Wings The patriotic Wing gentlemen land
their name was legion) who desired these
offices, will, in their hearts, if not with their
tongues, damn Know-nothingism, because it
has damned them.
There must be great and controlling power
in Democracy, when few Democrats in q
large Whig organization can succeed in run
ming away with two Offices out of three.
But much cunning was displayed in their
nominations. Democracy is strong in Old
Virginia and Federalism odious. 1t was the
policy Of this New Secret Party TO make it APP
pear that it was not the Old Federal Wing
Party. They know that if this charge was
confessed, it would be q milestone around their
necks. They also know that if they could
make it appear that Democratic elements were
infused into it, it might draw, like suck, imid,
mercenary, and stupid Democrats into their
ranks. Hence they have played out their un-
candid game, and have pretended to be more a
Democratic than Whig order.
They have reckoned without their host.
Where they will gain one Democrat, they will
lose two Wings; and if as is rumored, one Of
their nominees shall turn out not to be MEM
Der of their order, they will lose both Demo-
Gratis and Wings from that order.
We may now expect great conflict in Vir-
ginia. The two leading candidates on the two
tickets--Mr. Wise and Mr.. Flournoy--will no
doubt meet on the hustings. This is precisely
what Mr.. Wise needed TO bring out all his
marvellous powers-his splendid eloquence,
his boundless enthusiasm, his withering invec-
tive, his sparkling wit and his crushing argu-
ment Wo be to Mr.. Flournoy (good speaker
though he is said to be) when, as whig and as
amember of secret political party, he shall
meet Mr.. Wise before the open and honest
people Of that ancient Commonwealth. Old
inspirations will return to Mr.. Wise, and we
may expect gems of sarcastic eloquence, that
will not only sparkle, but burn, and arguments
that will not only convince but crush
REPRESENTATION AND TAXATION
KNOw-NOTHIGNIsM.
No man who is an American can forget that
" q s1-