Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1859-03-15
Aitbmono Enquirer.
ny HlrcmlE. puNNAvANr. TYLER a WISE
TUESDAY MORNING, MARCH l5.

~ RlTClllE. DUNSANANT, TYLER WISE
TUESDAY MORNING, MARCH I5.
Th, Riohmoai "Whig" Misinterrrets tie Demo
cratic PlatoEn aai Misquot,s its 0wa
The following appeared in the "Whig" Of
Saturday:
I'VE come now to the 'Enquirers' structures
on resolution No. s, of the Opposition plat
form. Here, says our critic, is 'abolitionism
a-oUe t--mar& that"
VERY well, we do mari it, This charge is
founded on tho words following: In respect
to the Territories we adhere to the compromise
measure Of 1850 Now let us go back to the
Governors platform, SO cxultingly and deli
antly paraded in the very article we have un-
der review. and read a9ain what hrs Excellencv
says about that very compromise of 1880:
".1R Jurther agitation IF these iSsues and
ef their M'e adjustment, is dangerous alike TO
al hat is precious IN the taioa, and al that
* ,corth preserving IN the Stdtes!!!"
Verify our critic. in his hot haste to convict
rs of Abolition tendency. has convicted Gov.
Wise of being az .Abolitionist Of the deepest
dye-that is, if his reasoning is worth groat y
Why DID not our cotempcrary quote little
more from the Democratic platform: If he had
pursued such !. fair. straightforward course,
the quotation itself would have sufIiccd to
show, that so far from our standing on the same
Abolition platform with the Opposition party,
that platform was fatty repudiated by the
Democratic party. See the continuation:
6. Resolved. That TO appeal. on the one hand.
to State Sovercignties aor IA "h'mW by q
resort 10 er,reme remedies, 70 p"d' rhnt has
been doRe Is 10 iaroke them {" risk tie gooh
mhich is still lftt, and nhict Is too precious TO
be ieoprded ,ror that,, c,hatte~r Il may be,
mhich is io.t and cannot be restcTcd.'
Did the Democratic party, then, adhere to
the compromise measures: Certainly the fra
mcr of the above resolution never did From
the first, he denounced and opposed both the
military invasion Of popular right in California,
bv means Of which She was forced i'll as free
State, and the abolition OF the purchase
and sale Of slave; in the District of Columbia.
But when these evils were once accomplished,
hc recognised the fact that they were
irremcdiahlc Then it was that Gov. Wise
and the united Democracy Of Virginia amour
ced 10 their brethren throughout the Union,
"The evil which has been accomplished, is
practically incapable Of remedy. Let us cease
the agitation Of u past issue, now bitter with
irretricvablc defeat to the South and to State
rights mca throughout the Union. Let US
rally to preserve the precious rights still left t"
US unimpairel though threatened by the same
partilans who have done us this irreparable in
jury" Such is the sort Of adhesion" which
the Virginia Democracy gave 10 the Comrro-
mise of 1850!
The appeal for cessation Of agitation was
vain. The Opposition party 'eo"M aSitate.--
At every convention, at every county meeting,
in every newspaper, they could shout hosan.
mas to the compromise Of lsjO-they ieouM
glory in the shame Of the South and the VIOLA
ton Of the Constitution.
Nor are they now inclined 10 cease agitation.
Did they not insert in their platform Of Febru-
ary last the following declaration In re-
spcct to the territories we adhere to the com.
promise MEASURE Of 1902" No They did
nor. The Wing" mrsquotes its OWN platform.
The Opposition made their adhesion more eN-
plicit, more pointed more emphatic. Here is
the real language OF tho Opposition platform,
accurately quoted:
In respect to he Territories. tce adher, 10
the PRINCIPLES IF the C"mprom;sc measures r.
1850"
Yes, they adhere 10 the prueirles OF that
Compromise They again endorse the prinei-
pie under which California was forced into the
Union under military dictaton, for the mere
purpose of excluding slave property from her
borders. They again endorse the principle
under which Congress undertook to deny to
shareholders the right to purchase and sell
slaves on the soil Of common territory.
We repeat This is ABoLIrIoSIsA AvowEp.-
The "Whig" does not attempt to combat the
assertion, but rests satisfied with puny little
attempt to fix the same abolition stigma on the
Democratic party. How utterly unsuccessful
this effort has been. our above quotation from
the Democratic platform is all-sufficient to de-
monStrate.