Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-09-03
THE RICHMOND ENQUIRER.
"rHE SOUTH" FULFIAS lfa TUGEAT.-lIS
ATTACK ON MR. FAULKNER.

Saturday last
'l will allow that the friends Of Mr.. Letoher have
20 ftr exhibited pateuCs approaching 10 pnSa"'in
ity.j Though smitten again AM oS.n they have no'
once returned the blow. Against none o! nl' e0".
pedt0rS have they uttered word OF reproacn VI ee
sdtion. From none Of his competitors have tney ue
trac,ed anything either OF fictitious or wen ea s
merit. But there lie limit TO the endurance VI ,,e
most forbearing; ant unless these ATTACKS up"n 4N
L.tcher be SUSPENDED, ms adhcrents p7a no 'o"Se'
a6sta,a from r,talaation Whatever they may owe 10
the party they cannot be insoDsibie 10 Inc ciains Vi
friendship and they will discharge their duty as Dem
ocrsts in caassiag the 1njasfice OF an 'ntenaperdt
aajnosuy The couseq uences will be- DISASTROUS :
bur in imoutinp the bla,ns, the Democracy will know
how 10 discriminate between the faction nho maze
provoked the retort BY persistent system o. nnu''
assaut. aud the men who only exercise the privileges
OF legitimate self defence.
We see Interpretation TO this exceedingly verbose
menace, other than this: that unless some real or
supposed 1sttsoks" on Mr.. Lecher should be Gus
pended, "Ths South" would 'retaliste" on some Of
Mr.. Letcbers competitors" who, "by the injustice
of an Incorporate animosiy," have made themselves
the members of faction who have provoked the
retort by persistent system of Unjust assaults
We we're entirely at loss to determine which one
Of the ssprants to the Gubernatorial nomination was
intended by this unmistaksabl, reference 10 some
body In their midst. We knew Of none who could
fairly be charged with hostility to Mr. Lscher. We
pursued the even tenor of our way, however, and in
.pite of the threat, venlured to reerste, without
word of dsrsspect towards Mr.. Lecher, the reasons
which induced us to prefer the nomination of some
other candidate. This, the South" deemed suf'
fcient provocaon to the fufment of it's threat, add
Wednesday last, surprised not little by most
unjustiHsble assault on the Hon. Charles j. Faukrer
We have never advocated Mr. Faulkner As Our
favorite for the Guberpatorsl nominations. indeed,
we have even laid ourselves somewhat liable TO the
charge Of tardness in doing an act OF sheer Justice 10
this gentleman, when he was previously assaled oy
the Opposition press. We take occasion to explain
that the delay part was dictated by no I'M
freudlness tow ards Mr.. Faulkner. We merely de-
sired to offer an opportunity 10 those newspapers
which havo become the exclusive advocates OF Mr.
Letchsr to improve their position by taking the in
tiative n simple act of justice towards another pro-
ninsnt Democrat. For this object, We delayed all
vindication Of Mr.. Faulkner during several weeks
until We were obliged forward in his Defence
or give color to the imputaton that the assaults OF
the Opposition were uuanswerable. We then pub.
lisbsd single editorial article, embracing candid
review of Mr. Faulkners record - the slavery ques
;ion but reference whatever to the Guberuatorial
nomination. So far possible We propose 10 adopt
the same course of defence for Mr.. Faulkner against
the unjust attack Of The South"
Taken together, the two articles of The South"
impute to Mr.. Faulkner at least indirectly,
operation ia the assaults" real or supposed, which
have been made on Mr.. Letcher. Now, we do not
tesi,ate to cay that do not believe THE South"
can nrodnca iota nj evidence In ennnort this
founded charge. We make this assertion with
confidence, because Wa have recently been favored
With the sight of private letter from Mr.. Faulkn err
containing the following words. which We are per-
mi,ted to extract "Witht The attacks on Mr.. Letch,r
I haze had nothing 10 do. HIS relations and nine
are friendly and he shall prope 10 be the choice Of
oar Convention he ,ciH hare my cordiai and -e0ops
support" Thus have Mr.. Faulkner's direct de-
NAL Of the indirect charge made by The SOUTH
and feel confident tina, the people Of Virginia will
require more ample refutation.
The South" cannot plead In mitigation of lie as
sault on Mr.. Faulkner, any hostility the part of
that gentleman against Mr.. Lsicher. Indeed We can
discover NO motive for the attack, beyond possible
personal hostility to Mr. Faulkner. Certainly it was
uncalled for by any publication which has met our
notice.
1.-THE Soulh" asserts. that "whatever word the
Enquirer has uttered against Mr.. Lstcher, applies
With at least equal force against Mr.. Faulkner and
the same paper goes on to intimate, direct
~ that, if necessary, Mr. Listeners friends show
for him even better record on the slavery question
that can be properly attributed to Mr. Faulkner
This involves another gross injustice towards the
latter. Let The South " deny any of the fol-
lowing ssser.!oas .oi He can make il good i'll spite
Of the denial. Let it admit tdcr ruth, and
We challenge it then 10 re asser; the position above
quoted. Mr.. FaulkDer's advocacy of emancipation
occurred in 1892; when there organised body
Of Northern fanatics TO awaken the apprehensons Of
the Soutb when the que son Of slavery was by no
means generally understood in any section of the
Union; when the voice Of the press aud the people
throughout the State, demanded imperatvely that
the emancipation question should be discussed am
ply, and without reserve in the General Assembly;
when the occurrence of the Southampton massa.
ere had created very general impression through
ont ,hs State, that slavery was not only an impo
tic, but a very dangerous institution and when
Mr. Faulkner was 90 young man as TO be barely eli.
gible to the House Of Delegates. Mr. Letchers adj,
cscy Of emancipation in lS47, occurred at a period
when the institution of slavery much cherished
and generally understood in Virginia is at the
present day; when an abolition party at the North
was clamoring for the Wilmot Proviso and on the
eve of nominating candidate for President of the
United States; when leading Southern men we're con
tsmpatng the necessity of extreme for the
protection of slave property when Mr.. Faulkner him
self was laborng srenuously to Effect the passage of
a fno iva aiava lpU nplv fSrn hafo
sage Of the last extremity resolutions, which Dir.
Faulkner supported arden,ly by speech and vote in
the General Assembly, when Mr.. ,tcher was already
a middle aged man.
Mr. Fsulkner's o-slavery record dates back
twsnty-four years. Mr. Letchers certainly not more
than ten yesrs and probably several years ess than
that, since We have never been informed as to the
exact period Of his conversion.
During his twen,y'four years of consistent adbe
renee TO pro slavery CONVICTIONS Mr.. Faulkner bt-
came the distinguished advocate of the extension Of
slave territory by oil the annex .tion of Texas
Aud when the boon obtained. he was go Impressed
With the necessity OF the war urged for its lnaiu,e.
nance, that he even devoted his money and labor
freely to the enlistment of recruits. Hs eminent
professional services rendered for the sake Of
the protection Of slave properry-and he persevted
boldly in this professional aud political course, Eot
withstanding the retaliation by which Northern ia
natcs succsedad in robbing him of slaves from time
to time until SIS 900 WIS insufficient TO cover the
amount OF private pecuniary loss which ensusd. lie
advocated aud obtained from the General Assembly
an enactment instructng members of Congress to
procure an act of Federal legislation providing for
the general rendition of fugitive slaves. He was
foremost IN the advocacy of the last extremity resou
tons Of lS49 During the las, Administrative Ia.
labored earnestly and e-casly for the repeal of the
Missouri Compromise. Only during the psndsncy Of
this lsst measure did be obtain the 60 operation ar