Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-11-17
LETrEK IRon GOVERNOR WISE.
To the Editors Of tie Emqnircr:

~. ''A'' fTT' I.
H.. through the "iLqglr-r,' ~ q" iEn r''''"" w
touching he "!rt tinn "a: Is Srnathr VI me ON
ed STATS; .nI, b-ii-vins that they nrr III :,"'d 'a'"'
mir aud hot unfriendly. ! promptly rep! WV"
IL publicly ~ they are pa'.
Far ,o,r. nm, i,reiy. months rumors have been
circulated ths, il WAS my desire and design 10 ohs'
Nr. Hnn;er, if | could. from his seat in the Senat-
IF tls United State; and my name IN that cnhhe"mn
las been banded about in conversation ana oy ume
,r... with a licencr which assumed the AIR OF au
By whom, with what motive, to what emu
Ibese runors wers started, it is not my purpose no"
10 discuss. My object Is 10 alay excitement ana pre-
vent division in The Democratic party oil |lfSlhia'
and to that end | aver, that these rumors are umau,
lhurized By anything said Or done by me, ihat theys
4re withou, foundation. and | deiy the Prodacuon VI
The proof or evidence that | have ever expresseu %
the imputed desire or dss'gn. ..
After my arduous struggle in 1853 for Inc salsa
ton Of the Democratic party, l tondly hopeu y "
the sympathy and support OF all it's SECTIONS ~ ,s-
GINA, and to be able to act with all in equai c9nu'
dence, and to serve all in the office now MI tae
to say that in this | was disappointed. A snol'
tine ouly elapsed, after entering upon my uu.'Gs, 10,
a jealousy aud a distrust were seen "ne.o. Nv" 7
expected confidence and friendly aid and counsel. .
did my best, by turning away irom 1nls, 6
both its cause and its effect. But, lnopportuneiy VI
the contest for the nomination y ~ .
-idency came on early in 1910, ana my pteieleu.e. :.
Mr.. Buchanan, entertained for many years. "as akau
made known. 1 adhered to his nomination. LOT rea,
sons which now mu.l be- too obvious to every CANDID
and conservative patriot and Democrat, 10 heea
either argument or excuse. No other NOMINEES Vi
the party could, probably, have been elected. Ihere
was not one Of his competitors Tor wholh l "oulu
not cheerfully have voted: had' ~ lao.' "'u'u J"
among other friends Of Mr.. Buchanan 10
1852, in nominating Mr.. Pierce, and in 1888,
had intimated nv approval of other candidates
But, having for his eminent abilities and services
preferred MIR. Buchanan in lSii, 1913. ana ioTSs snq
deeming hun the only avaiiaoie canu.u"'e u 80.
.,-,, .,,Io 90 y will, la friends IN securing IOT
his nomination the vote of Virginia. Bat no eiort
was made, no resort had to any means, 10 secure lhls,
which could Justly be complsined oil by MS TWAS
and their friends. He had, without ef1ort, compare.
lively, two.thirds Of the delegation OF virginia al
Cincinnati, and that majority dd not lu.y repre-
sent the constituencies which preferred him. And
notwithstanding the attempts OF those opposed 10 ns
nomination, to destroy the prestige OF Virginia oy
ATTEMPTING 10 split her delegation in the ConVenlcn'
and, in fact, to nullify a majority 6,y a minority, oy
dividing her Districts as we'll "a the state. ann 10
count the Old Dominion naught III The nomination
her delegation stood firm as it had done at Baltimore
in 1852, when thirty-four successive ballots were cast
for james Buchanan, and the vote OF virginia de'
cided the Convention in his favor. The election
proved how prominently popular he was 10
majority proclaimed him the choice of Virginia; by
far more than two.thirds, if not f%our.ftths OF inc Ds,
mocratic voters. A majority OF the po't'c'ans tn
Mace preferred others, but the people preferred MN
by an overwhelming, almost unanimous voice.
The election was marked by extraordinary I""'
fpstations. The contest was: WHETHER sECIloHAL'
IAN C.Usyp BY THE FOREIGN INFLUENCE OF OLD
ESGLASp AND CASADA, OPERATING Us THE FORM OF
BLACK REPUBLIcANisM UPON NEW YORK AND THE
New ENGLAND STATES, ASp UPON THE LAKE. BUN
pgRs OF OTHER STATES. SHOULD INVADE US fuk
Their South; OR OUR OwS SATioSALisa OF DEMO
cRACY SHOULD DRIVE 1T BACK FURTHER NORTH
Pennsylvania decided that issue; but for a time II
was extremely doubtful. And in the midst OF that
doubt there was heard n low m%utterlnS III the
South of a su6dmcd, bit SuHem discomfort among
Some frr Of those rho roted eren for Mr..
Buchnnan's election. The feeling, grnmbed ra'
Their than openly expressed by them, was OF a hope
that the Black Flag might be raised over US, to rouse
the Southern people TO a revolution when woulo 'nron
off the bonds of the Union. 1t is well known ana
proudly admitted that, had that flag been hoisted over
the Capitol of the United States. under the open pro
CARNATIONS of the election, | for one would have walt
ed for no other covert act Of aggression or oppres'
sion; but | was, therefore, the more ANXIOUS 10 secure
a Democratic triumph, TO prevent reVoiutlou anu u
preserve the Union. This separated Inc from the eS'
tremists South.
I doub, whether they would all have followed me
10 the lengths | would have gone, had cause for rsvo'
luton been given; but whilst l was tor warding on
extreme issues by electing a conservative Democrat
who could unite I'll patriots and save the Union, they,
a small and very exclusive clique, were for driving
us upon revolutipu-reluctanlly supported the Demo-
cratic NOMINEES, and at heart We're disappointed Al the
Democratic triumph which saved us from all "lHs'
%extremiliss." The horse and tho rider Of Black Re-
publicanism We're overtirown, but in the general IT.
joicing there Was 10 shout from the hesrts 81
the Exclusive Extremists. They, however honest
were sad, aud their coumtenances were dark and dis
nal in the midst of general congratulations anu smiles
that thu National Democracy had saved our country
once more from extreme peril. .
Soon alter The election Of President, and during al
of last winter aud spring, that which WAS at first 4
uphisp.r haCsrna mora and more luQIble. until IL BROKE
out into loud and openly uttering voice,-"fhat there
v.s y plot to %snpplani Mr. Hunter IN the Senate by
Governor Wise aud his friends" Knowing that there
was no foundation for this in aught i had said ol
done or authorized 10 be said or done, aud the hypo
thesis presenting itself that there might be enemies
of both Mr.. Hunter and myself who were trying 10 soW
tares between us tor their own selfish and sinlst-i
ends, still averted my mind from other definite conciu
sious respecting the authors and the motiVes ot fhoat
reports, aud continued to remain silent. But tht
rim. came for the ORGANIC alton Of Mr.. Buchanan
cabinet. Ii WAS arranged by himself, TO his own ~
king, on his own responsibility, to suit his own conf
d.niial relations in Office, ADD WAS composed Of a ma
jority Of Southern men, OF all sections OF Southern
Democracy, preferriDg no clique, aud OF a caste de
signed TO harinonizc all elements In the party. Nortf
and South, East and West. Ii WAS organized on III.
National platform Of the Cincinnati Convention. A
the head and representative OF the party, he general
ICED as well ~ he could the personnel and material o
the great Democracy of The United States. This wa
what q President of tie Um,tcd States should have
endeavored 10 do. 1t nigh; not please all, individu
ally or sectionslly, but it was for all and mol tr Z
part. And the great MACS OF tho party VIVA we'll con
tent and generally acquiesced in the organizations
But the President had hardly been inaugurated, hac
but Just taken his seat, had said nothing and done
nothing, besides his inaugural address and selection
of his cabinet, defining or indicating a p~olicy-hac
not been in office sixty days-not thirty when 9
Porc"pine Opposition raised a quiz at erery potnt o
yolicy and al rrery man of prsonna IN the Admins
troti0a, and the attempt ,ras made TO damn the mho't
Democratic 1arfy Of Tic North. and every Southern
man uho ArnSedfhcm, rdh doubt or distrust or outspo
ken dcnuncation. An hifiliated press was found or
gsnized from Richmond to New Orleans, which open.
ed its batteries d! sweeping, rancorous, and vindictive
opposition, denouucing certain members Of the cabi.
net, and especially certain Southern members, mis-.
giving as to the foreign, and exciting suspicion as 10
the home ~policy-warning against imaginary evils
doubling the good faith OF some riends-disparaging
others-nnt sparing the President himself-and espe.
c,nHy denOuncing a National Democracy. And all this
was bsgun and published too before Cor. Walker
ms erer sent 10 Kansas. We rerc 10 be bctra ycd be.
fore IRE meye betrayed! TIE Northern Democracy
not 10 he relied on! The President himself ocas
of that Democracy!
Now, gentlemen, prior to the campaign of 1856,
there were but two lines of sectional division in the
United States-the Mason and Dixon, and the Mis-.
souri, Compromise lines. They were geographical,
partly in their character. and were well defined and
understood. Many evils growing out of them had
'o N'eiN
against. But, in 1856, another and moro ominous
line WAS disclosed, obliterating all others. II was
not defined upon the earth, but revealing itself by
what sailors call a "Sun-Dog" in The East, il awed
superstition like an angry comet portending evil, and
shot a dull black and white gloom looming through
the mists of the Arctic iceberg-striking from over
England, by the Newfoundland banks, cutting
off all New England and New York, md passing mid
way through Pennsylvania, Ohio. Indiana, Illinois,
and, indefinitely, Westward. An North Of that line
Biack Republican, and all South of il was what
called Egypt.
What did this meant What %por:endH Why, it
a sign in the very heavens Of the wisdom Of
w ashington's Farewell Addrcss-o berare Of For.
influence and Sectional Strife. The constant
and social intercourse of New England
and New York with Old England, and the Immediate
neigbborhood of the Lake border with Canada, had let
iu the wolf Of English feeling and prejudice and social
habit and fanaticism and influence into our fold against
the institutions of the whole United States, "a estab.
by our Constitutions Of Government. 1t is the
most insidious foe which has ever invaded our coun.
try. 1t is English influence, operating socially, un.