Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-07-24
LOVING ovERTrRES FROM THE RICHMOND

pumnellnG and abusing the hnow-N"thnSs, 10 II
hearts content-ater painting them rs foul nes
vipers-dark- lantern imps, worthy only OF assocla
ton with internal spirits, should suddenly nave re
Tented, and turned round with fair face anu ~ 70,
voice. and whispered something like amato'y '""'
In their earsl Hear him. n; ,,;L. due
To tn. Southern Know Nothinss. 1t Is a!ks uue
to truth and to sound policy to avow our oSei t'a
as aparty, YOU are loyal to the Cnlo" '"' ''
her peculiar institutions ,;or, n,.do7-
nor bef,re the Philadelphia cunvent"n-ior theh we
were constantly transfxed before tne P1onc ~. "s
rank abolitionsts-secretm alelaG.os s ,n necm
La is,;tntion" and the destruction OF American IL
hartv. Not since the Philadelphia Convention Ger
to;nIv, for after that time the American party mas
been constantly the theme of unneasured aouss anu
Observation-Disclosures platform tortured and ridl,
cuIed and even the motives OF the parry maiSheu
and trsduced, and this by the organ Oh Tue stare
Democracy. Why then are these soit words SUD
deply thrown out TO lu the unsnspecting Inc CLOSE
of the EnGuirer's address will explain the myste-
~. After very insidous compliment 10 the AMe'
ricau party on account OF Ns n'a""ng III !ho
contest with abolition, II concludes oy SI En,.
"But they will not permit you to be neutrai long
and sooner or later y1n mM KICK dozen yo"r tlaJo'm
and jOsn u.s. Dot at "mct. -,
Thank YOU, gentlemen! But is not this very llke
the Invitation from the spider to the fly, which You
are fond Of quoting We are very much Obliged tor
the invitation, but cannot accept it, II the poor
ty was So foolish to yield, who would be likely I"
be gamer
of the American party ohcialy-but we venture to
say that your overture will be politely rejected We
Our neir6bors of the Wing in their issue of'Thurs-
day, have handled this subject with much point and
with SO much more force than we are capable of, that
we cannot forbear quoting from that paper:
The first indication OF awakening to sense 81
the danger which ilnpends, we mud IN yesterday 5
Enquirer. The alarm doubt springs from tue pro-
ceed,nss in New York and Ohio-although they are
not referred to in terms That paper while still mis-
representing and villyng the objects aud principles
OF the American party condcscends TO appear 10 IL
for aid. "lIep me- Cussius, or sink, will soon be.
come the burden Of its song. Now, for one, gentle
men, assure you, your appeals will be IN VAN.
We still indulge the hope that the American party
will be able to nominate candidates who will rally all
tho conservative elements of the country, and that
those elements will he sufficiently powerful to achieve
success. Should this hope, however, prove iilusory'
and should the contest be narrowed down In the Sew
ardites one side, and the old proscrpVe' spoils-
seeking iIocotocos tlankcd by Dutch and Irish and
led by Wings Of tho iscarot stripe ON the other, you
need expect very little comfort from u.s. SO strong Is our
deesation of that rotten party, and so thorough the
conviction that change could be Tor the worse that
even the Devil aud his imps the opposing candi
dates We not certain that our sympathies could
be excited enough TO make us abandon Il rigid neu-
trality. If his Satanic majesty had charge OF the
Government, we doubt whether his Kitchen Cabine:
could be less reputable than that of FOrneys, or whe
Their he would enrust the Administration OF affairs II
Virginia TO hands less competent ~ less dlSlnte
rested than those that now wleld Them IL
the prescribed, oppressed and prosecuted Wing.
aud Americans, who taxed and plundered
to create jobs for worthless partisans aud Irish
beggars, there is at least ray OF hope OF some
thing better in any change that may take place. IL
worse state of things possible, that tcor1 would
inspire hope that 1t would the sooner end Ma, gen
leIneu, if you will not help US to beat Seward y"
must beat him yOurselves-f you can;-and II you
can't we will endeavur to extract come pleasure ir"
seeing YOU subjected to the same merelless |fco',s
at his hands TO which you have 30 often subjected
u.s. Rtchm2ad "Nattonat Ame'ieaR.
The above article appears in the National Amer.
can Of yesterday leading editorial! 1t 10 so sug
cestive an Indication OF the temper with which thu
Democratic purity is to DO opposed, thai we do no
feel at liberty to withhold it from our readsrs-noi
do we feel willing to subject ourselves to the suspicion
of MISREPRESENTATION in the comments propose Il
subn, upon 1t. We must cnn'css 10 e,."~ f.~s,"s :"
chagrin and astonshment at the sentiments It cmo"
di.s-and could believe it far reflection OF III
settled purpose of our Know Nothing opponents, VI
would despair Of the Republic. But We doubt no
that the Southern masses of the party for which TIT
American aspres to be the Virginia organ will repu
date the suggestionsas they will dsavow the seiti
ments expressed for them. We had overlooked IN
article in the Wing, until our attention was caed u
il bv the endorsation of the American; bu: as ini
Gates very much the same principles we shall dea
with them both together.
In the first place, we deny that the Enquirer di'
denounce the Know.Nothinss Of the South las rank
nbolitiousts, secret naetacors in dark league Will
Wilson & Co." We never did doubt nor presume
to question the fidelity and loyalty of the Know
Nothing party of Virginia TO the institutions an'
rights of the South. Upon the contrary, we Away
gave to the masses Of the party credit for feelings
antagonism to Northern aggression and Irritation
Northern assumptions, AKIN TO our own. we DIS
trusted their Northern associates, and IN the Ant-Ne
braska commtal. Of some of their own ntuente
leaders we had evidence of very tender soicitud
for the rights Of the South, we have been accus
coined to regard them But We knew that among
our opponents were found men OF sound Southern
hearts, largely interested in property and III feeling
in the preservation OF peculiar Institution -
and we appealed to them and to those who sympa
thized with them, to repudiate their connexion with
party which was strong only in that section where
Abolitiorism reigned triumphant in its councils
And has not history vindcated tho truth OF our warn
ing! Did not tho Philadelphia Convention estabIs
the fact wbiol, we assumeli Was the slavery plani
in their platform sustained by The representation roI
single State where KnowNothingsm was tn
umphant-and was it not opposed by minority &c
presenting majority of the party and u majority c
votes in the electoral coescsl And whore now
outside of the councils of New York and California
do the Know Nothngs Of the South find associate
with whom they can affiliated Do not the Amer
oan and Wing both manifest apprehension of failur
TO unite in the approaching canvass upon conscrva
tive candidates, in mudesy giving uterance to
mere "hope' TO tho contraryl
So much for ourselves. Now what is the positio
of the American and the Wing! We hope we do IL,
misunderstood it-as we have no wish TO msrepreser
it, But if they have not been singuary unfor,unat
in the phraseology they employ, it is i'll plain Engis
nothing more than this: They to make we
upou the Democratic party "at all hazards and to I'll
last extremity" No matter what aspect the futul
may give to political warfarethough the Democrn
ic party be identified with the rights aud security
the Souh-so clearly that its only antagonist is I'll
abolition party under tho auspices Of VIM. IL. Sew
ard himself Indifference and neutrality Ii the mo
that their Southern patrons may hope Tor from 'ie
The memory Of old antasonisms will ranko so dceI
tha' in tho hour of common danger there con be
union and no cooperation, so far us they are col
cerned-unless the majority Of their Southern brot
rem, who have heretofore differed from thcm will br
their cooperation by regulating their cherished sci
timents II the influence OF their presses may not |
cnst for the assailans Of the hearths aud homes
the South it shall at least not be used against them
II majority Of the people of the South will not SUI
render their convictions upon old questions of pa
ty warfare, but presume to ret,tin their Dcmt
cratic sympathies-hought the exigcncies OF revol,
tionary CONFUSION demand the union of all SoutLcr
hearts and Southern heads and Southern band,
the American and Wing warn us, in advance, tn
they and those for whom they speak will stand aloo
Snch of their prekent associates a may