Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-10-01
",JUSTICF

men in Mr.. Letcher's behalf; and such ia the oommu
nicaton signed "Justice." in another column. There
is dignity and eef respect about it, that carrie. the
convincing proof of it's authors honesty. With
"Justice," total stranger to ua, We can calmly pre-
sent the points Of our difference without any angry
thought or an acrimonious expression. Let some Of
Mr.. Letche-'s friends make Justice" their model
and, with the same dignity and ability which charac
terises the subjoined communication, present their
arguments, and they will be Net in the same spirit
and stye-and harmony aud good feeling bs restored
to our party. But when the home organ of Mr..
Letcher etoops to the low level Of epithetr, and
desgnstes his equals in every respect as ricksters
and "Wse tricks,ers, patience ceases to be virtue,
and we are forced to administer castgaon, which is
az painful to US 10 give is to the victim to re-
ceive.
Though acknowledging Mr. Letcher's "sound-
mesa and reliability at the present time. his great neg
rl,y of character capacity for public usefulness and
hs lofty patriotism" We cannot "join hands with his
friends" in urging his nomination. Our opposition
to his nomination proceeds from fsctous personal
or political motives, but from firm and honest con
victon as to it's improperly at this time. In casting
eye over the long list Of Vrgiuns able statesmen
We fud many 10 whom the graceful compliments 30
happily beloved upon Mr.. Letcher by Justice"
may with propriety be- applied. Every argument
that has been urged in Mr.. Ls,chers favor, applies
with equal force to Judge Brockentrough, Mr. Ed
mondson and others. They are all men "of sound
ness and reliability" not only TAT the present time"
but in all past time; "of great integrity of character
capacity for public usefulness and lofty patriotism y
they have all in their "dsy done good service for the
State" They are, therefore. the equals of Mr. Letcher
on the OF present reliability, party service aud
public usefulness, and they have the advantage of Mr.
Letober in the fact that their record is Nnslaned
the sins Of ami slarery sentiments that their nonns
ton will not present party to the world, in the
unenvable light Of sustaining, in our candidate, the
very objections we lately 30 bitterly condemned in
the opposition. Any one of the gentlemen named for
the nomination is Mr. Ietchers equal in every respect
and his superior in past fidelity TO slavery and their
nomination cannot be distorted into luke warmness on
the slavery question.
The correspondent of New York daily paper has
already seized upon the urgency Of Mr.. Letcher to
bring scandal upon religious denomination Of our
State; unjust and unfounded charge has been made
that the Methodist church, sympathising with anti
slavery sentiments, would support Mr.. Lstcher be.
cause Of his past anti slavery views. This same New
York correspondent writing from Lexington, has
usinuated that Mr.. Letcher did not reply to DR..
Rufner, because he feared any dsavowal at this time
would inure his cause with the Methodist church;
and strange 10 say ueither Mr. Lecber nor his friends
have repelled the insinuaton. Thus the very urgen
cy with which Mr.. Letcher is pressed, is made the
occasion Of unjust nsnua,ion against the soundness
ry. If his advocacy for the nomination has pro-
duced such charges what is to be expected from the
same source, should he be elected
II Mr.. Lstcher was the only Democrat in the
State qualified by business experience, talents, inte
gritty, patriotism and usefulness, to be Governor the
Democracy in that event might afford to overlook
his late nfdety to slavery. But to select him over
his equals in every qualification tted for the office
now that his anti-slavery opinions are 10 widely
known, will most unqueS'onaby give plsusibility to
the charge of the enemies of slavery that there is
growing lukewsrmne-s 10 the institution in Virginia.
Such nomination Immediately preceding the Preri-
Dental canvass Of 1860 would nullify and destroy
any protest Virginia might offer 10 ths nomination ct
Of any who formerly entertained anti slavery een-
| timente, but who had abatsd his emancipation or
abolition zeal to procure the nomination.
The above remarks were pennsd before tho publ.
cation of the following, which we extract from the
Richmond Wing" of yesterday:
"But We beg lssvet to say that our estimate Of Mr.
Letcher as a gentleman, and our convictions in re-
spect to his present soundne3s Oh the slavery ques-
ton, have nothing in the world to do with our WE'VE
in consequence OF his Abolition doctrines Of lS47.-
| Nothing at all. Besides we have never been able
to understand, aud never shall, perhaps, how any
| Democrat can support Mr.. Lefcher, who thought il
80 mpoltic to elect Mr.. Summers, on account OF q
! similar offence when Mr.. Summers offence was com.
| mitied snder peculiar and extraordinary circumstan
ces, and nearly twenty years before Mr. Lecher COM
mitted his. We say We mean TO hold you to your
assaults on Mr.. Summers for his Abolltlonsm while
| you support Mr.. Letcher whose Abolitionism IL
| worse and Of more recent date; and We mean thus
! to show TO the people, if We csn what miserable
set of hypocri,es the whole Of you are. Apart from
any personal considerations in the matter, we are
as Wing, looking 10 The future, and especially to
the campaign of l860-decidedy and earnestly il
favor of Mr.. Lechers nomination; and If he does nj
get it, 1t shall be- fault OF oura. 1t may possibly
be the case that we shall be under the political neces
sity of supporting for the Presidency some man who
has been ss unsound on the slavery question as Mr.
Letcher has been and, in such event. every Locofo
co editor n the State, big and ttle will be yepng
our heels, and pursuing us with the cry Of abolition
lam. Should Mr.. Lstcher, however, obtain the Dem
| cratic nomination for Governor, as inconsistent anC
| impudent as we know the whole brood of Locotoct
editora and politicians to be, they will hardly have
the audecty after supporting man in 1859 for The
highest office in the State, who was for aboiishine
slavery in Virginia only eight or ten years ago, t.
asea US for supporting for the Presidency in is6o
one wear later, a gentleman who may not have been
altogether square the "goose" in days gone by, o
who may not then be entirely acceptable to ia at the
South. II is obvious, therefore. why we advocate
the nomination Of Mr.. Lstcher. 1t would be tbs
height of impolicy in not to do 1t would be the
most inexcnsable folly. We are, psrhaps, too frank
and open in communicating our motives for preierr-
ing Mr. Letchers nomination to our political adver-
saries but are willing for them to be admonlsheo
In time"
Overlooking the "Whgs" e1uberance of abuse,
We submit if Mr.. Letchers nomination and election
would not embarrass the party, should the "Whig'
and its supporters become what they now threaten
to be, the unscrupulous apoogists of abotonism,-
While We execrate the svowsls ofthe "Whig" We msy
at least commend It's boldness in thus throwing dowI
the gage of future and prospective abolition apollo
pies. With the nomination of Mr.. Lsicher by th'
Democracy, and the pre- determined apologies fo
aboli,onism by the "Whig," We submit If Virginia
devotion to slavery will not be questioned at least b.
the captiousl
The Washington city correspondent of the New
York "Tmes" says: "The opposition are beginning
10 discuss freely the subject Of nomination for tn
Presidency, and l learn that self constituted cen
trs committee, at this point, is conducting an e1
epsive correspondence with all parts of the country
simipg at the nomination Of JOHN MINOR Boris, o
VIRGINIA. Crttenden, the committee says de
cipes and Senator Bell Of Tennessee, is too od-fogy
BORIS, it is contended, is the man to lead the oppo
sition forces to victory"
Now, what could Virginia urge against Mr.. Bott
after nominating Mr.. Letcher 7 We cannot now Ia
our hand on any sentiment that Mr.. Bolts ever nj
tered that is not paraeled by Mr.. Letcher in lS47
If Mr.. Letcher in 1859 id sound enough for the Vir
pinia Democracy, what objection, on the score {
slayery, can they urge against John Minor Bolts i
ls6D1 We do not mean to say that Mr.. Letcher