Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1857-11-21


betray the South which he had thus served
him. aud not to betray the North which had
borne him. And he is an able and'saga-
cit5ssfman too. whose talents might beitrus-
ted to fern the best Judgment on the SPOT
as to the best and most polite movements.
But whether he acted wisely or foolishly.
sagaciously Or had blundcred, or his in
tentons were good or bad, his acts and mo-
tives were nothing, compa1pd mh III,
eeiqdficr n'atters # The country farofeed IN
this s"dtien ard inst1iorv opposition, which
gave no time for developments, or for dis
passionate esa'f;aaton and proof or even
fol just Condemnation 'Uf Him, if he had
done wrong-but began hot and heavy
war upon him as y corrupt "satrdp,' fell
on traitor, This could not but reflect upon
the Administration aud the party which APP
poiiite,}' and retained him in place. It was
not ingenious to pretend to discriminate be-
tween the President and t,.e t,o1crntr 81
the Territory" like man, like master. %
If he was this .ssit'sinal, 'sIr Buchanan was
beand " knota4 it, and if he knew it he was
noAbegter, but rather worse than Governor
Walker. This reasoning this opposition
knew would seize on the public mind 'sasll
would, if ''uArentsadi,tea aattta;r confidence
in the Administration 1t was making atl
adverse impression rapidly when the "En-
quircr' iuterposed with its trenchanttpc1,
as of old, and arrested the rush of the Charge
on the National Democracy aud its repre-
sentativcs in power ut took'~p The irqui-
ry: rs net,this rank hostility fsnotthis
a prepared and premature opposition before
the Administration has begun its course
before it has met its first Congress, or sent
its first message? What does it mean ?
Whose is itY Who backs it - | thank the
'AEn9slirer' fer that blow. The shade oil
the Old Napoleon Of the press smiled III his
parental lowering ever the Enquirer, .
shea that stardy blow fell in its stroke for
his darling Democracy. In my inmost hear,
| felt right we'll when that brave blow was
struck. 1t was brave and bold Go strike it
for the sRahlie Printing, "a wei as the Sena-
torship, waF at bsake, it seefns. The activi-
ty in the elections last spring looked not oply
to the ipeumbency Of Mr. Hunter, but tc
the ineumhency of the Enquirer too and
doubtless. TO all the great interests involved
The 'sEnqiirer" ass;ireiiy, hes saved the
Democracy of Virginia from being ius6lvad
in this Porcupine opposition.
All this time, il was not known whether
Mr.. Huuttr took anyrnrt-in This onposition,
though macy of his most active partizans
did; and hence 1t was suspected that if he
was aot a participant in it, he was the bcnc-
e. > ei,aulj .uo.,j ftorta;,, ~
is that what was Sat'hrst r,.t'le- and sa-niiae
about my slleged design to contest with him
his seat in the Senate. was turned at last
into ,aint to mc aud my friends. ''Run,
i yoa atte, y9a "aot hem .Hr. Uaater. :
1t was vain to reply: n 10 sftot c1esir, "a
beat him The taunt came back: lop
10, or gousfo net desire 10 bent him. + !yoa
do, zee are tolfag steps to defeat you: and,
IF yoa dont, sgt wiHJe dejeated ongkow.
In either eeem i nN be seed,int7y a"tr!frs'
that he is stronger IN Tirginin Htn yoa
are" 1t was useless to protest that there
was no desire to inipairshia strength i an is
sac Nth him was sccniitigfv rfspaf@'1 t9'b.
fereett upon N knowing thit he wis safe Il!
ineumbeney, and that there could, perhaps,
be no issue joined except II personal ono. =
v hen, therefore, my friends demanded OF
rife 10 meet tie dcsserc, ] positively de-
clnel to la 81 unless Mr.. irantor Slhdt.ltl
avow that he was of this opposition and
backed it, took lis responsibility and tender
edits issues against the Administration and
the National Democracy ! hml no Issue
Nth him unless lie hdh ~, >i-rag rt,h hem.
If he had, it,,s 9'eoiY 10 cross swor,is w,{h
him, not othcrWise was NOT willing te
part from him and yield him up to Tie cx-
tremfsts, Y ho were sndeayeying to caim his
authority, and cre'asirH!y 10 opfroprimeais
re-electioa 10 The ,Stnotc as q Triumph IL
Themselves He has come ont and his ldt-
ters are open to the fair interpretation Of ali.
l think their meaning is. that he does moi
express any warm or strong competence in
the Administration; that he does rot wish
to be understood IS being one of itseSpecid,
friends or partizans; but that he docs dis
claim the opposition 10 II, by saying that he
''hgv'es and erpects 10 be able 10 sujynaf III,
Administration In tia man. - Now, "hspe'
is made up of desire, eDianee and e.rJerh,-
ton, lie desires, then, and doubly cx poets
to be able to support the Administration il,
the MAN, And this being so, he cannot
of course, desire or expect the opposition
thereto, to succeed. Saying that he knows
Of no practical tests at this time. which will
bring him into collision with the A,lmi,rs-
tration, he distinctly disclaims, for aught he
can see at present. both the intent or will
and the spirit or purpose of the opposition
lie, in void, ignores responsibility for this
opposition, which has risen 50 suddenly and
which is so sweeping in the uot.th. H7M
this declaration IF his, 50 understood, zhugt
no issue nth NJ. HuAter.
1t is true that nc seems 10 be oprostd ~
the submission of the Constitution of Kan
sas, by her Convention, to the bona fide in
habitants and legal vcters of that territory.
45e takes TIC ground, that if the peopic are
silent, aboat the power Of the tonsehtiosl
in this respect; that if the Convention was
not expressly restrained from proclain,in,a
whatever form they adopt as the Constitu-
tiSn of the State, then they have the power
so to proclaim It, AID n send il to Congress
without submitting it to the people. |
know that there are prcecdcnts for this ex-
craze of power by Conventions, but the
proceedings are in their irccption exccp-
tionable cases, ard the doctrine which UP
holds them is, in my humble opinion, anti
DamOcratic Tho truo Io.t,;,,a . a. =. a.