Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1860-02-24

The vote against substitute exceeded INA
iority Of the Democratic vote represented in
the late Convention by 1880, as follows:
Vote represented. d..........".... SG,tl2
Majority NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 43,3oi
The vote against the substitute. 44,9S7
The statement made in yesterdays "Exami-
ner," as follows, "on the test vote declaring
that it was inexpedient to express any prefer
ence, 40,39l votes were cast in favor OF the
proposition, and II 943 against t-a majority
of 1852, being at the time that vote was cast,
in favor of expressing preference-there
were thus cast in the State 81, 334, leaving only
S,0ls abscntees"--is entirely incorrect The
committee who scaled the vote, Of whom the
writer OF this was one, made rcry great errors
Of utiaition. The correct vote is as follows -
For the substitute Al CTS, against the substi-
tute A, 937, total vote SG,6l2-to which add
the vote, as shown above, not represented in
the Convention, 3,740, which was the number
of absentees, and we have 90,35o, the whole
vote Of the State
Now, the number of delegates registered as
attending the convention was 942. or this
number G2G voted-lcaving 3l6 delegates who
were prevented from voting by the late hour
of the night at which the vote was taken.
Had these 3lC delegates been permitted to
vote. their votes would have reduced the vote
for the substitute Il rsry large amount-and it
was to prevent this reduction Of the vote against
a preference that the unprecedented disorder
and parliamentary resorts were made use Of
The friends of Gov. Wise having, on the test
vote admitting "any Democrat" ascertained
that 20. 940 votes out Of 4 total Of 69,S93 votes
then the 1st day) represented, were for pre-
ference, and knowing that upwards of 5000
of the vote as represented in The convention,
had declared for Il preference, and seeing rs
did every unprcjudlced person, that the same
no:Sy tactics that had prevented the "call OF
ab<"ntecs," by cries of "question," order, "
"appea', ""s;a!. vote" ADJOURN and every
kind vi d.sOgd"rly noise, would continue the
same until the hour of la o'clock Saturday
night and would adjourn the convention in riot
ou> and disgraceiul disorder, determined that as
the had been no party to threaten diSorydnt-
zutiSi if defeated, so they sought harmony and
union, after they had attained practical pre-
ference by a large and decided majority.
And now, as to Gen. Kcmper's proposition.
The writer OF this proposed to Gen. X. that the
a. ,1, 1,,.t tf,n
vote as recorded. without "call Of the absen-
tees" if vote could be had upon General
Charmans resolution. But General H., mis-
understanding the proposition Of the writer, pro-
posed that the friends Of Gov. Wise would be
satisfied with the vote as recorded, and pass
by" all "othcr matters" This was done,
under the belief that the writer Of this
hda agreed to it, which was an error. General
KS proposition was protested against by many
of Gov. Wisc's friends demanding scaled
rote, whose voices were drowned in the clanor
practiscd by our opponents. Upwards of fifty
of Gov. Wises friends had, two hours before,
determined to remain in attendance upon the
Convention until vote was had upon General
Chapman's proposition, and could their voice
have been heard amid the dsorderly uproar
resortcd to to drown their protests, the vote
would never have been counted until an agree
mcDt had bcel. made for direct vote upon the
question of preference.
Tie resolution Of Gen. Chapman, while it
has not the form of u vote, has received the
virtual endorsement of more than majority
of the vote represented; and had the counties
whose delegates were in Richmond, but absent
from tic Convention, been permitted to vote,
that majority would have been greatly increas-
ell Had Gen Chapinan's proposition been
voted upon, $4,000 votes would have been
recorded for it. The substitute receiv.
cd many thousand votes from the fast
friends Of MIR. Wise, men who from the
fac,ious and diSorganizing tactics Of his
enemies, feared permanent schism in the par
~. voted for the substitute which being reject
ed they would have registered their portion OF
the popular will in favor of a preference Tor
Henry \. Wise. The knowledge of this fact,
exn,ains the tactics which Threatened the dis
runtion Of the patty from men who openly
proclaimed the same course ot conduct
which the friends Of Mr. Hunter on
former OCCASION pursued when they defeated
YIN. Smith, the regular nominee Of the party.
Men in this Convention hearing the threats,
and having the wei! known occasion OF Mr.
Smiths defeat as an example Of the disorsan-
lzine purposes of the minority, voted for the
substitute, not because they did not prefer Mr.
Wise, or were unwilling to express the pre-
ference, but simply TO remove the occasion for
opposition to the nominee Of the Stale Con
vcntion, as was done when William Smith was
the nominee, and defeated by the same disor-
ganizers.
As additional evidence of the factious oppo-
sition made by the personal enemies OF Mr..
Wise, we would call attention to the distrlou'
ton over the Convention Of handbills reading,
"poS'r VOTE FOR
THE TURNcoAT
WIsEr
I. Such circular, coupled with the conduct
and tactics resorted to in the Convention, Will
inform the people Of Virginia, oil the character
If the desperate efforts made to defeat the
nomination Of one of their fellow-citizens, and
will il not rouse to active vigilance the great
mass of the people in appointing delegates to
the District Conventions?