Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1860-11-02
Judge n. III. Field, of Culpcpcr.


agitated by anticipated calalnitics, lnoks to the
future with trembling forebodngs, every patriot
feels it to be his duty to contribute his intlu.
cnce to avert the danger and to prevent the
sad catastrophe We hope that sentiments
such as these, and no other consideration than
the loltiest patriotism, induced The Hon. r. H..
Field, Of Culpeper, to quit that isolation which
public sentiment imposes upon the Judiciary,
and 10 descend into the arena Of party politics
from which the best Judges have always kept
aloof. But if the Importance Of the OCCASION
demanded The violation Of this time-honored
precedent, we had much preferred to have seen
the Judge enter the arena clothed with the cr-
mine Of impartial justice than wearing the par
ti.colorcd vesture that so i'll becomes his Official
position.
We could pardon Judge Field fur the unne-
cessary charge he volunteers TO prefer against
the Richmond Enquirer" in stating that it
''has taken ground in favor Of dissolution Of
the Union, and feel that the absurdity of the
charge is its own refutation. While we arc
totally Indifferent to such insinuations, whether
made by partizan journals or judges, we do
not feel ourselves at liberty to pass over in 81.
ence the attempt Of Judge Field to create the
impression that community Of sentiment and
interest does not pervade the whole Of Virgi-
mia. We emphatically deny that Judge Field
4
has any justification for saying that Western
Virginia would, unaer any circumstances or,for
any cduse, separate her destiny from that Of
the East. The nsinuation is as groundless as
it was gratuitous, and calculated to weaken
Virginia at the South, while it encouraged her
enemies at the North. In times like the present,
when Virginia and the South are surrounded
by foes assaulting her institutions and viola
ting the sanctity Of her soil, we see no good
reason for the publication Of such sentiments.
1t was sentiments such as these that led John
Brown to believe that he would find Western
| Virginia filled with allies Of his cause Yet
ber patriotic SONS rallied 10 the defence of the
East in that case Of resistance, and ariN do so
| in all Others.
We hope that all public meetings" that
may be held under the call Of Judge i.
II. Field will duly consider this unnecessary,
untimely and iniquitous effort to make it ap
pear that Western Virginia is unfathful to the
East or rather is less sound upon the slavery
question.
We feel under no little obligation to the
Judge for attributing TO US honesty in be-
eving what we wrote, even though he charged
us with gross ignorance of what we were
writing about. We shall not do him the in
justice TO suppose him ignorant or dishonest,
but when lie considered the occasion impor.
tant enough to demand his patriotic outcry,
certainly it was worthy Of language digniiied
in argument and devoid Of party slang 1t
would have conported better with the dignity
of the source from whence the structures
sprung to have spoken Of the States Of South
Carolina and Alabama without the low w.llung
cpitlets of "iire.eaters," ''treason" and ''re-
bellDn." 1t was not so in the times Of the
''fathers of the law" they rebukcd with digni.
ty, and kept their structures aloof from all ap-
proach to partisan warfare.
The charge made by Judge Field against
| Southern men, As Dsunionists" wanting IA
Southern Conlederacy mainly to open the Alri.
can slave trade, and thereby becume enabled
to purchase African slaves ut one hundred and
fifty dollars, to cultivate their cotton lands
sounds so like the editorials ofthe Black Itepub
lican papers, that, for the character Of the Vir
gnia Judiciary, We wish it had not been made
respectable by the very worthy signature of
"R. II. Field" In this, however, we have ano-
ther instance Of how little Importance most
respectable signature carries with it when ont
Of its proper place.
We wish sincerely that when Judge Field
constituted himself the censor of the public
press, he had proved our errors of fact,
rather than contented himself with assang
Southern States, and making a plea for the
administration Of Lincoln" 1t will seem
strange to the people Of Virginia that one Of
her Judges should volunteer to assail the "En-
quirer," for defending Vryinia-as its editor
honestly believed he was dong--and yet
utter no word Of rebuke to her Black Re.
publican aSsailants. Judge Field would call
public meetings to denounce the Richmond
Enquirer" but he invokes no expression Of
public sentiment against the Black Republicans
of the North.
But why should Judge Field, Of all the Judges
in Virginia, upon the ere Of LincOin's election,
court notoriety by assalling the public press
We have conYersed with Judg"S just as able and
patriotic who commended the sentiments of the
article which Judge Field vuntcers to con-
denim. In the corruptions oil his day and gen.
GRAFTON he may not escape the suspicion that
attaches to al those who SO hIatantly proclaim
their willing submission " Mr.. Lincoln.
We claim to be influenced by patriotism as
lofty as Judge Field and to be as willing to make
sacrifices for our country, as he can be. We
have no ends to serve but tnse of right and JUS
tice to Virginia. Weare n, disintcrrsted in our
motives, as he can pretend to be. Unlike him,
we have never sought Office, and there is GER
tainly none in the gift of Mr. Lincoln that can
purchase US from sharing the resistance which
we sincerely believe Virginia and the other
Southern Statas will make to his election.
If Judge Fields only wish was."to serve the
State" and he believed that public duty de.
manded the publication of his sentiments, while
we should have pardoned the innocent hauci-
nation under which he labored, yet had he
shown the evidence of our errors OF facts, or
proved the illogical conclusions of our argu-
ment, we should have been rejoiced to have
published his letter. But though he has writ
ten much, be has certainly said very little. He
has not shown how Virginia can prevent the
dissolution Of the Union-he has not shown
that the Southern States cannot, and that none