Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-11-05
AitbmenO Enquirer.
BY RICHIE DUNNAvANr, TYLER & WISE
FRIDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER S, 1858
THE RICHMOND EXAMINER" STRIKES THE
HARDEST BLOW YET DEALT AT MR.. LEWHER

THE RICHMOND EXAMINER" STRIKES TH1
Hardest BLOW YET DEALT AT MR.. LETCHER.
II any man living have cause To cry out will
fervcncy. save me from my friends" that maj
is John Lctchcr. and his adhcrcnt who come.
in TO his support at the eleventh hour, th'
Richmond Examiner is by far the wo,>
enemy to his success That paper now p!acc'
Mr. Lctchcr in thc position Of the most dc.'pc.
rate political advcnturcr. 1t openly declares
that nc mis-. either succeed in obtaining thc
nomination of the Petersburg Convention, "I
must meet the inevitable fate Of political am
nihilation.'
Is this To bc believed: II 50. the pretended
popularity and capacity Of Mr.. l.etcher is, i'll
deed. all vanity The statesman who can ,c
aunihilatcd by single defeat, is nothing incrr
than useless drag on his party. He must hc
pampcrcd and bol>tcr,d continually with the
pap and the props of office and promotion. lle
wants the great elements of success. am'! whei,-
ever hc shall attain Success. it will bc an aeci-
dcnt not an achievement. Is such Il man aS
this tit for a political leader: l>a man 81 de-
ticent il resource. IN rccilpcrttlon. Ill the
power OF c,nnmaid, in all that constitutes
the cncrsy of mri,tal and moral vitality. tit 10
hc the Chief Magistrate of tine commonwealth
of Virginia Is the trembling and doubling
politician, who whiucS out To his party Save
me, or | sink" lit 10 bc counted chief in
their midst: Move wait leader vino can
do more for his country and his party than
both country and party can dr for him
We want :: great earnest man Ollie who
has no indulgence to crayc-0nc who can
command the strong and the trr--onc can awe
the rcbrllouS and the iactio,l>--.onc who. ont
of his own Supcrahun,lant strength, can ami
mate To useful action the weak and the d,.>
ponding.
The altcrna,iy, oil political annihation
The very term is da;nning to i political aSpi-
rant. No truly great man ever vet found. or
ever will find. political annhilation i'll political
defeat On the contrary, such defeat is thu
best tr>, hv which to determine whether ne 1t
all merits Success. \ strong man, II brave
man. and true n,an > Intentionally portrayed
in the story Of the mystic giant who wrc>tcd
with Hercules Every time Jhat defeat brings
him 10 the earth, i.c rises again with rcloublcd
strength 1t is only 10y being lifted too long
and too high, in the arms oi success, that he
loses the strength nj purpose and the stead
ilStncSS of principle which nerves his spirit
against advcrSi,y.
We admit that We have never regarded Mr..
Letclcr as one Of those giant sons of earth.
who can pluck his brightest laurcl> from the
grasp of aiyersity. There are, indeed few such
men in nation or ina generation. But have
considered him an industrious statesman, capa-
blc. 10y lncall> Of patience and perseverance, Of
supplying To i considerable extent, the di>ad-
vantayes OF II mediocre intellect and It limited
education. and thus obtaining and maintaining
in alverSity and prosperity, the medium level
Of respectable success We have never conSid-
cred him 81 miScrahy weak, dependent oa
the cxcrtion of Others, aS To find the black
shadow of his political aInihilation in mere
defeat before u nominating convention of lis
own party.
Nevertheless. the "Exaniinr, d",S insist that
he is To br found al tl;> moment, III just such
II p;iablc condition; and, our c"tcinporary is
an honorable Inar," Indeed 81 honestly and
SO ttryrntly is the Examiner impressed with
this conviction. that it not only accuses us Of
having given origin To this threatened 'annihl-
lation" Of Mr.. I.ctcher, bat Sptcfully charges
us with having lately expressed an abolition
sentiment Read the following:
Looking to the fact that the Enquirer has
very recently intmatcd. that, IN tie ec'ht W "
dit"iution ~ Me Fnio". Virginia sh""'d, 1"
rtrtuia co.'ing.ncM 90 ~M tie N"rfh0h
4ai.s. anil not wih Tie .@uth. the Democratic
masses find it hard 10 reconcile the contra
dictory positions Of the Enquirer. In view
Of this late astounding declaration of the En-
ouircr, and the theciiIb!c djoiifion 4t s"r,ry
IN Iirginia II she "hitc. her destinirs ,rih 4"
Eaim 81 free states, the people regard Mr..
Lctchcr. at this time a. fully as sound an en-
poncnt Of Southern doctrines aS his a>>allant.
In the first place, We deny, absolutely. that
we ever did make the astounding dcclara-
tion" attributed To Us 10y the Examiner. We
made the denial repeatedly, months ago, when
other newspapers attempted Il similar rnlSrcp-
iyscntatinn of our language.
Now, the Examiner not only rcviYr> an
exploded charge. but intilnateS tha; our dec
la,ation was made with a vicw to the abolition
of slavery in the State Of Virginia. suppose,
then. that or ncigiihnr is right; suppose that
We are thc in>i'l;ou> aboiiioniSt> he paints It's
in what position does this place the Examiner
and its G,vor;r candidate inr the Petersburg
nomination.
First, the Examiner" diSclainl> all desire TO
enter into controversy with an abolition
temporary:
We desire no quarrel with tina, paper, Cthc
'EnQurcr,) for upon many subjects Of State
and Federal politics" &c.
And the Examiner" concclc> tia. in pcl'i-
lar estimation, John Lctchcr i 10 Souad"r on
the slavery question than this same Ambition
Journal.
Now. SIC ,lo not believe that the "ENaini'c;
has abolition tendencies We think that is
nearest approach to anti->lavery sympathy,
consists in its late unjust, ,wiSc, and ground
less assaults" on the great champion of South.
crn rights in the North West. We believe
that the Examiners" assaults on Judge Doug
las, lis injustice towards the Enquirer, and
i,> violent panegyric> on Mr.. lctchcr, are ali
the mere result OF Il little political game of its
own, Of which We viii try in good time to dis
cover tn, object a> i, becomes us 10 dc, i'll oar
capacity nf THiBrNE OF TIE PEOPLE.
Concv,iins to us this nigh title. our cotclnlora-
ry cNhortS liz to rcprovc, at all times. in seat
son and out of season, the organ grinders of (,