Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-06-25
"THE wHIa AND MR. LETCHER. ;

Latchsrs connection with an abolition pamphlet OF
! Lecture of the Rev. Henry Rutfner, advances upor
lis former position and publishes the letter sgued b,
Mr.. Lstchsr and others, with extracts from the pam
phet,
We remember once to have read this rsmarksb',
antslsvery lecture, but did not remember that Mr.
dorsemsnt by sentiment or expression. If the e1
tracts made by the "Whig" are correct-and we dc
no, mean to iusnuste that they not-Mr. Lstchsl
or his friends owe it to the Democratic party that th.
choie pamphlet should be published great injustice
may be done Mr. Letchsr by selecting disconnected
sentences and paragraphs while if the sentiment
object Of the pamphlet was the abolitonizing o
Western Virginis, We are free to say. that the De
mooracy of the State should be fully advised of the
opinion, past, "a we'll present. Of every candidate
for the Gubernaoral chair. Certain factions u the
extreme Southern States have already often stigma
tized Virginia az unsound upon slavery; we have al
ways treated this charge with the contempt it deser-
cd, but for the sake Of Souhor~ unity and harmony
yirgiHis should be careful Of the opinion. pub
lie men upon this question.
IL will not do to call Mr.. Lstcher's connection with
this abolition lecture, "courtesy" and an 'indiscre
,on" II Mr.. Lstchsr did endorse this pamphlet. hi.
action was cool and deliberate bis judgment maured
and his convictions must have been satisfied. Hi,
subsequent "years of loyal and lsborious service
were spent with the honors and rewards of party in
yiew while his alleged endorsement OF Rutfners abe
litionam must have been with the cool and deiberst,
exercise OF matured judgment We do not wish tc
be understood urging any objection to Mr. Letcher
The charges come from the metropolitan journal Of
the opposition. and entitled TO deliberate weight
and consideration by the Democratic party. The
charge of abolition was urged by the Democracy
sgsinst Mr.. Summers, and justice demands that we
should not excuse in our own candidate the sins We
condemned in our sdversaries. II was not that the
Democracy believed thst Mr.. Summers was disoya 10
slavery but that Virginiss record should not be sul.
lied by any charge of favor however slight to aboli'
tionism.
Let the whole pamphlet be published. A careful
perussl may destroy the Importance sought to be
given it by the opposition; but should the publication
defeat Mr. Lsoher's nomination, that event had bet.
ter occur than the Democracy attempt an endorse.
men, OF the same sentiments by the election OF Mr.
Letcher.
It will afford rs great pleasure, at any time, to pub
lish the whole pamphlet, if its length ia not so grea
as to prevent and any vindicaou that the friends o
Mr.. Letcher may think necessary shall always ind
place in our columns. The Importance Of speedy
rsutstion Of these charges. or the abandonment OF
all attempts for the nomination of Mr.. Letohsr, vii
readily appear, when We state that some of the LIE
compton journals of the South even charged the
uL, prvifh m
because we opposed the African slave trade
We do not hesitate to declare our frm conviction OF
Mr. Letchers perfect soundness upon slavery at thu
time whether these charges be true or not; but Vir
xinia is now opposing the violent u!lralsm OF certain
Southern presses aud citizens, and, like the virtue o
Ca.,srs wife, the recsrds Of her Governor must be
above euspicion. Should the Democratic party trsa
Theses charges with contempt, and nominate MIR
Lecher the responsibility cannot attach to us, anc
We shall readily advocate his election.
Below will be found the vindcation Of Mr.. Letcber
hv Tn. sou.h'" alia .ha Wings" reply:
THE "wHIG AND MR.. LETCHER.
w. regret our inability TO comply with the Hhiy5 re
oue.t for loan of the Abolition document which II at
rrbutes TO the pen Of Mr. Letcher. We must still :urthe
.trpss our neshbor by the that Mr. Letche
ma never written single word against the rights or in
erests of slavery. We have heard story 10 the etec
f an academic address, wherein some things were said
Encouragement OF the peculiar institution. IL was
mere orma! act Of courteiy 70 clergyman Tor lterar
ot in Mr. Letchers village. And sfter all, We be
eye the attack upon slavery rather interenra tha
irec, and explicit This is the basis of the Wigs gra'
suspicion of the fidelity Of as true Southern heart
ever glowed with the 6re OF paulousm.
We can readily appreciate the Hht anxiety TO defea
,e nomination OF a gentleman who will sweep the stat
by 30 900 Democratic majority; but TO accomplish IN
object our neehbor must employ some other expedisn
than This Difference to ndiscreton OF which the yer
memory has been obliterated by subsequent year,
loyal and sboro service 1t m b Of ns az
Governor Of Virginia Il South Of Yesterddy
Our neehbor Of the South, judging from the sbov
to article Of Monday, appears to Do come
what befogged. In the FIRST place. We did nj attrlouf
an address which we said was delivered 6y Rev: hen
ry Ruffner "o the pen of Mr.. Letcher' and, in %
next place We entirely omitted TO describe the charat
ter of that address-to cay whether 1t was an "A0o
| ton document or not.
We shall, however, undertake To chow, from IN
materials already in our possession. that Mr. Runner
address ras an abolition document OF the sronges
and most offensive charscer-such as would DO cred
to Greeley or Sumner. Aswe gather from referenc
10 this matter in contemporary journal, It appear
| that the Rev. Henry Rutfner. some time IN Angus
lS47 delivered an address at Lexington, Virginia. o'
fore the Franklin Society of that place. 10 sdvocsc
OF the Abolition Of slavery in Western Virginia:
short time after bis delivery Of this address, the hor
John Letcher with others whose names are also ar
ne1ed, addressed him the following letter:
LEXINGTON, Va, Sept. |. ls41
"DEAn SIR:-The undersigned, believing that the a
gumeut recently delivered By you in ;he Franklin socie
IN t,yor of the removal Of the negro population fro
Western Virgins, not only able, but unans~Tao
and that m publication will tend to bring the public mll
70 a correct condition that momentous question, r
quest that you w furnish with full statement OF IN
| argument for the press. ouf oeIe - 20 "a
the whole argumen, in favor OF the proposition presents
| 10 the public In a perspcuous and condemned form Al
wing tha, your views were only torebl but co
cIusire and that they preAented IN sHape ~ ~n'
cannot give Just Of offence 10 even tnose no
connection with the subec; slavery We trust that y
will be disposed cheertuy 10 comply WITH our reque
1bove sxP.e',sa Tsao.c,fv YOUR obeden. .ervanu
G. Hamilton Geo. A Baker, II. Lacy, John Eehohs "a
| R. Jordan, Jacob Fuller, Ir D. Z. Moore.
"The Rev. Henry Ruhner, D. D..
We will now quote some Of the arguments OF 10
learned divine on the nature and tendency OF siaver
which Mr. Letcher and nine other gentlemen say a.
"uusnsuerable." We give the subjoined extracts
| ve find them in the exchange referred to- Mr. hu
| per in bis address, thus speaks:
| "But all the West, on due consideration conc'uc
| that slavery is perDcIous instituuon' ana mu''
| gradually removed. page b.
I "Wbiist we Of West Virginia steer our course
| the sefa middle way, and seek TO remove the piasl
of slavery from our limits, without iDcurrlng u
charge of ultra sbolitionism OH the one hand, or
| ultra pro slsveryism-or whatever H "eaos' W
other" pages.
to this matter is, that if Western Virginia shall e.
for law to remove slavery from her side of the B
Ridge. East Virginia shall not refuse her consent, b
cause the measure may not be palstable to herself
page lO. ,,;.- I,,,;,s
general prosperity as a State, be proceeds: ~.
"Wbat has done this work of fdeeolstion NOT va
nor pestilence oppression Of rulers, civil or ecc
sisstical-but slaoery L. S;. 10 Inc lass
riod of tan years. from 1890 to l84O, that th. cons
| ning plaene of slavery has shown its worst effects
the old southern States" page H.
| "The true cause Of the unsIsBpled emigration
thar mn branch of industry aourishes or csn houri
among u. 80 long as slavery is established by ia"
page II.
should be afflicted with this yeloU fever and this bld
vomit," page 81.
"Northern farmers snd look upon
Virginia a. an infected e0untry-AsD so 1T H. ps
80. ., Z,
.In those parts Yves. of the Allegheny, upon
Ohio and ito navigsbls waters, where ne! 1an'
roads and disputed land titles did eae. 'IJa.',