The Washington union., 1857-06-11
From the Richmond Enquirer.
IN VIRGINIA


THE VICTORY IN VIRGINIA
II has now been nearly two weeks since the election
m have furnished our readers regularly with the returns
- they have reached MS and now that they have been
lived from almost all the counties in the State
inc us of an undivided democratic delegation in Con-
,,sss and, as usual an oyerpowering majority in the
,,isature Il may be neither tned nor inappropriate
- revert briefly 10 the campaign and its consequences.
There il nothing novel in a victory Of the Virginia de-
,oc,acy But it is always an important and instructive
event.
The dangers inherent in system of government
rts ALI other alloy inseparable from human nstitu-
aons are to be apprehended the results rather of
cess in the exercise Of the enjoyments and preroga
s which republican institutions confer than in abuses
=, the authority conided TO the representatives of
bs people This fact has been attested by the whole
history Of our country, from its origin as an indie
oendent power TO the present time and it is still
Illustrated more forciby than in the daily recurrence
n ch acts and seriously threaten overthrow
"a the constitution and the Union through the agency of
unDncped demagogues and an niuriated populace And
Il i the peculiar province OF Virginia to exert inu
ne in favor Of the repression of this spirit of license in
be guise of liberty which, with mpunity from any inn
Onaton of inyidousness we may say be exercised
y no other State in the Union to the extent The
historic associations of the OldDomnion hallowed in the
heart of every patriotic American, North and South, and
East and West her early settlement her colonial recol
cons her participation in the revolution from its In
cpon its end the conservative character OF her ci
gens her liberal donations to the country of territory
n,trots statesmen and soldiers her unwaverng a1hcr
nce TO constitutional principles all combine to invest
Virginia with extraordinary influence in the affairs of
this nation which her geographical position enables her
10 exert with the additional advantage of almost
trc situation in the confederacy 1t is for this
that the elections in this State attended with i'm
noance far higher than that of the vote of Virginia in
the Congress of the United States in the electoral col
lego
The moral weight of the decisions of our people in all
matters pertaining to the politics of the country is
tally effective upon other States. Had know nothingsm
proyed successful here who doubt that the whole
South would have yielded to its sway Had the
dangerous doctrine of distribution produced division
among the democracy of Virginia, and enabled the
opposition to break into ranks, with what conf
dence could anticipate the results of the eec
tons in Tennessee, North Carolina Arkansas, Ala
bana Kentucky and Texas Had the voice of yir-
gina been heard the 2sth May in condemnation in
stead of the approval of the administration and the prn-
cipls to which it pledged what hope would have
for united South in the next presidential contest Had
the principal pillar of the Union trembed it's base
with what certainty would the lovers of liberty look to it
for support when the country is conynsed again with
terrible test of strength between patriots and traitors
But is not The consistent and conservative people
of this old and unyieding citadel of democracy have de-
cared again their devotion to the Union and uncompro-
missing adhesion to the constitution and sister States
Of the South will doubtless be encouraged to emulate the
example,
Before the commencement of the spring campaign it
was difficult to determine exactly the character of the en-
emy should encounter upon what ground and with
what weapons we should be met The adventurous SAM
it well known had disappeared almost suddenly,
if not quite mystcriosy, he came and the few of
his former followers who still struggled through the State
were without leader without object, and without
hope The old whig party had been honored with eulo-
CYSTIC epitaphs throughout the country and the prcsden
a election had left the democracy in Virginia, to all
practical purpose sole occupants of the But the
warcry raised in due time and distribution resounded
in the Of the people, followed rather accompanied
by deafenng flourish of trmpets our generous
taxes and the deplorable condition of internal i'm
provemens The new States were pointed to the re-
cpns Of the public lands battenng upon the bounty of
the federal government; and old Virginia taunted,
derided wept over and importuned account of her
refusal to lay claim to and accept portion of the public
lands But it all cloves labor lost upon the patr-
otm and inexible principles of her people The day of
election cam the mashalled troops depoycd the battle
fought and splendid victory again by the
aduented and indontabe democracy of the Old Domn-
ion The effect will be felt in the elections in Arkansas
Texas Tennessee North Carolina Kentucky, and Aaba
in August, and again when the cohorts Of black
epblcansm charge upon the constitution and the south
n'lS6O.