Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-06-08
THE ABOLITION PRESS AND THE ELEC-

THE ABOLITION PRESS AND THE ELEC-
TON IN VIRGINIA.
1t is very true as the Wig represents, that few
Journals in the interest of tho abotioniss, affect t."
rejoice over the defeat of ACKNOWLEDGMENT in this
State. 1t lie not true, might infer from Inc W.
tclss i'll the Ag that these journals regard the sue
cess of the Democracy of Virginia, as faVoraoie 10
the schemes Of the auti-slavery party.
The New York Tribune, and the very few papers
of tho same school of politics which oppose hno~-
Nothingism, oppose it from no apprehension tha' i's
succes, will contribute TO the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF the
South or the security Of slavery They object to it's
characteristic principles Of secret organization, re
.,ous intolerance, and social prescription But, their
hostility to the Know Nothing party arises mainly
from the fuct that it rs risd! amhSidScry organ'za-
ton.
Since 1885 the abolitonists, under the leadership
Of Adams, Seward, Greeley and their confederntes'
have been struggling with incessant toll and the most
cunning policy to build up political organization
on the anti-slavery sentiment of the North. There
was some honesty Of feeling and purpose among 'he
masses, but the master spirits of the movement haa
no thought for the welfare Of the negro Their only
object to raise up party upon which they m'gh'
ride into power With this aim and with this insru-
msnt, they have been struggling along TOR twenty
years. through the strangest vcisstudes OF ortuhe'
now suffering disastrous defeat and again riotng In the
promise of certain success At last in the year 1882
when their craft and their toll seemed about to reap
its legitimate reward and their enger ambition to se'ze
the prize new party comes into the field and claims
the spos of the victory -SothingsIn by bid
ding higher for tho support Of the antlavery sent-
ment and by yielding more TO the aggressive demands
of the North, dethroned the old abolition party from
its ascendancy and appropriated TO itself all the pow
or of popular opinion in the free-negro States. In
twelve months the Know-Nothing Order did more
for the progress of the antsavery cause, than the
old abolition party had accomplished in twenty year:
Of comparatively rutless effort. In that short time
it subjected more States to the anti-slavery move
nent, and elected more representatives to Congress
than the abolition party claim since its origina
organization 1t is not surprising then that the poo
pie Of the North should transfer their affection from
the abolition to the Kmor-.NothinS party-that they
should discard clumsy aud Inefficient conirivance
| and employ an engine which has given such incon'
testaLle proof Of lis power for mischief Neither Ia
it surprising that tho leaders Of the Abolition party
who expected TO gain go much by its triumph, should
manifest such modification and anger, when Know
No,hngis,n springs up aud reaps the harvest which
! they had sown.
The Abolitouists and the Know Nothings appeal to
the same sentiment and solicit the same support and it
is not strange that they regard each other with Jealous
hatred. The struggle between thcm is for the gym
patty and support Of tho anti-slavery feeling of the
North, and Us the Abolitionsts have been displaced
from their precedence and disanced in tho race they
manifest very natural resentment against their sue
cessf competitor. They regard each other with ths
dstrust and dislike of rival lovers and their anago-
nsn more implies TINT tho Know Nothing parry
opposes the against slavery, than that one
of asprans for throne il necessarily nimlcal TO
the interests of monarchy.
This is q true and satisfactory explanation OF the
pleasure with which the New York Tribune and few
other Abolition journals record the defeat Of Know
Nothiugsm in Virginia.
But their joy is exceptional. The journals Of the
North which care less for tho Of political
movement than for tho overthrow of slavery deplore
the deleut of No,hugism in this State with
expressions of the sincercst sorrow. And they cum
ddy confess that they lament the triumph of the De-
mocracy, because it is the triumph Of slavery The
articles in unother cOImn, from the Boston Telegraph
and the Ohio State Journal, represent the feeling
with which the honest foes OF slavery ard the defeat
Of Know Noihingism in Virginia. 1T they speak not
the sentiments Of selfish politicians they undoubted
ly give utterance to the genuine feelings and real
convictions of the ant!.sayery people of the North
They proclaim the truth. They affirm what the his
tory of the government for the Last twenty years
teaches with uunstakabe emphasis, WHEN tl:cy stig
aatize the Democratic party as the ally and CHAM.
pcn of slavery. They but recite the familiar occur
reuces of the last twelve months. when they pom,
pou.ly parade the achievements Of the Kuow-No-
thing party in the cause of abolition. They pay
ust compliment to the intelligence Of too Virginia
people, when they say .hat the success of Know No
hingism iu this Stute would have implied an Insane
disregard Of the interests of the South.