Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-10-30
THE LAST RESORT

BEHALF are still pursuing course most likely to prove
| injurious to the honorable Senator These persons
commenced general course of attack against the
Administration Some of their number proclaimed
| Mr. Hunter the parli.an of their faction. When
newspaper correspondents suggested the Necessity
an explanation on the part of Mr.. Hunter the expo
penls Of the opposition thought best to treat the sug
sestion With silent contempt. Wheu Democratic ed.
itors assumed the responsibility Of repeating these
| suggestions, aud proceeded openly 70 act upon them
BY respectful! interrogaores addressed to Mr.. Hun.
ter, they wsro denounced with oamor aud iuveotve 81
charged with Intrigue" insoenCs," "imper,i.
nence." We were buubly Of opinion that On ed:o.
rial position is not Inconsistent with the exercise OF
the rlgh, OF constituent and of member Of the De-
mocratc purity. We urged this plea with calrnuessI
but 1t was rejected by our censors with sneers and
vituperaticn. Strange and unwarranted Us we per.
csivsd this be, did not expect that sim
liar desire for explanation. when expressed by Fr.
GINA Senator especially when that Senator should
act i'll concurrence with args and respectable assem-
blage Of Democratic voters, would be treated with
the same discouresy which we had been subjected.
But so II Id a latee meeting has been assembled
in the county of Rockingham. a Virginia Senator
and two other respectable Democrats, being duly ap
pointed committee for the preparation of resolu.
tons, have reported number Of resolutions, endor.
sing to the fullest ex;ert The policy of the present Ad
ministration, approving the right Of popular sove-
regnty and requiring at these measures should be
respectfully submitted 10 the Hon. K. NJ. T. Hunter.
The resolutions were adopted with great unanimity,
after full and animaec discussion. A friend of Mr.
Hunter then submitted resolution proposing that
the Democrats of Rock nghann should instruct their
delegates and Senator to vote for Mr.. Hunters re.
election in case he should approve the action of the
meeting. This motion was also adopted
| This is a fair statement Of what has occurred In
Rockingham. The answer of the Destruc;ionist
press comprehends nc attempt to conrovert the
soundness and proprety Of the resolutions adopted
but is confined to vitupers,ion applied 10 the
three gentlemen who composed the committee on re-
solutions, and disingenuous attempts to dscredit the
| honesty and intelligence Of the body OF Democratic
! by whom the resolutions were adopted.
First, Mr.. S. T. Walker is assaied. 1t is urged
that he is precluded from sustaining the present Ad
ministration, or opposing Dir. Hunters upconditona
election 10 the Senate by the fact that the same gen.
tleman was violently opposed to Mr.. Buchanan's no
cure that of Mr. Hunter. Now we have no evidence
apart from the mere assertion OF the editor ct "lhe
South" that Mr.. Walker ever pushed opposition tc
Mr. Buchanan, nomination TO such an extreme de-
gree as to preclude an endorsement OF the policy %
his Administration. Nor have We any further evi
dencs that Mr.. Walker was guilty OF intrigue II
advance Mr.. Hunters interests. We have hereto
fore been informed that such intrigaes were resortee
to- 10 defeat Mr.. Buchanen's nomination, by m at
tempt to pack the Virginia Convention. We de
cline to endorse the statement that MIR. Walker wh
implicated in euch intrigues. The fact that he "a
J 'Uiuu :iu"'ei "oninat,nn iot t'e Ifes'uepey
and opposed that Of Mr.. Buchanan, if admitted il
insufficient to prove that he may not now conscien
cously endorse Mr.. Buohanan's Administration anC
4 REQUIRE that Mr.. Hunter shall do the same. Were
the contrary the case as "The South" seems to PR
sumo, then the editor Of THE South" ought surely
to be an active and open opponent of the present
Administration. But "The South admits that sin
trigues' were reso.ted 70, TO defeat Mr. Buchanan
nomination, and it can scarcely mean to assert thai
| Mr.. Walker WAS the sole autho- and promoter o
sucb iptrigues "The South seems TO know some
thug abou, this matter, upon which ws nre anxious
10 bs further informed. We desire 10 have the names
furnished us. of all the intriguers Was the editor
Of Tho South" himself privy TO, or Implicated IL
such intrigued We respectfully nsk 20 be s!ii! fur
they informed, whether these same in,riguers did mol
organize the opposition to President Buchanan
which commenced ils attacks almost simultaneously
with his inauguration and Of which opposition The
South" has Continued TO be the especial organ.
Beyond the vague nsnuation that Senator Geo.
e. Deneale has no "cause to congratulate himself on
his celebrity" We find nothing urged against that
psptlsmap except the assertions that he desires the
n,acs of Lieutenant Governor, and that be has acted
towards Mr.. Hunter in maDuer hardly consistent
with good faith" Wehave never yet been Informed
even of desire on the part Of Mr.. Deneae Tor the
anpo,ntmept alluded TO. The insinuston that bad
fatb on his part may be thought TO contribute to the
success of his ambition" s evidently intended to In
lure other parties as we'll as Mr. Deneale. But "Ihe
South" should reflect that all such attempts VIII prove
Injurious only to its own character and reputation
and that George E. Denese is too well known ard
too highly appreciated by the people Of Virginia to
reours aay notice on his part OF such asperSons as
"The South" has chosen to vouch ior'
A, for the yituperation directed at Mr.. John T..
Harris, We must decline to particuarise the items
which make up that vague msss OF splenetc dlscour
,e.v. IF il ia worthy of notice at ALL as We are de-
cldedy Of opinion It Is not we know that Mr. har'
ris welds ready and an able pen' and can himseli
administer htting rebuke.
The common place Misrepresentation which de-
scribss large meeting, to which resolutions were
submitted, after an animated discussion pro and con-
a, handful Of curious people" the stupid victims
=.
Of the "intrigues" of "packed comm'ttee-ls TOO
transparent to require discussion, and We are suif
cienlly advised es the acts OF the case, to infer
that the inspuation ss TO the resolutions being ian
;mporta,ion from another quarter OF the State, was
made by "The South" without shadow OF evidence
on which TO rest the sappositlon.
To the reader who will glance at another column
of THE South" it is apparent that ali this nVectlve
and dsipgenuous iusnuation ia the offspring OF ano-
her motive than mere disuterested championship Of
Mr.. Hunters reserve. Over the signature Of "Abi.
hu," correspondent Of the "Rockugham Register
indulges in vein of exalted compliment to the edl'
tor of The South" and reveals the fact that some
gentlemen present at the meeting of the Rockingham
Democracy "could not let the occasion pass without
branding Roger A. Pryor, as a disunicnst and op.
posed to the National Democracy" All this ID re.
produced in The South" and is sufficient to account
for the evident i-.;tability under the Influence OF
which it's editorial articls was peDued. Now We
must plead guilty to aconcidence In the opinion that
The editor Of "The South" is opposed to the National!
Democracy, nor can we perceive that reference TO
dsunon proclivities on the part of the same gem
tlemaa is sufficient 70 Justify the Measure Of retala
tiop, go comprehensive 10 its charges, which seems
TO have resulted from the alleged provocaiion. SO
far from proving an efectual vindlcaton, The
south'." vindictiveness seems nothing more than
,bat last resort Of conscious weakness -camorous
elimination.
W. cannot close our remarks without some refer
enca 10 "The Sosth's" verbose attempt TO d. aon
strate the proposition that the Democracy of Virginia
cannot require pledge Of hearty confidence In tho