Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1856-02-12

mond, on the 18th "l February lS36, is hereby all
thorIzed to act As II delegate from Til. County ia til
State Democratic Convention.
The following resolution by John T.. Gilmar, ESQ.
w8s unanimously adopted:
Resolved, That the Democratic party Of Aibe
marie take pleasure i'll expressing their umdiminIshc,
confidence III ;heir Representative in Congress. Hon
Paulus Powell.
On motion, the proceedings Of the meeting wer
ordered to he published in the Jctfrrscnian, and III,
Richmond Examiner and Enquirer. After n fire.,
conversation IN which several gentlemen participa
ted, the best possible spirit aniInat.ny every demo
eTat present, the meeting adjourned.
TH.J RANDOLPH, CH'NAy.
JAMES ALEXANDER, Secretary
For tie Enquirer.
INSPECTIONS.
Messra. E'litors.--AIlnw Inc space. if Won nIeo.c
to notice " PowcJn Argnmsni," which Won pub
llshcd IN your paper Of the Sh inst.
IL DO not deny outright your whole preface M
sertlhg maj the present inspectors Of guano are gen
tleineh "t Scientific attainnents, every way 1ra,niec
10 discharge the duties of their office; if do not .,.
quIre IN what school they acquired that scientific
knowledge which is admitted both by you and youl
correspondent, to be necessary, and in what way they
nave shown their complete qualifications, it is be
cause DO not Ike to argue questions OF principle or
personal grounds. | might also not insppropriately
enquire how, If ignorant of the details of the guam,
tradc,' rs you confess you are, you ae uble to spcal
so very positively of every gualiica,iun'' of an in
spcctor; and ask by what mental operation YOU car
detect "A Powerful Argument" in II discussion on
subject you arc ignorant of. | confess that, to my
apprehension, you seem to have convicted yourself
on the charge ut political bias; since, in showing that
it could not have been knowledge or reason that In.
wrought your convictions, you desire me 10 refer
them to cxtrinsic influences. II 40, il, follows, | cay
i most respectfully, thar you 'abnse the influence
which your position gives you, rs Editor Of q leading
metropolitan journal" and "ihcg You" 10 pause before
you do yourself 80 much injustice, or ignorantly in
tict q wrong Oh in interest | know you would ad-
vance.
How the author Of "a Powerful Argument came
to the conclusion that all defenders of the inspection
laws have had their motives questioned, | do not know.
Certainly | have done nothing of the kind, except
upon prUvocatiou from yourself. The first of that
snrt OF thing was IN editorial of your own, Me>SrS.
Editors, charging Observation-Disclosures on the origina-
tors of the measure. S;ung by what | kncs to be
an unjust lmputatiUn; ami believing that Your own
party feelings had prompted the accusation, |, who
sylnpathlZc III the movement. and knew that many
Democrats approved it, reialia;ed by charging YOU
with party bias in your view. l still think you
under such influence, but that i, not to question ynmr
motives.
On the reports made TO and adopted by the Exec
utive Committee of the Virginia State Agricultural
Society, nothing OF the sort was done; but the law
and its administration were both attacked, though
your correspondent has omitted, in reading the one
report which his piece ul.udes to, to note that fact,
and hos made a portion Of his argument depend Oh
the contrary suppositinn.
He speaks of bogus Guano," of yankee inven-
tlon,' which the inspections here will keep oil. II
he serious /! Or il he ignorant of the fact that the
only instance in which GuanO is known-known on
the subsequent admission Of the Yankee himsGlf-to
have been brought to Richmond, was Il case in which
the Inspector or his deputy-no matter whirli-fur.
nishcd Mes-rs. Sheid- 4 Somervil!p, with II detailed
analysis, making it out Il No. | article. Ii is clear
that "tac test oil actual analysis" 10 which your cor
respondent properly appen!s, rs alone able ito detect
the difference between the genuine Peruvian aud the
genuine New England guano," failed signally in this
instance. And let me say, Mcssrs. Editors. to you,
that when you digest this idle tale, told To tho disad.
vantage vi the Inspector of guano," | vii! give you
another with name, date and all the circumstances OF
the transaction. Does your correspondent know that
an "actuai analysis is worth from five 10 fifteen dol
lars per sample, ii made by gentlemen Of scientific
attalnncnts,' and that our law allows only ~ cents
per ton that a fraud can be then easily pcrpetratrd
Uy changing the bag } that il it could Eut, one sample
must answer for Il great many tons n this rate oil com
pensaiion. aud that according 10 him. nearly every
bag requires analysis? Does he know that tho Bel
tiin"rc inspection, as We learn from merchants in the
trade, is So far relied on that all the Inspector does i. to
put his mark on the bay, only varying it, according rs
tn. guHu,l, wet or dry ! Does he know thnr guano
when "dried by evaporation, y can be pulverized, aud
put into inspected bags, if the merchant chooses to ON
NIT the freud Does he know that some OF our best
merchants will not sell against New York or Phiia-
delphia guano, because IL IS only tested by the Rich
mDnd Inspection
But the report made to and adopted by the Execn-
tive Committee, was drawn by Mr.. Williams, "a
clerk, > and Mr. Murdecai, "a merchant lsa mer.
chant p~rccluded from a knowledge OF guano, because
he 10 not II practical farIEerl Then, by parity OF rea-
son, u miller cannot BIZ n judge uf wheat, because he
never grew auy. But Mr. Williams is Il farmer. also.
and has been for twenty year.. Can your friend say
ns much! Edmund Rubin, who is even more en-
phatic in condemnation Of the law than any nj the
Committee, is Il farmer Ot fnrty years staining, and
II some reputation. The members of the Executive
Committee, who unanimously GdUpted the REPORT, are
Ill practical farmers. The Union Agricultural So
cIety of Virginia and North Carolina, who hsve more
recently unanimously adopted Il petition Ia the same
purport, are likewise practical farmers. ii Is not,
then, | hope, ~presumptuous in me TO say that, until |
know who your correspondent is, and ascertain what
are his means of Information, | must think 81 large n
mass OF farmers better opponents of the opinion on
this matter than himself, aud one other gentleman |
know of who holds To his opinion, aGd that they nre
not "a few persons blinded by passion"
Will your correspondent tell ne, il inspections he
50 necessary $50 far rs they relate to guano and lime"
why it is that agricultural lin. is no: Inspected any
where, and that there IL no law for inspecting il
And will he explain why Alexandria, which receive.
.hip loads of guano in bulk, sells more in proportion
than Richmond. though destitute Of inspection -
Why fredericksburg and Tori0lk have neither Of
them any inspection and why there is never any
more complaint Of fraud there than here VIII he
then tell me what is the advantage Of the Maryland
inspection at 80 cents per ton, which | confess myself
unable to see, and which | regard to be as useless as
our own
was in hopes, from his opening paragraph, that
your CORE pendent meant 20 argue this question on
principle, and | am sorry thu. he did not. | would
much rather have followed him in that direction: Let.
because | dislike newspaper personalities, and really
nave none bat kind feelings towards Dr.. Powell and
Or. Dove, whose qualifications and official action
y'ur and otler=' style Of argument, forces me 70 call
il question and. %. because the question is stronger
M principle than oil personalities, as IEust be every
question that has any substance in it. But, RS he did
rot, | have been compelled 10 follow Iimpingly in the
rack OF his powerful argument" whcreto | have
been Only hble TO offer what | shall anticipate your
comment by hunbly admitting to be
A FEEBLE REPLY.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Politics.
C~osCoRD, y. n. Feb. The democrats OF ller-
rilnac county held an immense mass meeting here hi.
afternoon. Speeches were made by Me.srs. Weller,
nf California, Orr, OF S. Carolina, Lane, Of Oregon,
Cobb, Of Ga. John ). Weller. and o,hers.
CONVICTION OF A JUDGE.
Judge Bogrrt. one Of the police Justices of New
York city, hns been convicted of wilfully and know.
inglly liherating E notorious pickpocket upon straw
bail.
FAT OFFICES.
The Cincinnati Gazette states that the five lending
Offices in that county yield the following profits
SiO,Oco; clerk, s25. 600: auditor, sIs,OUO:
sheriff, s9O,OOO probate judge, $4,000.
- -.
STILL MTsrERY.-The remains of the person
found in the Moods near Norfolk, are vet unidentified.
The report that it was the body of a Young man who
disappeared from Mr.. Ta.em's residence, was erro-
nsouS.