Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1860-09-19

To the Editor fhe Yhiq:
On Friday the 18th inst that being court day, ac-
cording TO appointment, We had with US the Bel aud
Breckioridg Electors for this district Messrs Bowden
and Claybr0ok From the well known ability Of our gal
liant Ector Mr. Bowden his friends naturally looked to
the with glowing expectations, but the most san
gune o them hardly supposed that Gs rich AN inteectu-
Il treat was in store for hcin Mr. B. led oil in speech
of one hour and a.hal which Of the abest and
most unanswerable arguments the writer Of this had
the pleasure OF listening He eonclusively establish
cd the fact that Breckuridges record tainted with
the odiOus doctrine Of Squater Sovereignty from 1850
down 70 January 1860 when finding that Douglas was
TOO strong for him in the North he IL by magic veer
ed shout aud erdeavorcd plant himself upon Bells
old doctrine OF Constitutional protection He next charg-
cd thar Breckinrdge not to be trusted because he
was standing upon platforms national and state,
the one recognizing the Pacific Railroad plank, with its
enormous estimated of 400 millions Of dollars, the
other entirely ignoring that plank, for political effect in
Vrgnia and other Atlantic States, evidenced by the
action of the secession party since the Charlottesville
Convention. Mr.. BOwden then alluded with powerful
effect TO the desire the part OF the Dsunon party TO
establish Southern Confcderacy and reopen the AfTi
can slave trade and clearly demonstrated that their OBJ
sct was 10 duplicate the number OF offices IN the govern
en through selfish and personal motives, and showed
conclusvey the result of such policy would be TO the
people the cotton fields of Alabama and other extreme
Southetn States with Virginia negroes, now worth from
l2 to $500 ut cost OF not more than 500, thereby
reducing to paupersm thousands now in aiuence and
opiott in addition to the still more terrible cOnse-
of boodshed and devastation which would mark
,he confines OF the border States. Mr. B. then showed
that in admitting the right Of petition Mr.. Bell had acted
with three candidates for whom Col Ciybrook had vo
ted for the highest Office in the gift Of the American
people TO wit CLAY, Pierce and Buchanan, and that
Felix Grundy Thomas H. Benton and the venerable John
TYLER were to be found in the category He exhored
The good men and true" Of all parties TO come TO the
rescue in the present distracted condition Of political al
tas aud gave bis opinion, that Mr.. Breckinrdge
was only certain Of carrying one Stae-that OF South
Caroina-where the people not allowed to vote for
President Mr.. B. made, upon the whole, most telling
and effective effort not even the skeleton OF which
be given in a newspaper article.
Col O. replied in a speech of the same length. He is
pleasant speaker and courteous, fascinating gentle
man. but candOr cOmpes to say, he Jailed to answer
the first argument adduccd by Mr.. u. He INDUCED IN
good many vague and indefinite distractions about the
SCoustituon" and eonteuded that that word alone
bodied the entire idea of the Union platform OF Mr. Bell
The opy charge OF note that he made against Mr. Bell at
ali was that he was favorable to the WilmOt PrOvso be-
cause Of his advice TO General Taylor Notwithstanding
he had unequivocsy voted against it. After good deal
from Col O. about the power ol king Cotton he found
his time expired and gave way to Mr.. Bowden, who, in
reoinder of half hour, poured CALLING fire into tie
eamp of the enemy, in which he showed that Messrs
Monroe and Polk had signed bills Incorporating the VII
mot Provso the former having in his cabinet at the time
Wm H. Crawford aud John o. Calhoun Col Caybrook
concluded in 80 minutes speech but little OF which was
heard by the writer in consequence Of necessary absence
from the Court House. After Col O. had concluded, not
whstnding the ateness of the hour the remaining few
called upon Capt Juo s. Lacy the Breckinrdge elector
who recently resigned, who for few minutes handled h
old comrades and their disunon candidate, with gloves
or ayowng his Xed purpose take the stump for Doug
| las and TO vote for him in November next
Yours, in haste,
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