Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1860-01-10


honor to whom homer is due. must thank
YOU, kindly, and the members and officers Of
| the Senate Of Virginia, for honoring me witt,
an invitation here tonight / feel proud OF il:
and say, sir, that | feel authorized in offering
to you-the Senate Of Eirgnia-the thanks Of
the House Of Delegates, for the compliment
contained in the sentiment you have All.
nounced. Sir, that body justi6es me, who
have been honored with position in that body
with which your honorcd guest on your right
has been honored in your body-and in saT Ing,
that he and myself have been associated together,
and our official relations have been all that
the relations Of Virginia gentlemen could de
mand have known him well--servcd with
him in the House of Delegates. know his
worthiness, and assure you esteem it great
pleasure that | am associated with you, to-
night, in doing honor to that good man.
will say, in the language of Governor Wise
and more than that great man has said, that |
mean to fight for the flag Of our Union as long
us can maintain it and keep those rascals,
the aboitionists within it, and then, if ncccs-
sary, fight them out Of it. Applause. |
thank you; Senators, in behalf OF the Honsc os
Delegates, for the compliment
! The fifth regular toast was then read, rs fol-
lows:
"Thc Judiciary of the State-They have
proved themselves worthy Of the trust rcposed
in them. FIat justitia." TUNE, "Flai! Co
lInbia.
John Randolph Tucker, Esq, Attorney Ger
eral, responded to this toast in most appropri-
ate style.
The President then read the sixth regular
toast, as follows:
'The Board Of Public Works-Upon its ell
crsy and vigilance, in :. great degree, depend
the future honor and success Of the Old Do
minon" TUNE, Virginia Grand March.
this toast, in we'll timed and eloquent addrrss
The seventh regular toast was then given az
follows
The Press It's freedom is one Of the great
! buwarks of liberty may it always be con-
trolled by wisdom, patriotism and virtue
| fTunc-"IIome Sweet Home"
Mr. o. JENNINGS WISE responded as
follows Mr.. Chairman u regret en-
trclnely that my seniors and bcttcrs Of
the press have left to me the task of responding
10 this toast a mere novice in the mysteries
Of the gentle craft" am indeed attached to
all it's departments and connections with the
warmth OF attachment which every novitiatr is
apt to feel for the trade Of his choice. like to
lnger in the compositors room. listen with
! great satisfaction to the regular roll and click
of machinery in the press room, and find n
solace even in the operations OF the blndcry
dearly love to lounge and Scrhble in the
; editorial sanctum and above all, have learned
| to look with intense solicitude Of affection TO
tho affairs OF the counting room rejoice in
the great strife of mind for mastery over mat
\ IL, 7 Tod h,r, nj
soldier, and Of which free and Independent
press constitutes perhaps the most efficient
engine Like most soldiers like to receive
the double reward Of booty and Of glory, of
. applause mingled with the still more salts
factory rvconIpcnsc Of abundant and regularly
paid subscription fees. And, strange as it may
seem to so elite an asscmblage as now have
| the honor to address, the literature of the ad-
vcrtising column not untrequcntly awakcs
| in my bosom sense Of solid and earnest salts.
faction, scarcely inferior to thar excited BY the
! first perusal in print NJ! my most ambitious edI-
torial performance. So, TOO, feca warm inte.
! rrst in the personnel Of the press, varying from
! Il high Difference towards my cd tOrial seniors,
! down to complacent tenderness bestowed on
the little ''"ril" who nudges my elbow occa.
sionallv for more copy" But, wrapt up as
am in the press, its personnel, its machinery,
its appliances, its trials and its trumphS, its la
DnrS ami its Iirufit,, Inuat acknowledge all 'n-
c0n,rollable and uncnr1ucrable aversion to some
of the performances which highly cultivated
state of civilization, no doubt, has attached to the
general routine of its duties Among these |
take the liberty to specify the practice Of
|, 'vuTiag.' The fact is, gentlemen, | can't
pull. I've tried it over and ever again. and
I ~ to,.l-
plrtetl, on second reading | couldn't, for the
life Of me, tell whether the article would pass
for genuine puff or an awkward scarcasm.
The tact is, ! can't puf-and so, whenever it
is necessary that anything shall be pulled in the
Richmond Enquirer" whether it be Prcsl.
dents message or patent mousetrap, whether IL
he the most eloquent discourse Of the ablest and
wisest Senator now present, or the sovereign rIr-
tues Of "Ezekiel's Hair Res,orer," turn overall
such work to the more efficient labor OF my
senior editors. 1t may be that it is TO punish
me for such delinquency, that these two very
grave and reverend gentlemen have determined
tonight to place the junior editor in q position
where he would be obliged to do some sort OF
punng-at least to putt the press and espe-
cially that particular department OF j; with
which we have the honor to he Immediately
connected-newspaper publication
Well, sir, take the newspaper press Of our
whole country, all in all, and you will agree
with me that it would be equally difficult to
make it the subject either Of unmixcd eulosy
or unmngled satire 1t is a field in which the
tarcs and wheat grow together, and where it
is difficult to decide which preponderates-so
much is there OF greatness and lllleness, right
and wrong, bcncticencc and malcfcence, truth
and lasclIood, mixed and woven together III
the warp und wool Of the American press.
have tried, almost in vain, to gcnerallze
the law which regulates its movement
or 10 specify the thousand and one causes
which tend to ameliorate or depreciatc
the dignity and usefulness Of the press
have tried, say, almost, but not quite IT
vain. have been able to abstract from the
confused mass of testimony one truth, at least
Of vital Importance find that like many
other things in our free and happy country
the p0acer, at least, of usefulness, belonging t.
press, is to be measured by the general rule
that "money makes the mare 60" nccc
hardly remind this assenblage, that the grea
moral evidently attaching to this important
discovery, is-'pay the printer"
But, gentlemen, fear that ! am not onli
treating grave subject too lightly, but making
IN ungratclul return for the distinguished conr
tcsy which you have just paid to the fraternity
of which am member. The press of oul
country is indeed, something more than sub
ject for curious Investigation or fippant crit
cism. 1t is the mighty engine which your toas
describes. There is force Of attrition altnos
resistless in the unremitting repetition of it
constant effort. Whether guided by the veal
hand or by the strong, whether powerful TO
good or for evil, still the power is thcrc-th'
power to warn or to arouse, TO hush or to re
veal to shape or to distort the thoughts an'
morals of men, until this pcrvading powe
for veal or for woe, must in the lapse Of time
WELD an influence awful in its magnitude on ''th
rights aud destinies Of countless millions j!
is true that the responsibility attaching to thu
influence is almost intnitesimally divided. 1t Il
true that the individual member of the pres
| -, Irop atn n thIc .