Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1811-04-05
Martinsburgh, Virginia,
PRINTED 6 PUBLISHED BY
JOHN .ALBUkTB.
TO THE VOTERS
OF THE

COMPOSED OFTHE COUNTIES OF
Frederick, Hardy, Hamp-
shire, Jefferson & Berkeley.
FELLOW CITIZENS,
A VOTE given by
me in the Senate Of Virginia, ia the year
1909, against proposed amendment to strike
out the section Of the Militia Law, which ex-
empts Professors and Students of all Public
SeIninaries from militia duty, has been wick
edly and artfully misrepresented by the wri-
ter of hand-bill signed :" One Of the People,"
which on superficial view of the subject, as
pourtrayed by this writer, is calculated to in
list your prejudices against me, and to hold
me up to public view as an enemy to the
poorer class Of citizens, &c. 1t is not nv in
tention at present to enter into long discus
sion of this subject, as presume that the re-
ply which was lately made, lin my absence)
to this anonymous writer by friend, under
the signature of " IN enemy to unfair Deal
ing" has placed it in point of view, calcu-
lated to remove every unfavorable impression
1t is, however, due to myself and to those
who have had the honor to represent, to
offer few remarks, to rebut the artful and
malignant conclusions which have been drawn
by the writer of 6 One of the People," from
the vote in question. 1t is said that this vote
is arstrocratic and odiously oppressive on the
poor &c! Strange, indeed, that after a
lapse OF half century this discovery has Just
been made by this ingenius and honest poll
tician Il is now two years since mn vote
on this question was < given, and altho' the
Journals Of the Senate have, without doubt
been in the possession of this writer. or his
hp suIs hos
turbed to the present day, when it is intro
duced On the eve of an election, magnifed
and distorted into the most hideous form. If
the law had been thus oppressive, was it not
the duty OF this vigilant friend of the people
to have apprized them of its existence before
this late day? Why permit it to rest two
years? Why not, if he possessed those prin-
ciples by which every man ofhono, is infiu-
enced, have acted promptly and made an i'm
mediate development of the vote / gave ?
But this would not have answered his insidi-
Gus purpose-time would have been allowed
me to vindcate myself before the people-
the absence of that heat and intemperance
which elections are but two apt to produce,
would have been giving me too favorable an
opportunity to have completely justified my
sell to my constituents. Thus it is fellow
citizens, that the actions and motives of hon.
est men are too frequently misrepresented at
the expense Of HONOR, TRUTH and JUS
T1CE.
When the amendment to strike out the ex-
emptlng section was before the Senate, | did
not feel myself at liberty to vote for 1.-THE
militia laws being very generally promulga-
tea among the people, and having never
heard complaint relative to the exemption.
and consequently having never received any
instructions to oppose its continuance, very
naturally concluded that the people acquies-
ced in the law, as being salutary one.
accordingly exercised my own Judgment and
voted with the majority tseven Republicans,
and three Federalists, to five in the minority,)
TO continue the clause as it then stood In
forming this opinion, / acknowledge. that
independent Of my own conviction of its pro-
priety, was also greatly influenced by the
consideration of its having been provision
adopted by our ancestors half century ago,
and continued throughout the Revolution by
successive Legislatures composed of men
whose virtue and wisdom, and whose regard
for equal rights has never been questioned)
to the present day. Is it equitable, is it cha
ritable then to charge this provision as
crime upon me, when it appears on record
that the original law has been passed forty
SIX years previous to my taking seat in the
Senate or, to confne myself to its adoption
ssnce the neutrality-suspicious. years from
that period previous to my election to a seat
In that body! Has not the Legislature of
our state been almost unanimously Republi-
can since the adoption of its constitution ?
WIN any one then have the temerity to as
cribe this law to the Federal part of the
house? If it has been my misfortune to have
Jailed in representing your wishes on this
subject, | can only say, that my conduct was
the result of honest motives, and not such as
have been ascribed to me by my enemies.
confidently invite an investigation of my