Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-09-03
For dt EhYutTT.
MIX. LETCHER AND HIS EULOGISTS.

TUDOR.
For the Enquirer.
MIR. LETCHER AND HIS BIOLOGISTS.
Mesers Editors IL Wa. about to reply very brief
y to the fl insy e1cuse given by Augusta for MIR.
Lsrchers desertiOn of hid party by voting tor Me-
Dowell Moore, Wing, against Jacob Baylor Demo
crat, when saw the editorial article OF The South
of the course Of Mr.. Lelchers opponents
in regard TO the Governorship and this may induce
me to occupy little mora OF your valuable spsce
than at fret intended. will dispatch the matter III
and then proceed to the eraramen of " The
Souths" unounded complaint. The excuse tor Mr.
L.tcher dropping Baylor s, that he "was not brought
out by a Convention, but announced himself ~ An
independent candidate" Now, have yet 10 learn
that party fsaliy is only to be- claimed and eIacieh
when Convention dictates the candidate. MI
Letcber himself independent candidate tor
Congress, yet doubt whether MIR. Baylor or any
other Democrat would have been excused for drop
ping Mr.. L. aud voting for a. III ii. Stuart should
think any mans Democracy would have BEEN little
impugned on the occasion even by Mr. --tcher hun
sef. But have heard another excuse offered Tor Mr.
cher's derection, Ia wit that there was local
improvement b-iors the Legislature, important 10
Rockhridse, and that Moore could better promote il
than Baylor. How this was 10 b. done, is not eI-
planned Mr.. Moore could only give one vote,
and so could Mr.. Baylor. MIR. Moore bitter po.
tician could carry over To hls cause De-
mocrats, either by his personal popularity or
lis orstory. Baylor might with proprIeiy, have ap
peaied to his party friends aud secured important AID
II is dirparagement 10 Mr. Moore ~ say, thai Mr
Baylor c0uld have done quite rs much IN The Senate
of Virginia Tor lh- North River Improvement ~ he
did But Baylor was carrying the Democratic banner.
in face Of odds against bin, and maintaining The
integrity of tho party at a psriod when IL WAS all
important TO keep up ts ranks. ltwas unfortunately,
however, ut Il period. il | am not much mistaken,
when L.tcher and Moore had other and warmer
affiliations; when they invited DR.. Ruffner To publish
his "unans argument against slavery, and
gave him carte blanche IA 10 the matter TO bs put
into hs pamphlet. DR.. K. repeats in his second letter
after reading n supposed authorized explanation in
the Valley Star, lMr. l. Is organ) that ihe sgn-rs
Mr. Letcher and ten others, requested me- [hml to
present to the public, not simply The speech, but The
whole argument in favor OF removing the negro
population from West Virginia, and hey subscribed
written obligation {" share the eIpenre bet1re
consented 10 publish" Tbs Doctor says further
"Who or how many besides Mr.. Letcher declined 10
pay because the pamphlet varied from the speech,
know not. But this ! know, that the pamphlet went
forth with their letter requesting its publication "n
,rs front, and that not Of them ab'ciy or
10 me- objected To its contents, Withdrew from II
.h4 sanction of his name until MIR. Letcher 5 letter
WI published SOME weeks ago..
All have 10 ray, further, Messrs. Editors, on this
particular branch OF the subject H. that shall not be-
iieve until il, that The psopls Of Virginia will
make any man Governor Of the honOrrd Old Com
weaih, who would dodge responsibility IN The
way here represented, and uncontrndiced.
But, now, TO the mpluint of The South on the
general subject. IL says
ut il unneniable that John Lscher haa been pur
sned with All unkindntss and injustice by members OF
his party, for which there Ii no parallel IN The
political history of Virginia
And then it goes on 10 enumerate the cruelties
practlsed upon Mr.. L-cher, by his 'intolerant and
unscruL ulOus adverssries, and intlmates nm awful
retribuion upon them II they do not desst "A single
oasual observer is ali that BIZ alleged, says The
SOUTH" and yet they would e1clud. him from the
confidence of the party and the honors of the Com
monw-aith."
Ayain. THE South" says. They concede his ide!i-
~, but refuse to trust him. They admit lis eminent
services to the party, but deny hun the reward Of bic
labor. They have sustained him as Presidential
Elector and Representative in Congress- but shrink
aghast at the idea of elecling him Governor Of the
State. Admirable consistency Indeed "
And further:
III John Letcher he the man they represent. then
they are the Last people question his fitness Tor po
litica preirrrnen They stuly themselves in sll-g
ing, az u prsteIt of their hostility, an objection which
operated with its fullest fore" al the very time they
were taking him 10 their embrace They found no
thing in h- recent connection with the Ruifner pam
phlet 10 disqualify him for EIecioror Member of Con
gress They find enough in shat obsolete accusation
TO make him unfit for The GOvernoruhp Of Vrgnis
have selected few Of tn. most pungent of The
Souths' paragraphs 10 show how -a-ily Al Ingenious
advocate my blink he real points III controversy aud
gloss over The strong ones Now lr' me AK. what IN
consistency there IL IN all thi-! The people OF tn
T-nh Legion made Mr.. Lutc-r member "i Con
grrss, and when the people OF Virginia voted Tor him
az Presidential Eeotor very lew Ut them out OF bic i'm
mediate locality had heard Of his endorsement OF
the 'unausw cradle argument OF DIR. Ruffner, much
less his allowing that endo s.ment 20 10 protest.
Tie Democracy Of the State al large have cerfanly
no Inconsistency" 10 answer frr - all this. But let
une give the conclusion OF the indictment Of The
South, and then give ~ response 10 the nterrogato
ries.' The South says:
1t will not he 'hougnt an mperiinent enquiry if
We desire To know whether The -nenies Of Mr.. L.rch
-r intend Ia proclaim lhe principle That no amount OF
aionement shall compensate tor mn early indsc.sinn.
aud tn establish il hs II rule of parry policy, That
speculative objection 10 slavery, though renouncad
and rspudiaed, shall operate az perpetual disquaIi.
iicston for political preferment Will they allow no
locus pcn,tentie? Instead of Offering lnducemen
to the remuneration Of error will they rrpe the her.
tic from truth by an eternal disability Must il bs
understood thar no man III Vrgins, who once enter
tanned n suspicion of slavery, however loyal at pre-
sent shall be admitted to the confidence at the De-
rnucracy or the honors OF the Commonwealth MIR.
Lechers adverssriss singu!arly addicted to the
newspapers. Perhaps they mny furnish a response
to these interrogatores.
The complains, of The South" when analysed, is
simply this That portion of the free and lnquring
people of Virginia have not tamsly acqulesced 10 thu
selection Of eau Ildae for them at Washington, and
that the endorsement OF that paper has not been
desIped altogether sufficient ia silence inquiry and
stits discussion. "The South has been premature,y
isrvent in its affection and altogether too dctntorial
in its bearing towards the fr-d- OF other candidates.
and when il prefers a complaint against others for
intolerance let it rst that s own record will bear
thu test.
Now, let "Ths South" give few responses
Who was it thar. for many months beiore the sub
sct was considered al all by the people OF Flrginla,
presented Mr.. L.ichsr the candidate Tor Governor
with most pompous endorsement "lhe south.
Who WAS il that for moment, talterri, III pro-
found astonishin snt aud was sbOnt to let Letcher
dror after the Ruirner development!
Who are the parties that began TO Great. antago
nisms in the Democratic purity, when II wac found
that the people we're not willing to swallow th. 'un
arguments against slavery" advanced
late 1884,! and the endorser of them, without mur'
murl
Whois it that undertakes to rebuke those who
favor full and free dscusslon Ut the msrts oil can.
didates for the Governnrshp
is any fl Ia be Governor, whose poiitca! ante
cedrnts will not bear the test of scrutiny
Does it become ihose who. with u vain glorious IA
surapce haun the banner of their tavorr IN the lace
oil The whole Democracy, to shrink from an lnVergs-
ton OF his merits
Are there not other reasons, too. TO be urged
IL it not known from the peculiar turn oil MIR.
Letchers mind, md the expressive subf'qn1t which
his beat friends have given him. IN the way of conp
msnt-''the ch.dog of tine Treasury that he Is
expected throw his official influences against ih-
completion Of lhe great schemes Of internal nprnvs
meAt upon which much of the glorious future of
Virginia depends!
IL it not wonderful. that man of Mr. Leicher's
asfuten-ss tur several yenrs energetic editor dis
cussing ali public quesIionsl should not have made
up his mind I'm the slave quesron, in all s bearings
until several years after 1S47-nn indeed, until hc
hid come To Congress, and been shocked by the Il
trav sgnncrs of Gdding. in the Legislative forum
The question had been freely discussed on "nd pr.
ceding the admission of T-xas 1t had hsen before
the Legislature Of Virginia in all It's a+p-c'' and RI
responses had be.n given 10 the incrnd!ary frsoa-
fiona Of several States for several years previous Ia
lS47-tbe very session IN which Virginia declared her
creed and her determination TO stand by it To thu
last extremity" And yet, it is grsvely alleged Tor
Mr. Leicbsr, aud by him. thar he, man OF mature