Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-06-01
From the New Yori: .iiires ao'iu,. Whisl
THE VIRGINIA ELECTlON.-DEFEA EAT OF THE
..' SNnW-NOlHlNGS,

Although our returns no. complete Intelligence
from Washington leaves It'll" room tn doubt that Mr.
Wise il elected Governor q! Virginia, aud that the
Know No!h!n,a ~ that STATE lar" suffered dcctiT"
defeat This rcsGlt il u! great interest, nnd can
lot uil To exert important influence upon the for
tunes of tls new and Formidable purity II shows
clearly that the Know Nothing strength III Virginia
M ali events, and probably III all IA. Southern States
has been greatly uvsratcd. IL IL true that the
roce vote which cumpcl. every voter 10 show hi ham!
and which has doubtless thus diminished the knn"'
Nothing votes very considerably. Is Required III Viz
giuia alone. But other reas"n4 'nus, have influenced
the rcsultreason1 no. pocuar !" any one Slate, aiG
Which will uuuuubtrdiy make themselves ic!t
thriuahout the South. The action Of the know.No
thing legislature of Massachusetts thc election
of Senator Seward hy q Legislature i'll which the
Know Nuthings lrgaly claimed majority The ar-
ton Of hAt pnr;y upon the subject "i slavery m ONO
nrd Neg Hampshire --nction which il found iudispcu
sable "a the maintenance of its supremacy III those
States onaby led tie people of virginia Ia
iis,rlist Know Nothingi ism ns prolesscd ally and
champion of the slaT"-hulding interest. The sans
consideration will have equal weight in Ienilcsscr
and not much less in Kentucky and North CarclI2n
where elections nrr soon to occur.
The defeat in Virginia will tend to Srenk the force
of the Know-Non!. party ana destroy its prestige
in the Southcr! State. ltrcuirrs it almost certain
that at IL. best the knowEoihings only hope To
cnrry thnse Southern StHtes which have been IlhIg
hitherto :--und that unlc1s they can command more
strength hereafter OF the North, than the Wings have
their cIRnGc NJ victory III lftslrh-
,nl contest is very small. II will naturally incline
th.m therefore, t6 look TO the Northern Stncs u te
6ald 70 which their efforts must be directed, They
will rely less upon the South, and u.ore apon the
Snrth, ihun they have hitherto been inclined 10 do
The result in Virginia will thus contribute very
greatly tn the tendency We have already Noticed IN
thu Order 10 divide on the question OF Slavery. a
very large and thus tar controlling section "i thc
Marty leaders in this State have been deterlnedt TO
use the organization for the promotion OF thrir per-
soual ends nnd the only way in which they could
accomplish this by forcing il 10 stand upon pro,
slavery plafu Thcy have been Eted'iily opposed
IN this enieavor by those a.IopS t.rm VINO had Il
more lust estimate Of public sentiment upon that
suhi,.rt-and III ole or two INSTANCES, IA IN
,b. recollection oil Senator SEwAED and III the
,scent Convention at Syracuse, they have been
defeated. The Virginia overthrow must pros-
,rpte the proslavrry leaders Of the Know Nothing
marty i'm this State and throughout the North Who
thcrt will with them destroy the party i'sell remains
In he seen: but il throws it entirely Epo" tie North
for lis -uppor; md strcngtl-an 1t can have n"ihrr
eycep, az il may ally itnc!! with that sentiment which,
M everything proves Is by far The strongest p"tca
sruti,c:. ,f every Northern State hostility To Ihc
aggression of slavery, and res"lute detcrInina-
,;nu ihnt It's usurputiIns and cncrnachmrnts upon
H.. rirh,s Of freedom shall have al end
If the Order In. among Its mcmhcrs any WHO Hre
wise enough Ia perceive this tact, aud strong enough
10 force the party into s recognition and adoption a.
basis Of action il mGy get proionT IT'S existence u
moi, il has achieved its a.t victory, ana VIII ta even
more rapidly tluu it Grosc