Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-02-05
Err the EnoUtrer.

MANY LETTER ~ AN E"'HhHi '''
STATESMAN
To Choyl,. w. Russell, Esq, Of I'hee'ms' V"S'"'H.
s,p.-Wh,teyer may he tn. per1"nhl or po'itlca'
o,;ec. ;n,snded 10 BE- effected by your late letter ad
a.s.ood n the Governor Of Virginia, through the CO.
,urns of "The South" newspaper, 1t must De inter'
yed by every attentive reader, Tint you nave Hu VI
slowed a careful perusal, either on Governor "!se
latter which you make The SUBJECT OF Cel,so..o
sm;msd version or ON the Lecompton schedule i,sei'
CONCERNING which the Governors letter was wlueu.
Al the outset, you charge Governor WISE WIN o., Gu
apparent ncongruity between hs sentiments auu n,s
voluntary agements to Virginia to the Soutn' ano
to the President" Fairly considered such STATE
mept should be made the conclusion at when On Of
pument should srrive, and not the premise up",
which it IL based. And this p'fao pr'nc'pl 10 uuou
leas Objectionable than the following s'a.ea.o a,
mon which you mainly depend TO sustain your ule.
approval of The Governors conduct. give your
own language: ,;;,, IF
Kansas as State with the Lecompton Consnu,ou'
which nro,eets slavery and to require the formation
of another Constitution, which, you obviously DE-
lieve, will prohibit slavery ....b;,ro,-
Again: You stimulate Congress to reject this Con
stitution mainly because the Convention WnIlI
framed t-a legal Convention, as yeu pioptIy
Congratulated to q vote of the people only 'na'
portion of it which relates TO slavery
Again: "You have theory that the people nave
a right to vote upon their entire Constltutlon, now
ever legally and regularly framed uy Convention
did NOT wholly conform their action to your theoIy,
Won have denounced their method OF submitting inc
slavery clause to popular we're AZ un'e"eu
and shameless fraud "
Now, Governor Wise never did avow any such OBJ
iect az that which you impute To him,-nor can any
such object or intent be all deduced from MS ian
guage. He has never proposed that Congress snai
refuse to admit Kansas ~ State under inc Lecoup
ton Constitution. He simply argues that Congress
md nd
peope of Kansas themselves by ialr, tree popular
vote to decide whether they wills VIII nor aaopt tne
Lecompton Constitution ss their act ana Deco ms
lie the mode Of Congressional Difference 10 tne WI" o.
Tho nsonle of Kansas, which no proposes,-and not
umaiply becauee the convention which framed inc
CONSTITUTIONS "submited to vote OF the people only
that portion Of it which relates to slavery. cover
nor Wise expressly denies that the convention esea
did submit the slavery CLAUSE 10 legal vote oy tne
peop,e. You thus state that Governor WISE asserts
the very thiog which be denies, You reiterate, on
YOUR ow n responsibility the assertion winch you nm,
puts to him; and this assertion, as 1 VIII presently
show ia fatty contradicted by the language OF Inc
I,ecompten schedule ITSELF and your subsequent allie
CATION il equally incorrect. When Governor Wise
! denounced the action of the Lecompion convention
ss nerpstrstion of unveiled trlckery ana shameless
fraud" he did not refer, and cannot fairly be under.
| stood 10 refer, to their mere disregard Of the
| theory Of popular sovereignty. de denounced
.ther method Of submitting the slavery clau.e"-not
| "because the Lecompton Convention did not wholly
the method i,self Of pretended submission adopted
by the Convention, in intended to prevent, and
did necessarily defeat that fair expression OF the peo'
ples will TO which the Convention protested to refer
ior decision. This is the main reason OF Gov. Wsss
opposton; not a. you state it, to the enacton OF the
Iecompton Constitution but TO the congressional en-
| dorsemeut Of the Lecompton schedus. He does in-
sst that Convention elected to frame Constitution
violates the right OF popular soveregnty oy AL al.
tempt unauthorized By express delegation of power
| to enact a Constitution by their own proclamation
and without referring the question to popular choice
| but had the Lecompton Convention openly and with
out trick or suberuge, ventured on such course OF
action, Gov Wise agrees that Congress might In the
exercise of discretionary power sanctioned by pre-
| cedent. Immediately admit Kansas as State'
| and leave it to the people OF the State to
| inHict appropriate punishment on their own
| nreaumptuous servants. For the sake OF the rights
and iutrrests of the South Governor Wise does pro
test against dangerous innovation which would per-
nit mere constitutional convention, by their uncon-
troled action to discriminate between slave properly
and other species OF property, lnvdousy 10 lne lot
| mer by method of partial submission which would
withhold from Southern man the right TO vote tor
or against rule Of organic law which might entirely
exempt from taxation the steam engine ct The North
ern settler and al the same time would enable the
Northern man vote against the employment ofslave
| labor by the Southern settler and even 10 deprive
him. without compensation, OF property in slaves al
ready in his possession. But there is another ques
| lion involved in the responsibility OF Congress with
|
of eminent gravity, and one which involves the most
Commemorative issues OF expedency. Truth or false
hood fair dealing fraud which OF these appears on
the face of the schedule tsef Governor Wite enters
into an exposition ofthe schedule, demonstrating from
| it's own terms the betrayal OF a scheme OF unveiled
trickery and shameless fraud" Without an attempt
at argument counter exposition on this point you
are content come before the public with mere de
NAL of bis conclusion. And yOu impue to him an al
titude OF opposition to the Lecompton Constitution
which he has never assumed attribute to him forms
of reasoning which he has not adopted. and refer his
conduct to inducements the influence OF which no mas
neither acknowledged nor evinced
| | shall not attempt to enquire iEto Inc mofiVfs
| which have led you TO commit these errors. Apart
from such confederation, you have assumed before
the public the responsibility Of reprehending the
to him by tile people of Virginia. You have cited
him before the tribunal of public opinion, TO charge
him with having misused the inhuence attaching Ia
his position. You charge, that by having published
an unofficial expression Of individual opinion on q
question of public morals and public policy, be ha;
displayed tenacy of adherence to mere theoretira
abstraction, which has seriously nsed HE Judgment
on practical question Of momen'ous interest To hii
party and his Slate; that he has by committeo
an act which tends to eopardZe the interests OF oo
aud that be has not been restrained from such a
course of conduct "by any tenderness for the ankle
ties If generous people who exalted him to his
present station, by any reluctance to witness or 10
cause the exultation of their eneinleS :,
j
your letter. and such the mildest form OF statement
which it is susceptible. The accusation 10 grave
one II amounts TO nothing less than this: that states
man, who, during quarter OF a century, mas oeeh
almost uuntsrruptedly employed in various positions
of high national trust has, after THE length OF expe'
rence, exhibited mental deficiency dangerous 10
the public interests necessarily conhded In part 10 s
guardianship by his present official STATION. lou, FIT
make this charge through tho medium OF an organ
OF the metropolitan press Of Virginia, which hera'us
| your accusation as The production OF an "eminent
Virginia statesman" P.Imli me to Suggest such an
accusation should have been prepared with eueh
cautious scrutiny Of all the circumstances OF Inc case
as to leave no doubt whatever concerning me accu'
racy of the recital and accompanied by such sutil'
cheney OF citation, illustration and argument az 70
leave before the public no material point epueiy DC
pendent mere statement of fact oroi opinion e1
| pressed BY the scccuser II remains tor the pubic
10 decide whether YOU have thus fulfilled grave re-.
sponsbility voluntarily assumed, or whether las AIN
bold to assert without fear OF refuationl you nave
made this charge carelessly, without study and WIN.
out elaboration, sufficient to inform you accurately
of the facts involved to instruct you III Inc prin'
cipes to be considered.
Upon the question Of the right OF the people 10
dictate their own form of government, you 90 nor
! venture to express an opinion. And yet It must %
conceded that no element Of greater Importance If
suggested by the present discussion 1t involves Inc
fundamental principle of practical rs well as OF lneo-
reticsl government. To ignore theoretical princp'e
for the attainment OF apparent temporary expeoleney'
is policy which has indeed been frequently attrion'
ted whether justly unjustlv. will not presume TO
say, to that political party with which you have IN
til lately been associated But the founders snd the
leaders OF the Democratic Republican party nave
pessently denied both tho morality and The expedi'
ercy of ruch systen They have regarded it as de-
sructve to tbs vital energy OF free government-oe.
cause it's necessary tendency is TO confuse sovereign
| power With mere delegated acknowledgements II
leads 10 encroachment by the, latter upon me pro-
vince of the former-becsuss serves 10 render Inc
agent irresponsible TO the principal And The right
of self government, by the repeated ackno~ieog.
ments Of the people Of our own country. has neen
removed from the province of mere coniemplatiVe
speculation. 1t has been recognized "a thu starting
poinihe fret tai axiom necs ssary Tor me
solution Of each political problem. The Instincf, inc
Judgment the faith of the American people nave re-
cognised lhe moral principle that the God oil nature