Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-10-16
Ia the Editors Of the Enquirer:
RICHMOND. Oct. IL. lSG

Gentlemen: In your issue of this morning
YOU state, in an editorial article headed
"Maximum and the Mob" that the meeting
over which l presided denied the right of the
press to discuss any question of a public char,
acser. or ~ats.least ssyou assumed that to be our
position by styling q large and respectable
meeting of citizens n "mob," by comparing
them to the followers of Robespiere during
the French Revolution. Now. sir, no good
citizen would abridge tho rights of the press,
because it is the great engine Of our coun-
try's destiny, when guided by a sound head
and an hone t heart. Neither would any edi,
tor, who claims the right to discuss any ques.
ton, deny the same right to his fellow.citi
zens but my object is merely to call your at
tention to a few inaccuracies in the article
alluded to.
In the first place, you say the meeting Of
Saturday night, though large in point of mum!
bers, was yet only q ~''class," a particular por-
ton of "~citizens," You then refer to the re-
porss IL the Richmond papers to prove that it
was merely a meeting of ''mecAanfcs and acorE-
ing men of the city, and quote the language
of the Chairman" as reported by the city
papers, to sustain your assumption that it was
a "particular class" Now, sir, /, as Chair
man of that meeting, most respectfully beg
leave to say that l did not Ton taking the
Chair say I thought it should be called q
meeting Of citizens" but I stated distinctly
that las tho notices in the papers of that
morning stately, although the meeting had
been called by the Committee Of Seven" the
meeting then assembled was not q meeting of
the mechanics and working men, but was a
meeting of the people generally who were in
favor of the bill as repol ted by the select COM
mittee of the House Of Delegates, on the sub
icct of regulating the prices. Thus you see
that the meeting was not of q "particular
class" but one of the '~people," and the OBJ
iects of the meeting fairly stated that all
might participate in its deliberations. AS to
the 9th resolution, adopted by the meeting,
which you seem to put 80 much stress upon,
| presume that the committee which presented
it can explain what it means; but, as for my
self, / understood it to be intended as a notice
TO impress upon the ertortioner and the enc
mics Of our country that we understood our
rights as citizens. and that we intended to
keep the subject before the country and the
Legislature until some measure should he
adopted to relieve US from the 'extortioner"
and tho spcculator," DO he merchant, far
mer, editor, or mechanically or GENTLE.
Very respectfully,
BENJAMIN BRAGG.
We did not assert that the meeting Of Sat-
urday night "denied the right Of the press to
discuss any question of public character"
but We asserted the right of the press to be
equal to that Of the meeting, and proceeded
to exercise our rights. What we said about
the composition of the meeting was predicated
upon the published accounts extracted from
all the city papers. The public can judge
without further explanation, how far We vert
justified in those remarks.
Mr.. Bragg "~presumes" that the committee
can explain the 9th resolution. Ifso, thought
to do so; for we have not yetseen one man who
did not understand that resolution as counte.
naucing, in it's spirit and tone, every outrage
perpctrated by Mrs. Jackson and her mob
'Grasping" and "clenching" have too nracti'
cal O Specification for fgurative use, unless Sc
plain that "the wayfaring man, though q fool,
cannot err therein" and we would advise oil
subsequent meetings to be more selectin their
language if they would not bring disgrace and
opprobrium upon the city. If Mr.. Bragg OBJ.
:jects to being compared to the followers Of
R~obespiere," (which we never did, he should
avoid following the path Of Jacobinical max
imum, along which Robespiere led his coun'
try to ruin, and through which Mr.. Bragg
would drag Virginia. We shall never compare
Benjamin Bragg to Macmillan R~obespiere.