Arkansas true Democrat., 1857-12-08
Letter from Governor Wise.
 RICHMOND, VA, Nov. Is, 1857. To hs Editors of the Enquirer:

position l occupy touching the election of Senator of the United States; and. believing that they are m good faith fair and not unfriend ", promptly reply to your questions as pub. lcly as they are put.
 For more than twelve months rurnors have been circulated that it was my desire and de- slgn to roust MT. Hunter if could. from his seat Tn the Senate of the United States: and my name In that connexion has been dandlad about Tn conversation and by the press, with license which assumed the air of authoritv.- By whom, with what motive, to what end, these rumors were started, it is not my purpoae now to discuss. My object is to allay excite. ment and prevent division in the democratic party oi Virginia: and to that end aver. that these rumors are unauthorized by anything said or done by me, that they are without fonda ton, and defy the production of the proof or evidence that have ever expressed or mani tested the imputed desire or desiqn
 Airer my arduous struggle in 1855 for the salvation ot the democratic party, I fondlv hoped to have the sympathy and support of all Its sections in Virginia, and to be able to act with all in eqnal confidence, and to serve all in the office l now fill. I regret to say that in ths l was disappointed. A short time only elapsed, after entering upon my duties, be fore jealousy and distrust were seen where I most expected confidence and friendly aid and coun- sel. did my best, by turning away from this. to avert both its cause and its effect. But in. opportunely for harmony, the contest for the nomination for the Presidency came on early in lo56, and my preference for Mr. Buchanan. en. tertained for many years, was again made known. l adhered to his nomination. for req sons which now must be too obvious to every candid and conservative patriot and democrat, to need either argument or excuse No other nomlnee of the party could probably, have been elected There was not one of his con- petitors for whom I would not cheerfullv have voted. had, in fact, aided, among other friends of Mr. Buchanan in 1852, in nominating MT. Pierce, and in 1855, had ntimated my ap- proval of other candidates. But having for hls eminent abilities and services preferred Mir Buchanan Tn lo44, l848, and 1852, and deem ing him the only available candidate in 1856 co-operated zealously with his friends in secur ing for his nomination the vote of Virginia But no effort was made, no resort had to any means, to secure this, which could justly be complained of by his rivals and their friends. He had, without effort, comparativelv. two thirds of the delegation of Virginia at Cncin- natl, and that majority did not fully represent Al notwithstanding the attempts of those opposed to his nomination, to destroy the prestige of Virginia by attempting to split her delegation in the convention, and, in fact, to nullfv a majority by minority, by dividing her districts well as the State, and to count the Old Do- minon naught in the nOmina ion, her drlega- ton stood firm as it had done at Baltimore in 1852, when thirty-tour successive ballots were cast for James Buchanan, and tn, vote of Vir- ginia decided the convention in his favor The election proved how pre- eminently popular he was in this "good old commonwealth" Thirty thousand majority proclaimed hun the choice of Virginia hv far more than two. thirds if not four ftths of the democratic voters. A majority of the politicians in place preferred others, but the people preferred him by an overwhelming. almost unanimous voice.
 The election was marked by extraordinary manifestations. The contest was: whether sec tonaGsm, caused by the foreign influence of old England and Canada, operating in the form of black republicansm upon New York and the New England Stales, and upon the lake borders of other States, should invade us fur ther south; or our own nalOnasm of democracy should drive it back further north
 Pennsylvania decided that issue; but for a time it was extremely doubtful And in the midst of that doubt there was heard low nut tering in the south of a subdued, but sullen dis content among some few of those who voted even for MT. Buchanan's election. The feel ing, grumbled rather than openly expressed by them was of hope that the black flag might be raised over us, to rouse the southern people 10 revolution which would throw off the bonds of the Union. It is well known and proudly admitted that had that flag been hoist ed over the Capitol of the United States, under the open proclamations of the election for one. would have waited for no other "overt act'' of aggression or oppression; but was, therefore the more anxious to secure ademocratic triumph, to prevent revolution and to preserve the Union This separated me from the extremists of the south.
 doubt whether they would all have follow ed me to the lerg'h l would have gone, had cause for revolution been given; but whilst l was for wardmg off extreme issues bv eiectng d conservative democrat who could unite all patriots and save the Unon they, small and very exclusive clique, were for driving us upon evolution-reluctantly supported the demo- cratic nominee and at heart were disappointed al tn" democratic triumph which saved us from all Hast extremties." The horse and rider of black republicanism overthrown, but in the general rejoicing there was TO shout from the hearts of the erclasiUe extremists They. however, honest. were sad. and their counte- nances were dark and dismal ill the midst of general congratuati and smiles that the national democracy had saved our country once more from extreme peril
 Soon after the election os President, and du- ring all of last winter and spring. that which was at first a whisper became more and more audible, until it broke out into a loud and open 'y utterlng voice." that there was plot to supplant Mr. Hunter in the Senat4 by Governor Wise and his friends Knowing that there was no foundation for this in aught had said or done or authorized to be said or done, and the hypothesis presenting itself that there might be enemies to both Mir. Hunter and myself who were trying to SOW tares between us for their own selfish and sinister ends, still averted my mind from other definite conclusions respecting the authors and the motives of those reports. and continued to remain silent. But the time came for the organization of Mr. Buchanan's cabinet It was arranged by himself to his own liking, on his own responsibility, to suit his own confidential relations in office, and was composed of majority of southern men, of all sections of southern democracy, preferring no clique, and of cast designed to harmonize all elements in the party, north and south, east and west. It was organized on the national platform of the Cincinnati Convention. As the head and representative of the party, he gener. alized as well as he could the personnel am. ma teral of the great democracy of the United States. This was what a President of the United States should have endeavored to do.- It might not please all, individually or section ally, but 1t was yfor aN and not tor e part. And the great mass of the party was we'll content and generally acqueSced in the organization. - But the President had hardly been naugurated, had but just taken his seat, had said nothing and done nothing, besides his inaugural address and selection of his cabinet defining or indica- ting policy-had not been in office sixty days not thrty-when porcupine opposition raised quill at every point of policy and at every man of personnel in the administration, and the attempt was made to damn the whole democratic party of the north, and every south en man who trusted them, with doubt or dis trust or outspoken denunciation. An affiliated press was found organized from Richmond to New Orleans, which opened it's batteries of