The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-03-18

* . = = -
tional Wing was printed and issued in
shets of the size OF The Timcs-Dis-
patch--a semi-weckly. except when the
Legislature was In session, or other inn
portnnt body, sat in the Capitol. Two
sheets, or four pages of five columns
each. embraced oil Its reading matter.
i Inclusive of about three or four columns
ut advertisements. It contained no pic.
lures other than virginia's coat OF arms,
which usually headed The first column
of tho second page. Diminutlve wood
cuts OF house, horse or hound appear here
or there among It's advertisements.
The motto o. the Constitutional Wing
is significant of the political attitude Of
its editor, John Hampden Peasants, as
well as that OF the young party whose
mouthpiece he was up to February, 1895
when death put an end to his career-it is
this: 'Democracy-thc Constitution
State Rights
The Wing. like the Enquirer. gave to its
contributors much more OF space of page
than that taken up iy its editor. The
job office had been shifted several times
from place to place until it found a final
rest IN a building still standing on the
northeast corner OF Governor and Frank
lin Streets These removals were in
this order OF time:, from the tall Harris
building on the southeast corner Of
Main and Eleventh Streets to the base
mcnt of the old Museum which occu-
pied a strip of the Capitol grounds at
the intersection of franklin with Twelfth
Street: thence to Cary Street, north
side. between Twelfth and Thirteenth
Streets; and a little while before the
nf J1onc n,,fr
were established on the east side or
Thirteenth. midway between Main and
Cary. In this Office were three persons
whom shall briefly notice. because OF
the love they bore TO Mr.. Plesants and
their faithful service during many years
OF the Wings existence. or Newton Hill
business manager there, 1t was said.
that, though he was a staunch Democrat.
ne never by hint. or other in direction,
ol'uised tac seclets OF the office. Strange
ly enough, the Enquirer was at the same
time managed in a like manner BIZ
Mr.. Wigglesworth, a Wing, who en-
1oyed to the day OF his death, the con.
ddence OF his employer.
Best Political Literature.
William G. Allen, called familiar,v hv
persons OF his acquaintance. Judge Alien
was AR. Pleasants's confidential secre.
lary. a man whom to know was to love.
me esteem in which he was held by The
EDITOR OF the Wing passed undimlnished
Of force to his son. the late Mr.. James
Pleasants. Caesar Perkins. bright mu-
latto. VINO served succession OF the
WING editors-he was their man Friday
--nad beeh trained by Mr.. Peasants in
me way all good servants should go.
tou VIII not ind his name on a list of
Inc members OF the Underwood Conye,,-
ton OF 1seI-'6s, nor even in Hanna.s Acts
OF the Kings. The last time l set eyes
on this faithful creature he was in, the
company OF Alexander Moseley-botl,
knee-deep In James River, one throwing
The line. the other batting the hooks.
Inc best political literature OF Virginia
sppears to have been contributed to the
columns of the old Enquirer and the old
WING. The contributors were in some
Instances that might be mentioned men
who had given much OF their leisure to
the study and discussion OF public ques-
lions. Occasionally strong paper would
appear over the signature OF its writer.
particularly If the subject matter was
thought by him to be OF such nature
lis to require an open discussion. With
This exception. every communication Of
\ political import was subscribed by an
Affected name or phrase. The raw mate
RAILS OF much of our political and eco
nomical history lie obscure in the ,in-
handy folios of the above mentioned jour
nails. WE shall find In these some of the
best thoughts Of the best statesmen of
the first half OF the nineteenth century.
No such impenetrable veil as that of the
English Junius Is thrown over their per-
sonal identity. It Is known that Madison
was on friendly terms with Peasants.
;pf the Virginia Argus. andswrote articles
fo- that p;iter. 8
1t is 10 BE hoped that some student
OF our early Journalistic record vii
search for and find therein matter inter-
csting enough to justify the expense OF
printing and publishing 1t to the world. a
book Of three or four hundred pages with
a taking title might find Il ready sale
in the bookstores. Nothing catches and
holds the public ear, so readily as
handy book of miscellaneous matter.
peace be with the soul of that charitable
and courteous author. who. for the COM
mon benefit of his feliow-authors, intro
dnced the ingenious waylof miscellaneous
writing" Il ~
His Best Paragraphs.
DR.. Bagby. in John NJ. Daniels Latch
3 Key, tells us that the editor Of the FIX
a a miners desired to write no book other
than that which might be made up OF his
best paragraphs. He said the best arti-
cles of the London Times had appeared
b,59ooK form, and why not his? Frederick
from all accounts, a steady-going repre-