Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-05-05

held at Odd Fellows Hail. on iuesady eEeEihS,'tp
of Nav, at clock, 10 appoint delegates to the State
Convention to be held in this city the l3;h Mayto
nominate candidate for Attorney General.
OURSELVES AND Underwater"
Our correspondent, "Tide-W Water reviews very
much at length, in our issue Of Friday the POSITION
which we took in respect to sectohaism III Tue ep
pointment of an Attorney. General, and 1t Is oue u
ourselves that we should take some nohce Vi Ills
communication.
We beg leave therefore to say that we dissent en-
tirey from his positions, being incorrect IN menu
selves. and, if correct, wholly nappcabe to the
s,ate Of things to which he applies them. We admit
that AZ the general usage Of the party, the important
Offices Of the State should be filed by coming
from different parts of the State and that sec.
ton of the State should be permitted to monopo!ze
them; but this usage one to be enforced or not "A
in its discretion the party may deem best and should
at all times subordinate TO the higher principles "t
fitness and capacity in the candidate for the otice-
Beyond this, we have never understood that the De
nocratc party desired to extend the usage, and be-
yond It We will never consent to extend 1t; and yet
We yield to in just appreciation Of the men OF
tbs Valley and the West, and the desire to do them
Justice full and complete. None can admire their
noble devotion to principle more than we. To do
this however, il is not at all necessary nor IN our
view proper, to revive discussions Of The re-
latiye claims Of the geographical divisions Of
the State, which have hitherto been productive of so
much hear burning. and admit that any is to be
mi into an office affecting the whole State because
ne comes from any particular section Of the State.
The office is not the office OF any locality, but the Of
ca nj the whole Slate and the best mau ful should
be always selected.
How would any other rule work? Let see.-
The West is divided into the North, Middle and
South West-wbch are distinct as any three divi
sous OF our good old State can be; and that, we
hope is very cs.tly go And so the East is divided
into the Northern Neck, Piedmont Middle and South
sds willis the Valley is divided into sections rs her
rivers flow. Now, is each of these sections of thu
sections to be considered rs having tile to one Of
the large offices or no,' II it is then the people of
the whole State must pot be allowed to look over the
whole State bat must be bounded by the horizon of
4 few counties And il this be not go, ci what va
lue is the princip!e How preposterous to tell ths
people oil the SOUTHWEST that their peculiar interests
are represented by selecting candidate from the ex
trene North. West or the people OF Halifax or Meek
lsnburg or Norfolk C. N.nsemond that their peculiar
Interest. are represented they complimented by
taking MAJ from Fauquer or Matthews
But, if the sectional doctrines o. Tide Water"
were adopted, they at all applicable TO the cir
cumstauces before us! and does Tide Water coSil
sci tine West wisely? Governor Wise is from the
East and his successor should come from the West or
the Valley-the Valley most probably, as it had N"
office before. But. if the views Of Tide Water
prevail and the W eat or the Valley takes the Attor
ney Generals ofce-then it surrenders the Governor
20 another section We rather think the Valley would
no, make much a, this time by such an arrange
ment.
We apprehend, also, that "Tde.Wsser' is mis-
taken in his sums OF patronage to the East. What
are the offices which make up ;he great aggregate
which he gives US! AS far as advised, the
only offices 10 De bestowed upon East and West, by
agenera vote, are
The Governor, $1,000
Lieut. Governor, tper diem)
ATTORNEY General, l,501
n6 /" 2o0p
Treasurer 1900
Register of the Land Office, 300
Secretary Of the Commonwealth, l,Sna
Superintendent of Penilentiary, 1000
S,orekeeper do do 5000
OF which the West now has. through her SONS, the
following, viz: Treasurer lst Auditor, Superinten
dent of Fvui:sn:ary aud Storekeeper of Peniten.ia
ry-and had the Lieutenant Governor, and will have
the Governor. So that, at the La. election it held Of
hces paying $1,000 out o; an aggregate of $4,000;
for the Governors office is not properly to be taken
into the account rs every one comedies it to the Val
ley the West at the next election. And it is pro-
per 10 remarx thai among these officers, but one is
held by one who was at the time OF his election, u
citizen OF Richmond.
We must be allowed to express also. our surprise
that Tide Water should have specially referred to
the fidelity and zeal Of the Democrats Of the West
and the Valley. grounds OF claim, for it can pro.
perry avail nothing unless by dsparaging the Demo.
cyscy, which, presume, he did not mean to do; for
although We belong to that glorious band, We capuo;
torbear to cay that portion of the Democracy any.
where is eutitled to higher encomiums, deeper graft
rude honor than :he gallant band Of the Me-
tropolis.
We have written. however, more than we designed.
and we conclude by expressing regret that
.'Tide-Wster" has dipped his pen into the troubled
waters of sectonalsm, which he has done much
more TO excite than 70 a!lay.
p. S.-We had written thus far when we received
smother communication from "r,de.Wa ter," to be
found i'll todays paper, containing his lis, Of offices,
for the purpose of making good lis charge that the
Ess; has too much patronage and this District espe
ciay. and therefore, the Attorney General should be
Western man. We really must confess our alnsze
meut that any Nirsinian and especially any citizen o!
Richmond, should seek excite sectional Jealousy in
the Sfstc anu prejudice against his Eastern brethren
by such means. We are indeed surprised that can,
did a0d intelligent man should to such facts for
the purpose Of determining how The people of the
State should decide State election. We really
think they tend as much prove that Mr.. Golden
ought NOT to have been turned out of Psramen, be
cause he would not support Lord Paimers,on n
Prime Minieter and the Chinese War or tba, the
Queens last child is not daugh;er-and tend much
U,ore TO prove liz they proved any,hingl wha, the
enemies of Virginia assert NJ the North, viz that
Virginia la, too much Federal patronage Tide.
Water" mast be Il; "!ow obb'' indeed when such a.
effort s necessary to keep sicn. Only think OF il,
reader. question arises, who shall be Attorney
General, and Tide Water" at Richmond saws thu;
he should be Western man, because the Ministers OF
the United States to Franco and Sardnia-;he Sscrs
tsry Of the latter. and he might have added Of The
former also-and the Consul to Rio, are vircinians
Wonderful! logic indeed-DoSberry could not have
done il be,er But this even does not give ccrrsc.
idea OF the wonderful effect Of "Tde-Wster" TO ioa-
his prejudices over the land. To appreciate his
arithmetic and his justice, i: is necessary to apply the
analytical process 10 It. l, is too dense to be encoun
tered by the synhe,ical process. Behold, then, be
brings to the debit Of the East, upon this issue
1. The Office Of Commissioner Of Public Works;
without s;";'"s the ao; shat the North West and the
South West each have one.
H. Inspector OF dour, w,hou; stating the fact tina,
the North West, the South Vest, and the valev,
hsya Insns,tor. of Ey,,.