Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1860-02-07
Complimcntin" the Wrong Man.

COmpltmcntlnS the wrong NuaNs
The "Ncw York Tribune" finds much to
commend in the general spirit and tone of the
late report to the General Assembly Of Eirgi-
mia, made by the lIarper's Ferry committee.
The sweeping ;ntiuation Of the report that
large body of the Opposition party at the
South ''arc equally opposed with tie Black
Republicans themselves to the repeal OF the
Missouri Compromise and the whole policy OF
the Government in regardto Kansas and Ne
braska," is received with the utmost compla-
ccncy by the Tribune"
The same paper finds reason to believe that
the author Of the report is equally opposed
to the execution Of the fugitive slave law; wit
ness the following extract from the ''rrbuncs 5"
editorial:
" slare has got Ire and lore Of liberty
enough In him IL prompt him ta re0ch It .frec
State, erery honest md aomorabIc impH'se of
erery undegrade! human s0ul bids The poOr
dcciL rum We Jelitre such an impulse ami
mates .ur. Barbour, and erery othcr nun
,cho stands uncontaminated by the pHht,
factions Of that decaying civilizations. whica
! j
Republic"
Such rs this, are the very burdcnsone com.
plimcnts which the "rribunc" pays TO Mr.. JAS.
Barbour, Of Culpeper under the erroneous i'm
preston that that gentleman is the author Of
tho joint report on the llarper's Ferry affair.
1t is due 10 Mr.. Barbour that we should sci
! this matter right. Ne must inform Mr.. Cree
ley that he has committed an egrcgious blum
der. James Barbour, of Culprpcr, is i tho.
rough-gong Southern rights Democrat oncwh
can no more be suspected Of opposition to the
fugitive slave law than TO the Virginia Bill Of
Rights II the report Of the joint committee
really does eulLody 4 snake in the grass" of
sufficient venom TO excite the sincere and I'M
mistaken culosy Of such sheet as the "Irl-
bune"-JamcS Barbour is rs guiltesS Of its
covert insertion as We ourselves claim ~ be.
Mr.. Barbour is not the author Of the report
On presenting it to the House of Delegates, lc
expressly disclaimcd such authorship The
document was prepared by very different
man-not strict constructioniSt Virginia De-
mocrat, but one Of the most latituainaran dis
ciplcs of the school Of Federalism in this lati-
tude 1t was written by the chairman Of the
| Senate Committee, the Hon. \. II. II. Stuart
| formerly, as the Tribune may remember q
mesnber.o of ylr. Fillmore's Cabinet
Thus the Tribune can transfer its most
dsagreeabe compliments to the real autho: Of
the report; Mr.. Stuart, is very far, We believe
from agreeing with us either on the slavery
question or on federal politics generally, and
We are, by no means. authorized to speak for
him. Bnt we rlo not find sufficient ground to
convict him of willfully pandering to Black Re-
publican taste III the preparation OF the docu-
ment in question. 1t is true that the report
was not altogether TO our tastc, nor to that of
the Democratic members oft the joint committee,
nor to that Of the Democratic members Of the
House generally Had it been drawn by Mr.
! Barbour there can he little doubt that it would
have presented much more thorough and
striking picture Of the aggrcssions of abolition
ism on the political rights and personal proper
| ty Of the South. But it contained enough to
| vndicate the conduct OF the State Executive,
and to demonstrate, partially at least, the evil
tendencies Of Black Rcpubcanisin. Under
these circumstances, and being especially
desirous that no party differences should
be permitted to enter into the action
of the General Assembly on 50 imPor-
tant matter, the Democratic members accept
ed Mr.. Stuart's report as an earnest Of the
basis on which the Opposition were willing to
unite with them in repelling Black Republican
assaults against the safety and honor of the
Commonwealth. This conciatory policy re-
suited in securing large appropriation to arm
the military Of the State in view of future con-
tingences, and may yet, we trust, produce the
further result of hearty affirmative response
to the request of South Carolina for an inter-
State conference locking to the same contln-
eencies. Let the Tribune" put all this in its
pipe and smoke it.
re x-~S-1S.e-------
JoIh e.. Sake, OF Vermont.
|, is with great pleasure that we give lnSer-
/ "