Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-10-30
LETTER OF GOV. WISE TO THE NEW
YORK 0HARDS,o

We find in the New York Neus letter
from Governor Wise, of Virginia, to the New
York National Democratic meeting, which
was held on Monday, the 22d instant. 1t is
marked by all the striking peculiarities of the
writer. Not having room for the whole letter,
we make an extract, which refers to the con-
Geological divisions Of the New York Demo
Gratis. Says Mr.. Wise:
Finally, gentlemen, according with you, as
] do, in the leading principles of your platform,
| cordially accept your invitation TO unite with
you in ENGRAVING them upon the policy on the
country. And especially concur with you in
the sentiment that it is upon principle alone
we ought to unite; and that all coalitions be-
tween those who essentially differ on cardinal
points, are unprincipled and demoralzing.
And here | might pause; but, long as this let
ter is, have a word more to say. / hope
have answered your kind compliment in its
own spirit, without inquiring whether you have
any alias-any other name under Heaven by
which you are known among men than that Of
National Democrats, have purposely omitted
to do SO.
"Like yourselves, another body of Demo
Gratis Of New York, lately, approached me fairly
dnu OpcHilg huu ItbpOuutu gracefully 10 Lnen
as ] do to you. / was soon upbraided with hav-
ing given aid and comfort to certain party
called Softs.' Now, some one may say that
have likewise given in adhesion to the Hards
Of New York! Well, all | can say for myself
is, that / don't mean to know any Hard or Soft
names for my friends who will unite with me
in the mission Of the Democracy to proclaim
and maintain the great doctrine Of civil and
religious liberty, and to uphold and enforce the
Constitution in its sublime principles Of justice
and equality
You must not wonder that your Demo
cratic friends in Virginia are often confused by
names and things in New York We wish TO
see a united Democracy there on the old
grounds Of Jefferson and jackson. We hear
Of Hard, and Soft, and Half Shells and the
ideas we form of them can be best illustrated
by subject of natural history. We have in
our waters, gentlemen, a crustaceous animal
called a crab-a sea fish, with fms and claws
at both ends, and it can run either end fore.
most. Poke at him this way and he runs that
that way and he runs ths He is remarka-
BILE, gentlemen, for his transformations. At
one time catch him and crack his claw and his
shell is hard, very hard, hard enough for bar
naces to grow upon his back, and it will not
separate or be detached from the inner cutice.
In that state ne IS the haru CraD proper. AT
another time, catch him and crack his claw
when he is hard be sure TO crack his claw, gen.
tlemen, and you will find that, though his outer
shell is still very hard, yet it will separate and
can be detached from the inner cuticle or film
over the muscles Heis then called the 'Peeler,'
his shell will peel off from, without breaking
the inner she'll Later, catch him, and you
need not crack his claw to see what he is, for
his outer shell is then opening at every suture,
and the crab is swelling out Of It's Hard
and taking upon itself its Soft She'll In that
state he is called Buster bursting his she'll
And as Peeler' or Buster he is very fat and
bait ft to catch the very monarchs Of the
deep with Later still, he has slipped out of
his hard shell, by a sort Of peristaltc motion,
and left it along the strand, and has become
wholly soft crab In that state he is good
bait too, and is preyed upon by hard crabs and
other fishes, and he is inert and can hardly
crawl out Of harms way. Then, again, this
same crab, gentlemen, begins TO harden from
soft to hard again, as he had before softened
from hard to soft. Found in this bis second
intermediate state, he has become poor but