Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-07-31
THE RICHMOND ENQUIRER.

FRIDAY MORNING, JULY 81, 1857.
.. THE SOUTH" CONTINUES ITS UNANOWED
OPPOSITION TO THE ADMINISTRATION
AND THE DEMOCRACY.
The attempt to wage an unavowed opposition Is
the most difficult task which can we'll be assumed ny
auy politician; much go, that 1t becomes even oan
gerous when public newspaper enters upon Su'n
line Of action. Then difficulties increase a. e'e''
s,ep, until the burtheu Of disngenuous representation
becomes too heavy for human ingenuity.
Tbs course of +" The South" furnishes mos. ap'
;,,ustrs,;on Of this proposition. " The SCUM re-
-, ,,,rous non,s of the policy OF Inc
Eracnt;vs. ,sverslly attacks three members oi l1e
Cabinet, and openly menaces the ifeS.aen' n.u'''
va, dsDrecs,ss the charge OF opposition to the 40
1ninis,rsiion. The South issues an iaaceu'o'0
representation of language employed by "oVeFoo'
Walker, snd. when twice corrected tails 10 acano"'
lsdye the correction. " Inc South assumes " 10
pre-. eminently an independent press and osc'nes
to expose the policy and intention OF It's pohs'oo
course The South," at one time attacks Mr. .ooo
for adherence the Compromise Of lou; al ano'e'
attempts u palliation,i if mol Qualification OF inc
most obnoxious Of the Compromise measures. me
South" applies severe deuunciaiion to measures OF
foreign policy which Gov. Wise advised and directed,
pronounces the Governor eccentric IS comet,
accuses him OF inconsistency on the SUBJECT OF DIS
tribu,iou refuses to acknowledge Misrepresentation
which he exposes, places him in position OF neon.
ss;epcy on the question Of the Right OF suffrage; ano
then coo!ly informs its readers. 1--WE have not as
ssiied Gov. Wise
While protesting anxiety for the integrity OF the
Democratic party, The South" tries every expe.
diem, of policy, of insinuaton, and Of open denun
citation, TO ALLEVIATE and divide from their Southern
brethren, the true hearted Democracy OF the Morrill,
"TEs South" has not even had the candor to meet
our direct answers 10 it's own questions; but AVOIDS
them with the assertion 1.-THE correctness OF which
we directly deny,) ito none OF our inquiries does
he return distinct and positive reply. "1he
South" has not been slow to charge US with incon-
,s,snoy If"1Hc South" will look at the above sum.
mary il will find mass of inconsistency and worse
than inconsistency Journal cannot deny ana
will not explain. But "Ihe South" cannot MAINTAIN
such charge of inconsistency as urges against the
ENQUIRER. At all events, cannot be placed IN the
came category Of inconsistency with "1hc Soa@.
Suppose that in the first instance, we were startled
into Misrepresentation by the clamors OF "1he Souh'
the Charleston Mercury, Mr.. Kett, ct I'd omne genus
Suppose that we were induced to catch up tor al IN
stan; the cry of Sire, started by few dlsturbers Of
tbs peace, to whom we now owe no good will for
having alarmed us with pretended confagra,on.-
Still We do not plead guilty to the charge OF incon
sistency as it is preferred by "7he South" We
never did menace the Administration, as "1he
South" did, with an opposition contingent on the re-
fusal of the Chief Executive to recall Gov Walker.
We never were in the same category with "Ihe
South." Will that journal answer another charge OF
inconsistency, which We have to prefer "Ihe
South" has Issued the threat Of open opposition in
the event of Governor Walkers continuance in Of
fee. Governor Walker is continued in othce-and
The South" continues-au unarowed opposition
How does the threat tally with the performance
As to the charge Of ofcious and uadignihed
subservency, which "7'he South" has 30 frequently
launched against the friends the Administration We
have to reply that while We love the Administration
more we fear less than does the journal Of the op
position. When a newspaper puts forward the hack
neyed and transparent proguostc of opposition, sym
bolzed by clamorous pretension TO pre- eminent i'm
Partially and independence" and follows this up
with systematic course Of attack tha measures
to be expected that the hostile journal will accept the
responsibility Of opeu direct avowed opposition
Has The South assumed this responsibility No,
1.-The South" stands too much in awe Of the voice Of
the Democracy, expressed in the election of James
Buchanan and the moral force which sustains his Ad
ministration and seeks defence in assumed reluc
lance to oppose-too TO conceal the nature
while it permits the continuance of an unavowed op-
position "The South" compliments us OIL our having
thrown "off the mask" Would that The South"
could be prevailed on to throw of its mack, and
60 spare US the necessity OF continually exposing as
we'll as combating the opposition which it wages
We did wear q mask, but not such mask ae "The
South" wears. Ours was the mask Of prudent for
bearance ;--we have no reason to blush for having
worn Il.
But when The South" pushed its opposition to
an immediate and practical issue; when, in an I'M
friendly spirit, by means of threats and denuncia-
t;ons, it attempted to inure the Administration by
impsliug the Executive TO the suicidal policy Of dis
tracing the Democratic party and renewing agita-
ton in Kansas, by the recall Of Governor Walker;
then it became our imperative duty TO throw aside
the mask of reserve, and expose the motives and OBJ
iects developed by the course Of tho opposition
Such is the provocstion which led us to expose
the course of THE South" aud Of the selfish
faction with which it cooperates, and which that
journal attempts to dignity with the title OF the
democracy Of the South" and seeks to identity
with the Secessonist party, when we denounce lite
adberents as secedcrS from the Democracy. We re-.
copnize that clique oe disorganzers. We know
them of DID, They are the same men who sought to
fraternize the Democracy with the Abotioniss of
New York, in their erdeavors to defeat the nomina
ton of James Buchanan. They are the same men
who afterwards openly avowed wish for Tue cleo.
ton of John C. Fremont, as means OF immediate
disuniou rather than entrust the salvation OF the
Onion and the defeat of Black Rerublicansm to the
Democratic candidate. Disappointed in their aims
Of personal ambition, 1eir motto ia "Rule or Ruia.
Unable to command the confidence Of the united De
mocracy. they seek sectional prominence in strife
for disorg anzatiou or disuniou.
The South" reiterates its charge tba: Governor
Wise comedies in the peculiar views issued by the
opposition on the question Of suffrage. Now, we
know. and "The South ought to know, that no man
reprobaes more heartily than Gov Wise does either
the general course Of the opposition, or its views as
TO the right OF suffrage. When The South" ac
CuSte 1oNcIuoK "iso VI uaNiue uelu otueI posi-
tion, it accuses him Of Inconsistency, and The
South" cannot escape from the responsibility of
making good the charge, by the use Of nero compl
mentary epthet The South" calls on US to 'repro.
ducs the speech" Of Governor Wise. We eau cal to
mind no published speech in which the Governor has
discussed the question Of the admission Of California
We do remember q published fett', in which tina,
suhiec, is discussed, written by Governor Wise aud
addressed to the Rev. Mr.. Adams, 10 answer to ques
,lons relating to the subject Of slavery. We faith
fully recoect the substance Of that letter, although
we cannot a, this moment lay our baud on copy
But THE South" must remember that in the first ar
tice in which chose to cite the opinion of Governor