Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1860-03-09
MR. PENDLEToN's SPEECH IN THE WING con-
VENTION-PUBLISHED AT THE REQUEST OF A
NUMBER OF THE MEMBERS OF THAT BODY.


coming up from all sections of the commonwealth 10 re-
new their VOWS OF eay to the principles and fortunes
of a party which our Democratic friends most comPia'
Gently assure us every day has been dead and buried
for years.
To me. gentlemen, it seems that you are the most
Geke and substantial representatives Of ghosty con
stituencv. that ever assembled beforehand, that
your appearance in all respects ustihes the remark OF
my distinguished friend and neghbor-the President oil
this body when he took his seat that 1t must require
but little knowledge of the parliamentary law to nam
tain order in such an assembage of gentlemen as were
before him.
We have other assurances in the direction. The
recent example of the Saurnaan scenes so amusing 10
the public when Just week ago, in this hail. the grand
,rittsgerpoe of our democratic friends exhibited It's
obsreperous orgies mpressivey nsructs US to prove oy
the contrast OF our proceedings that there some truth
if more poetry in the ironca compliment OF our adver
saries that ours is the party of AL the decency"
And we have other and more welcome securities
the ladies of Richmond here, and MI TO oVero"lne
all the galleries. They were not understand al tue
stormy drama of the last week-but they here They
seem always TO know when Wing Conventions come
together Whether it be, by that instinct by which
gentlemen have been said to know one another 1t IS not
for me TO decide | welcome them with all my heart
for their smiles are the best incentives TO vruous ac
tons their presence the usual harbnger OF success and
always the surest guarantee of decorum.
The Wing party is not dead and il it had been, sur
rounding circumstances announce for it, glorious re-
surrecon Ifit hath slept it sleeps more but wakes
up like a giant refreshed by repose-to the cheering
hopes and promise of more effective efforts, and more
vigorous vitality, than il ever exhibited before
There is one point which all agree, and that Is
that our first duty aud our highest duty is to adopt the
surest policy We capable Of deysing TO insure the
defeat OF the Black Republican party
The rise and progress of that most arocious and de-
testable fanatcsm presents danger Of frghtiu an
aspect and magnitude that all the old issues are, or
ought TO be- totally dsregarded and forgotten until we
ret through the trouble before US
Measures of domestic foreign policy sink into utter
insrni6cance in view of the Union OF these states,
threatened on the one hand with destruction by party
avowing their readiness dissolve it no Tor causes
now existing and on the other by far more dangerous
and formidable because more numerous, andess honest
party which, il they succeed, will make Its continuance
worse than its destruction.
Discori and divisions among men, who speak the truth
when they say they in favor Of the Unon are as crm
nal and stupid as would be the conduct OF crew who
driven in the rage and fury Of equinoxia hurricane
should abandon the rudder and the rigging with breakers
in vcw discuss under matches the merits oil former Voy
ares or 10 revive the auimOses OF forgotten ieuds.
Far myself every year OF my life confirms more and
r,ora INV original conviction that the Government OF the
Uped States can never bee successfully administered,
aud never has been, excep, upon Wing principles.
am no more public mas, but none the less a Wing,
now aud forever. take It's fortunes whether veal or
woe betdc it, aud recognizing its will as entitled TO my
profoundest respect think it hardly possible that It can
determine on any policy in which will not so with it,
right or wrong.
And therefore shall be understood merely submit
pg INV own views on most interesting question OF pol
lev that they may be considered by my brethren II ma
ef errors can be detected in my calculations and state
uents shall be most prompt TO abandon them.
lst assume that the Republican party can only be
beaten by a combination OF the other parties.
That to RELY on the Democratic party alone to effect its
defeat is the mercs folly in the world, the very madness
thar q p before :
what sort Of combination Is most likely TO be success
full
As wise men we should meet this issue promptly, and
decide il in tme and not like Congress, at its present
session waste halt the winter in adopting rational poll
CIV aud finally coming 10 itjust a day TOO late.
ann not weak enough TO waste breath upon the fool
h question whether the numbers otthe Democratic par
H. assumed 10 be more numerous-but falsely assumed
I'D be so-enti,le u 10 insist upon union and coopera-
ton of an the elements Of opposition to Repuolcanism,
based upon principles of Irish reciprocity that is, all on
one side namely that the whole power OF the public ad-
miustration be placed in their hands.
don't care who has the administration for the partc-
uIar occa,ion-wheher be it be Wing, native Ameri-
can. or Democat-so that be is sound Union man
and at the same time sound and reliable advocate o., all
the constitutional rights OF the Southern States aud OF all
thu States.
The practical question is a single one, and sufficient
one TO engage all the attention aud anxiety every man
in every section of the Union, who Is patriotic enough
and honest enough prefer the salvation OF the public
70 the triumph OF party.
The question isis there to be found IN the United
States ANY Que answering tue description, and who
can be supposed by any fair reasoning 10 have the capa-
city to be elected.
iy first proposition is that there is member OF the
Democratic party In America, whether he come from the
North or SOUTH East West, that has the remotest
chance OF being elected nor whose chances can be bet
tered one it'll, by coucednC TO him the unanimous vote
o.. toe Il
for he will command them, and that unanimously,
against Republican and If he did not, It would make no
difference IN the result.
come now, Mr. President and gentlemen, to far the
most important part Of tue contribution which YOU re-
oure me 10 make 20 your delibcrdons-the only mart
which have considered well and 20 which ! ask your
earnest attention II time permitted, would endeivor
I'D mqUlv the demonstrations of my proposition: that
the idea Of cectug any Democrat Is simple nonsense
Bgt will no. be induced TO take more thana reasonable
tme-tr,ug to speak, as near as possible under the
hour rule
shall dispose, in a few words of the fifteen slave
States
Tue contest for the coming Presidential election far
As 10 Is a question existing among and "ithin them
selves IT, practically, very uuimpOrAut one. We are
an agreed that the question OF slavery Is tie question OF
this one coming contest il OF no more. We have acom-
mon feeling aud common interest in respect to It, and
Won might start twenty different tkcts IN opposition 10
the Republican party, and one for that party and tue
latter would not make respectable fight with the low
est of the twenty tickets in an. district in any State
South of Mason and Dixous hne-uuless, possibly, in
tine 81 Louis district Of Missouri As regards the pro-
babe result Of the votes Of the States in question will
refer 10 it merely TO show that Democratic friends in
claiming they habtu1y claim that they have, or that
they usually have had an irresistible and complete control
of the slave States are grossly mistaken; for be
eve that many OF them really think it is So especially
that LARGE portion of them particularly well Informed
have examined with much care and have now be-
fore me- the OF the last hye Presidential
elections The last OF those OR. Buchanans) IL well
known bv every who knows anything, not TO have
been contest between the Wings aud Democrats Mr.
Fillmore was not recognized as Wing candidate in any
Southern State and there is not one OF those who now
say he was that did not then swear he r1s not.
Take for example, the vote Of Virginia IN 1865. Gov
e-uor Wise carried the State by about ten taouslud no.
OUOD In 1859, Governor Letchor by about hail that
number, or "a litde more Mr. Buchanan, in 1853, took
it bv thirty thousand go O0p) and no man in Virginia
will pretend TO believe, suppose, that either Mr.. Wise
or Mr. Lecher less was less able, to unite his party
in Virginia than Mr. Buchanan Mr. Wise received, as
was admitted by all parties, large number OF Old line
Wing votes-given in opposition TO the Native American
party-and Mr. Lctcher received in the strongest voting
section OF the State, almost sectional vote
So that there can be really doubt whatever, that
the Democrats, if they have las against the old line
Whig any majority all in Virginia, have merely by
the skin of their teeth So with al the Southern States.
But going a step back to consult the authentic ndica-
lions. we come to 1852 when Mr.. Pierce, Democratic
candidate carried the fifteen Southern States by an ag-
rregate majority Of IS 433-the whole vote being SOI
1871 One step further back to 1913, when Gen Taylor
carried eight Of the fifteen States with an aggregate popu-
lar majority OF % qO2 vote OF S45 1866 and by an
electoral woe in much larger dsproportion carrying, IN
fact all the large States except Virginia Another step
back aud YOU come TO the election OF 1914 when Polk
beat CLAY in the fifteen States twentyfOur thousand and
twentynne ca o29l entire vote Of 1889 and,
in 1910 Gen Harrison, Northern Wing candidate car