The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-03-17
THE CAMPAIGN IN VIRGINIA.


to place it upon platform as thoroughly Pro-
Slavery as that of the Black Democracy, and to
put in nomination candidates for the various
State sofices who are far above the suspicion
of being tainted, either in the past or pres
emit, with Free-Soilism. Indeed, the revived
Wing party of Virginia seem to have profited
by experience, and determined to avoid the
folly which it committed in 1851, of putting an
old emancipationist in nomination for the of
fee of Governor. We know but little of Mr.
Goggin, but his best9friends would not com
pare hin, as it regards talents, with Mr. Sum
mers of Kanawha, or with Mr.. Bolts of Rich
mond. The former was the Wing candidate of
1851, and was beaten simply because, in 1892,
he supported the emancipation cause, and made
an able and eloquent speech in its favor He
is now permitted to lie on the shelf, for that
reason, although his commanding charac-
ter and talents are admitted. Mr. Bolts, who
possesses almost unrivalled power as a debater,
and whose courageous devotion to Whiggery
and Americanism have doomed him to private
life, is now set aside by the Opposition" in
Virginia, simply because of his avowed prefer.
ence, in 1856, of Fremont to Buchanan. How,
then, is it possible for the Republican party to
harmonic with such an Opposition" as that
which has been organized in Virginia? The
proposition is preposterous.
The Black Democracy have shown less of
torial nomination, than the Opposition. They
have put in nomination man who, eleven
years ago, in the very heat of the Anti-Slavery
excitement, committed himself to the cause of
emancipation and who We believe, never until
recently made any apology for his connection
with the emancipation party of Western of Vir-
GINA Mr.. Letcher, in l847, fully endorsed
the famous An6-Slavery address of DR.. Ruffner;
he addressed literary association in favor of
the same views and signed letter addressed
to DIR. Ruffner in which that gentleman's An
ti-Slavery views were highly commended, ac-
companied by a request that he would furnish
them for publication. We subjoin extracts
from this address, in order that our readers
may fully understand the position but recently
occupied by the Democratic candidate for Gov
ernor in Virginia. DR.. Ruffner says:
ave esteem it a sad, humiliating fact, which
should penetrate the heart of every Virginian
that from the year 1890 to this time, Virginia
has lost more people by emigration than all the
old free States together. Up to 1910, when
the last census was taken, she had lost more
by nearly 100000. She has senior we should
rather say, she has driven from her soil-at
least one-third of all the emigrants who have
gone from the old States to the new. More
than another third have gone from the other old
slave States. Many of these multitudes who
have left the slave States have Stunned the
regions of Slavery, and settled in the free coun
ties of the West. These were generally in
dustrious and enterprising white men, who
found, by sad experience, that country for
them. 1t is truth, that Slavery drives free
labor-farmers, mechanics, and all, and some of
the best of them, too-out of the country, and
fills their places with negroes.
"What is it but Slavery that makes Mary
landers, Carolinians, and especially old Vir-
ginians and new Virginians, fly their country
at such a rate? Some go because they dislike
Slavery, and desire to get away from it +; others,
because they have gloomy forebodings of what
is to befall the slave States, and wish to leave
their families in a country of happier prospects !;
others, because they cannot get profitable EN-
ployment among shareholders; others, industri
Gus and high-spirited working men, will not
stay in a country where Slavery degrades the
working man others CO. because they see that
and tnsiU otner COUNTRIES, not far off, are pros
pering, and will afford better hopes of prosper
ity to themselves; others, numerous class,
who are shareholders, and cannot live without
slaves, finding that they cannot live longer with
them on their WORKOUT SOILS go TO seek better
lands and more profitable crops, where slave
labor may vet for a while enable them and their
children TO live"
And then, fellow-citizens, when YOU have
suffered your country to be filled with negro
slaves, instead of white freemen when its pop-
ulation shall be as motley as Joseph's coat of
many cOors, as ring-streaked and speckled as
father Jacobs flock was in Padan Aram-what
will the white basis Of representation avail you,
If you ohtalnlt2 Whether you Obtain it or not
East Virginia will have triumphed or, rather,
Stdre1y will have triumphed, and all Virginia
will have become land Of darkness and Of the
shadow of death.
" Then, by forbearance which has no merit,
and supineness which has no excuse, YOU Will
have given to your children, for their inner
tance, this lovely land blackened with negro
population the ofscourings of Eastern Yirein-
Ia, the tag-end of Slavery, the loathsome drecs
OF that cup of abomination which has already
slckened 70 death the Eastern half of our Com
monwealth.
Delay not, then, we beseech you, to raise
barrier against this Stygian innundatioR--to
stand at the Blue Ridge, and with sovereign
energy say TO this Black sea of misery, Hither-
to shalt thou come, and no farther =
Such we're the views entertained by Mr..
Eetcher in l847, and he never formally disa
vowed them, We believe, until he was in danger
Of losing the nomination for Governor, when.
like Peter, he was moved by the evil one to a
denial of the faith
The facts and arguments of DR.. Ruffner go
ing to demonstrate the ruinous effects of Sa
very upon the prosperity of Virginia are I'M
pregnable; and we cannot believe that the
mind which has once recognised their truth
can again become insensible to it. 1t is ONLY
your Ignorant bgots, who honestly uphold Sla-
very because they have never for a moment
permitted the light of truth to penetrate their
darkened minds. We hold, therefore, that Mr..
Letcher is to-day much convinced of the
evils of Slavery as he was when he was the
c6iaborer Of pr. Rufner and Of ourselves. in
the cause of emancipation. For reasons of
state, be now makes an apology to the he
nighted Democracy of Virginia for having
cherished the love of Freedom in his bosom.
but he cannot honestly desire the perpetnation
Of an institution whose benumbing effects upon
the State which he aspires to govern he sees
as clearly as We DC.
The election of such man to the Office of
Governor would, to say the least of it, argue
growing indifference to the d;s,;nc,;ona &c