Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-07-01
By Yesterday Evenings Mails.

CALL FOR A VIGILANCE COMMITTEE The
following correspondence betH cen the G1Ver
nor of the State and the Mayor Of Richmond
will create no little surprise. We pubilsl
both the letters and the handful to wh'ct
they refer. The placard was forwarded Il
the Governor, with the request to suppress
the meeting. 1t reads as follows:
"To TIE CITIZENS OF RICHMOND.
VIGILANCE Committee.
Whereas, recent developments IN our nlGs
call for the suppression OF certain secret
movements among the colored population
and also the growing evils pracsiced by ma
RAIDERS during the night time on private
property, meeting Of citizens Is called ioI
Wednesday. June 80, at o'clock, 7. NJ,
for the purpose Of forming Vigilance Com
mittee. The meeting will take place on the
south side of Washington Monument.
| MANY CITIZENS"
| On the receipt of the above, CIV. wise
wrote the following letter TO the Mayor, Gu
closing the placa-d:
RICHMOND. Va, June, 29th, 1858.
To JOSEPH MAYO, esq,
-uQyOf " We tHy " Lt'''t"'~''1'
SIR-I cali your attention 10 tie accompa-
nying handbill, which explains itself. As a
lawful, peaceful and protective movement OF
citizens, have nothing to do With II, but
leave it 10 your Office and province to Judge
whether there be any. necessity for such
step in aid of municipal authority. 1t Its
purpose be unla 8ful or revolutionary, this
will put you on your guard, and any such
meeting. with such purpose, on the Capitol
Square, will be promptly suppressed by the
Safe Guard, if Decessary. II held elsewhere
| shall await the call Of the civil authority
before | interpose.
Very respectfully your obedient servant
HENRY A. WISE.
To which the Mayor responded rs toto VS.
RrCnMoND. June 20, 1858.
To His ExCEILENCY GOVERNOR WISE:
Sir-It any thing at this day could have
surprised me, it was your note OF tins morn
ing with handful that accompanied it, No
such paper can have lawful purpose: aud
While am exceedingly indebted to your ez-
celleucy for your proiiered aid TO suppress aii
iIlegal acts, and " lille shall never hesitate Il"
call upon you promptly to aid me 10 exc
cutting the laws of this State, | feel well
assured that in this Instance after invcsti-
eating the source from which the hand
bill comes, TINT there can be no uecessl'
~ for the Intervention of further authority
on the part of the Commonwealth than is
vested in me as Mayor Of this city, with even
the limited police under my control.
| am well convinced, sir, that the author
of this handbill, himself, Is among the very
few rowdies in tina city who require the at
tention of viglant police: ADD | have the
vanity to think that | am "NrgilaUcs Com
mi.tee" enough for him and his comrades. |
take great pleasure in saying to your Excel
lency that. with few such exceptions, tbsre rs
not on this Continent any city whose inhabl-
tants are more loyal to the laws OF the State
and more orderly than the people OF this city,
and to be able TO assure your Eacciiency
that, if unfortunately, any occasion should
ever arise IN which You should ind /: ncccs-
sary to call upon any portion Of the pe"pie OF
this Commonweai TO sustain your Exccu-
tive authority, you will fad none more
prompt to obey ali constitutional law, and
rally to your standard, than the inhabitants
of Richmond.
liz is true, sir, that recently have had OcCa-
sion to have brought before me, by warrant,
some three or four disordeCly persons, who
have, during the night, disturbed, in some
degree, the good order of this city, and III
jured the private property OF some two or
three Of our worthy citizens. For these Of
fences they have been dealt with according
to law, by being tiued by myself, end recog-
nized for their good behavior for y months,
and to answer for their several Offences be-
fore the next Grand Jury; and while 1t is
also true that there have been some tew
slaves brought before me for violating the or
dinances Of the city against secret societies,
yet there was nothing 10 either instance, IN
the slightest degree, calling fOr anything
more tnan the vigilant attention Of the police
under my authority, or affecting IN any d.
gree the general good order Of the city.
Reciprocating your determination 70 make
the laws of this Commonwealth supreme over
all lite inhabitants, | have the honor to be, cir,
Very respectfully, yonr Oh! setvt,
Jo,EPH Mayo. Mayor.