Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-11-19

on the significance Of the assertion which the
editor of 1.-THE South" has repeatedly clrcu'
lated without explanation, and with view to
Governor Wisc's injury, that the Governor
"ran behind his associates" in the campaign
of 1855. The people Of Virginia know what
this insinuation is worth. Look at the picture.
In the midst Of the glad boasts Of his enemies,
and the despondency Of very many OF his own
partisans, Governor Wise entered upon the
arduous campaign of 1s55-men Of both par
ties offering large bets that the Democratic
ticket would be beaten by $4,000 majority
himself aware that his only hope Of success
was in dragging from the folds Of secret po-
litica society thousands Of men pledged BY an
oath to obey the dictates Of tho order. Toillng
increasingly, day after day, for weeks and
nonths-undcrgoing even degree OF ply
sica exertion which would have laid man
of ordinary powers Of endurance in his
gravc-Ciovernor Wise not only succeed
ed, mainly by his own unaided e1ertions
in drawing up his party from the very vortex
of defeat, but brought to the polls larger De-
mocratic vote than had ever appeared in pre-
vous election; carried the State by ten thou
sand majority, and entirely dismembercd an op-
position party which threatened month before
to oyerrun the whole confederation. The des-
perate nature Of the struggle is apparent from
mere reference to the arithmetical figures
The Know Nothing party poled more than
r., 900 votes, Il larger rote than the Democratic
party had erer polied in the State. In
spite ofthis, Governor Wise, by creating tide
of enthusiasm which forced even such men as
Mr.. John Letcher to stand by the party, car
ried the State by more than ten thousand ma
iority. And ever since, he has devoted all his
energies and resources to the service oil the
State, with an assiduity scarcely less laborious
and selfsacrificing than that cvinced in the
heat of the contest. This is the man whom
Mr.. Roger 4. Pryor now rcproachcs with the
snecring imputation that he was "Odnori"'is to
a considerable minority of his party" as evil
dcnced, forsooth, by the fact that legislative
committee, after an erroneous scrutiny OF i'm
perfect election returns, found his vote less than
that Of his associates, by small fraction Of one
per cent. on the total number Of Democratic
votes cast in the election! Is not this exhibit
ton sufficient to excite the indignant disgust Of
every true-hearted man in Virginia?
"Thc South" also states that Gov. Wise ran
behind the Democratic vote Of the State as
shown in the Congressional elections in 1855.
| Can the accuracy Of this statement be vouched:
Has "The South" made the calculation, or does
it rely upon hcarsay' But admit the accuracy,
and what does it prove! Here were thirteen
men, each canvassing for himself and in his
own ncighborhood How many opposition
votes were cast for Democratic candidates for
Congress, BY reason merely Of neighborly kind
ness or local interest? How many Democratic
candidates ran without opposition, or against
such candidates as could offer only nominal op-
position? Mr.. John Letcher, for one, boasted
in his scat in Congress that bis friends, both
in and out of the Democratic party, had pro-
missed him beforehand that he should have no
opposition.
Again, how manysmembers Of Congress,
and how many members Of the State Legisla-
ture owed their election on tho Democratic tick
ct to Gov. Wises excrtions in the campaign !?
The next attempt on the part Of "The South"
to demonstrate Gov. Wise's weakness before
the people of Virginia, consists in the unex-
planned assertion that no failed to obtain ma
jority on the first ballot, in 1854 Would it
not have been fairer to have accompanied this
with some explanations? Let us consider it
without reference even to the vote Of Wood
county. Does not "The South" know that
large number of Western voters were misre.
presented by their alternates in convention p
And were the votes on tho first ballot even
counted correctly? What were Mr.. Pryor's
own statements and opinions on this latter
point, after the convention adjourned?
As to the vote Of Wood county, "The
South" mistakes our allusion. Its own ac-
count is not materially different from ours.
We did not intend ITO reproach the Editor of
The South for his refusal to cast the vote Of
Wood on the first ballot" We meant to say,
that he had the proxy Of that county, and
would have cast it on the first ballot, had it
not been for the improper demonstrations of
the Leake and Letcher men in the Convention.
AS to the proxys being ''in Mr.. Pryor's
brooches pocket" which 1.-THE South" so in
dignantly denies, We scarcely deem it necessa'
ry to explain that this was mere figure of
speech. "The South" admits that Mr. Pryor
did have the proxy-that he offered to cast the
vote, and made tho offer at proper time-that
he finally refused to insist on his right to cast
the vote, by reason Of the threat of portion
of the members present that they would Sc
cede if the vote should be received
What We do reproach Mr.. Pryor with, is
this that he chose to state, in boastful man.
ner, that Governor Wise failed to obtain the
nomination on the first ballot, and at the same
time omitted to state that the Governor was
entitled to votes sufficient to have given him,
on the first ballot, an immediate and declared
majority, which he failed to receive, only be-
cause the votes to which he was entitled were
not counted.
We also regard the whole attempt to draw
parallel between the case Of Governor Wise
and that of Mr. Letcher, as highly unjust to
the former.
Mr. Letcher is obnoxious to at least con-
siderable minority Of the party, and has been
declared so in an unmistakable manner, by
several Democratic meetings. Moreover, Mr..
Letcher owes his principal strength to COM
bination of politicians, who have attempted to
dictate his nomination to the people by series
Of movements which have been apparent for the
last two years Again, the objections to Mr..