Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-01-16
From tho Souti,.Sid- Democrat.
MIR. WISE AND TIE PETERSBURG lNTE


Tho lntelligcnccr OF yesterday contuns the mos;
unjust series OF misrepresentation that we hnvc cvCI
seen in the most bitter pnrizan .lournl, the subject
being the speech OF Mr.. Wise on Wednesday even.
ing. We appeal from s editor tn the two thousand
auditors of the distinguished speaker who will bear
lis out in the assertion t every statement lie makes
with regard to the matter Of the speech, il either
wful Misrepresentation, ar an incXcusabc misapprc
hcnsnn.
We could not. ri courar. expect Wing editor and
he, the editor of the Enlilgcnccr, to du Mr.. Wise
iusticc-it is his professionalism We rs little en-
pcc.ch that he would rrck!rsslr defy The the uic-
men, Of m intelligent public he has done in the ;r
tice i'll question.
After shor, prelude. which is unohiectionabc
only because it is empty. the lntcligcnc1r begins
account nf thc speech with the following:
"Iic advocated stupcndous system of internal inn
provclrgns in Nirgimln irrespective of already
tremendous public drht, and OF the amount "i aIii-
tionnl taxation which this over taxed people are now
burdcne with.
We cal! upon tho hearers to bear us out in the ne
scr,in, TINT he did such thing. He stated, cx-
prcssly, and in many words, thnt nc would all
his official aud nil his personal influence, I" secure h'.
completion Of the great lending lines "i improvement.
IL me dSrccdrd fDr ire present, Of ull minor works.
As 10 the idea conveyed III the phrase retrospective
of our already trcmcndous debt" we have only ("
saw that if any left that hall without the confidence
that in Henry A. Wisc'S hands the public credit nj
Virginia would DO safe, he must have been not only
Know Nothing, but hcnr-nothing, M understand
nothing, aud belicvc-nDihlng
The IntclliCcnccr proceeds:
ale rc-hashcd Mr.. Jeilersons thoroughly specula-
tive system Of cducntion which even he. with lis
almost onnpuicnt power in Virginia. could persuade
the State 10 embark in.
Upon this subject We need say little. We leave the
question between the Apostle OF Democracy and the
- editor Of the lntclligcnccr.
Again
Having disposed Of that subject, Mr.. Wise trod
upon his most marvellous antcccGents gingcrly
ii he had had a basket of eggs under his feet
So far from trcallnS upon his own anfeCedent', he
began his speech by informing his auditors that hc
responsible, in his present capacity TO II" lnan
Tor his Democracy, and would scorn to attempt 10
tablsh it by review Of his past life ani acts.
He came he snd, before the people Of the Old
Commonwealth the accredited leader of the Demo
cracy, fairly and duly nominated by convention fair
ly aud duly elected and assembled, and that
tecedent enough for him.
The only time that he made any al!uson to his
former life the slavery question: where Henry
a. Wise has 4 record clear Caihouns md incl
denally, and in passing the basis question, and
the lutellgercer will not say that these are Mr.
Wisc's Hhccdcnts.
The editor next rcinarks-"we had been Informed,
days before hand, that it was Mr. Wisc's intention To
fay alive for our reference to his past conduct
but that he not scratched. Here, for the first
time he does not misrcprcspnt the eloquent orator.
Mr.. Wise dd not descend from the consideration oi
the great ISSUES OF the contest 10 scratch the editor OF
the 1ntegenccr, and Of the prorriciy of his coursc
there cannot he two opinions.
OF Mr. Wises able dcnuncinton and exposure OF
Know Nnthineism, our neighbour with patral shrewd-
ness writes little. SAYS he:
"Mr. Wis"'s reference to those dreaded monsters.
the Know w-NoiIiings severe, to be sure, but
nothing like as scahnG ms we had been taught to cX-
pcct."
If he expected for his allies scvcrcr fagccla:ion
than they got Wednesday night, all VIC have t" say Is,
that he doubtless based his ancipntiois on his more
intimate knowledge Of their deserts, nnl must 6a"~
them TO be greater traitors and inccndiaries than Mr..
Wise suspected them TO be.
But the cream Of our ncighhorS article, the acme
and tH'm0 Ih"'" Of his Misrepresentation, is the fol-
lowing:
"'Thc distant public will hardly believe us wAn wo
tell them that candidate for the office of Governor
of this Protestant old State Of Virginia, protesting
himself to he Protestant and violent hntcr ol the
Pope, spent Ion. time in drnnuncng what he called
Protestant Priests, whom he charged most ri'icu GUS
y with being a.pran's for political power as ii there
was any union between Bap,ists, Mcthodisrs, &c,
and prasing up, and indeed culogizing the Roman
Catholics, To whose acts he attributed Magma Charter
and the Declaration oi Independence. This is Ger
tainly most "'$c mode Of securing les for Cover
nor OF Virginia md will certainly have most atrac
tive effect upon the thousands of Protestant voters OF
this State who hate lapists and Roman Catholics rs
they do the devil
Cpon this we remark
Isl. Mr.. Wise did not profess himself to be vio-
lent hatcr Of the Pope.
Cd. Mr.. Wise dd not charge the Protestant clergy
(for that is the insinuaon of the Gatclgencer with
being aspirants for political power
Sd. Mr. Wise dit noi attribute the Declaration OF
10 tho nets Of Catholics.
And 4th, it s a slandcr upona Christian people to
sny that the Protestant voters of Virginia hate Roman
Catholics rs they do the devil.
As to the iirs', we will waste no space in cNp!anu-
tom We uncqurocalv deny that Mr.. Wise said any
such thing, and challenge tho proof.
As to the second, ali that Mr.. Wise did. 10 re-
buke the preachers OF Christian politics in New Eng
land and those three thousand nnti-Ncbraska. Free
Soil parsons who left their sacred desks aud dragged
the lawn of the pulpit in the polluted slough of abo-
l,ion politics. and the tttor Of tic Iatcl'scncs' has
done t6c same.
As TO tho third, we most cmphaticaly deny that Mr..
Wise attributed the Declaration Of independence to
the acts of Catholics He merely related an his"r-
cal fact with regard To Charles Carroll of Carrollton,
with which the editor Of the Inelisencer is, or ought
to be, perfectly familiar
As 10 the fourth charge we leave il to he rebukcd
nv tho high minded md liberal spirited people Of Nir
rinia we will not insult them by attempting forrnal
defence.
we are pleased to soc that neighbor is turning
MS attention tn spiritual matters and pa]cularly to
the awful solemuites of death. He winh up his a. |
cle with all extract from the burial servse common
in the churches. Man that is born OF woman quoth |
he with prophetic forebodings, is Of few days and full
Of trouble. In tho contemplation OF such momen- |
Ious theme, he discharges duty TO himself whicn
will be more profitable perhaps than Pleaaant.