Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1859-03-25
from the JeTersonian.l

Facts stated III inc letter addressed 10 MI. POW
ell, are absolutely true, and have not been, and
cannot lie c0ntr0vcrtcd.
From the JeNcrsonian.l
Mn. ADMINISTRATION Sir:-You will obligc
me BY inserting the enclosed correspondence in
the next JcffcrSonian. ask it as 4 favor. JUS
ticc demanded the publication Of it in the paper
! which contained your condemnation of it. | will
not suppose that you wished to ~forcStall public
| opinion and turn its current against Mr.. Powell
and his friends, by sending forth your comments
without the correspondence. The course pur-
sued in your last paper would justify such 4
supposition, had you not long ago declared, that
willie YOU would vote for your choice at the
! polls, you intended the Jciicrsonian to do i'm
partial Justice to the friends of every candidate.
| ask the further use of your columns TO put
on record my most earnest protest against the
action of the majority in the meeting held in the
Town Hall, at the last court. protest against
it, as every freeman has a right TO protest.
LIST. Because it was tyrannicai, in that the
right of the minority in the county to vote in
the District Convention, called to select a can
didatc for Congress, was denied and trampled
down. Now there is much difference between
the rights of Il minority in a meeting called to
select candidates for the county and in a meet
ing called to appoint delegates to a convention
of the district. In the former case the maj0ri-
ty rules. and right it is it should rule. The
object Of the meeting, the very res aqcHdd, is
to ascertain the will Of the majority in the
covntv-that will aSccrtaincd is, and ought to
be. law to the county. In the other case the
object is to ascertain the will Of the majority in
the district, which, when made known, is. and
ought to hc, law TO the district. The majority
in the district can be asccrtaincd only by add
inr to the friends Of each candidate in one
county his friends in every other county. Mr..
Poweirs friends in .Albcmarlc though in a mi
noritv in the county, have 4 right to be count
ed with his friends in other counties in ascer-
tanning the will of the majority of the district.
They will not surrender this right at the dicta-
ton of any man or set of men. To deny them
this richt, as was done hy the meeting at court,
was a piece Of high-handed tyranny which
none but slaves would tamcly submit 10. Ma
~iorities may by such injustice win a temporary
triumph. but they cannot. long escape the final
doom denounced against all factions and wrong
doors.
9nd. | protest against this action of the ma
ioritv, because. while 1t trainple> down the
rights of the minoritieS in the %r"HMtdt', 1t may
result in giving the minority i'll the disfr"t the
power to make the nomination. This is no
paradox. Suppose, for the sake OF hrcyity, a
district of but three counties, a Il and T.. In
4 there are | 200 Democrats, IN Il 100. ana 6OO
in c; in all 2,500. Mr.. l.. and Mr.. J.. are the
Democratic candidates. Mr.. l.. has 900 friends
in 4, in Il 900 and in G 100, equal to i,3oo,
which is a majority Of the district, AMI there.
fore he is entitled to the nomination., II the Will
of the majority in the district is to prevail
But let the minorities in each county be denied
their right to he heard in the District Convcn-
ton, as was done by the meeting at Court. and
Mr.. l.. would get the loo Democrats IN \,
Mr.. p. the roo in B and the 600 in c. Thus
the latter would get the nomination, although
not the choice Of the majority of the district.
What is true in Il district Of three counties, may
Just as easily happen in a district of any num-
Der of counties. 4. rule which StranglcS ma
i~orities with one hand, and clothes them with
power with the other, cannot be Democratic,
for it is founded in error and wrong. The tree
must be Judged by its fruits, and SO must Demo-
cratic rules.
3rd. protest against the action of the meet
inc beca,lsc il perpetrates n double wrong in
that it takes INV vote in the District Convention
away from the man of my choice, and gives it
to his connection. am not allowed to vote
for Mr.. Powell whom ! prefer-that were bad
enough. But. as if to make the wrong more
| calling. nv vote is to be counted for Mr.. Lcakc,
| whom | do not prefer. The rankeSt injustice
of the worst times never exceeded this. Men
! who can tamely submit to such a violation oil
every principle of even-handed justice, are I'M
worthy the name of freemcn.
4th. | protest against the resolutions OF the
late meeting, because they cast an insldlouS
slur on Mr.. Powell, in comparing him with Mr..
Leake. Mr.. Powell bore the Democratic STAN
dard in the memorable conflict with the Know
NothincS. and none called him inefficient he".
1t is of late only that Democratic orators have
borrowed ito use against Mr.. POWELL the Wing
slang of - no speaker" ',dodgcr in the chinquc-
hin bushes" When the disciples of Sam were
lodging in c~ulvcrts, and sappinS the io'nda,
tions of free government by secret societies and
oaths of party allegiance, Mr.. Powell was n very
proper leader. If | mistake not, Mr.. Leake, him.
self, during that campaign, came from Madison
to this county, and pronounced a high eulogy on
Paulus Powell in that same Town Hall in which
the late meeting was held, and yet he opened
not his mouth OH the late OCCASION, though pre-
sent, when one calling himself n Democrat
spoke of Mr.. Powell as IA dodger in chinquc-
pin bushes" Is Mr.. p. more of a dodgcr now,
or less of a speaker now, than when Mr.. Lcakc
pronounced him a proper and a true n an
COMPARISONS are not arguments, | know, but
they who set the example of using them cannot
complain Of my doing so. | have about the
same acquaintance with both the candidates,
and | think Mr.. Powell is As much Mr.. LcakeS
superior in all the Others qualifications of Il
statesman, as Mr.. Lcake SrrpasScS him in the
gift of the CAB. In industry and capacity for
business, in political information and in parlla-
mentarv tact. Mr.. Powell is greatly above Mr..
Lcake; in faithful devotion to Democratic prin-
ciplcs he is Mr.. Lcakc's equal; but Is much in
ferior to him as a debatcr. Mr.. Leakc is an
acute dcbater and bold p%artizan. That said
ali is said. never heard a speech from Mr..
Lcakc. which Showed much thought, learning or
wisdom. lie is u stump orator and nothing
more. Whereas it is impossible to he in Mr..
Powel's company for an hour without 4 deep
;,npression of his accurate information, keen
insight into political matters, and honest sa-
cuc;3y Mr. Leakc can make a more telling
specch on the hustings than Mr.. Powcll-nay,
than most men. But for attention TO the du-
ties of his post, as representative OF the dls'
trict IN congress. ! hHoM NV "H' vi"
more faithful than Mr.. Powell has proved him.
self to be. The gift Of tongue Is growing more
and more insignificant every day as q'iailflca-
ton of a member of Congress. In Il recent
visit to Washington of nearly three weeks du-
ration, | did not hear a speech in either House
which produced any effect, though all the i'm
portant work was then up. The roriing men
and not the speaking men are the useful men of
this day. But do Mr.. Leake's friends mean us to
infer that his eloouence will be lost to the party
in this campaign unless he is candidate for Con-
gress? Will nought but the $4,000 per an
NUN u~nloose his thinker jaw? Has he for
gotten the debt Of gratitude he owes the Demo-
cratic party? Elected to the Legislature, elect
ed to Congress, elected Lieutenant Governor
feted, toasted, magnifcd-is all this forgotten:
Did he cancel this debt by the eulogy he pro-
no,,nced nm paulus Powell in the Town Hall