Winchester gazette. [volume] (Winchester, Va.) 18??-1826, 1813-10-02
FROM the" Light House"

| literary character Of considered, l
distinction, and aiscays Of the Demo
cratic Party.
ELECT{ONEERING
MIR. Editor-Some time ago read IN
Ia Newspaper, that iu u conversation
bout America the Arch Conqueros
Bonaparte should have said :. The
Representative system destroys ITSELF
IF 1t had been common man that said
ise, would have considered the thing
as an eHusiou Of GroS but as the eX-
preston came from y man, who can
cut conquer Alexander, and Out-strick |
old Nick, it struck me forcibiy that, asl
Duane has it, there must be something,
behind Therefore, could not for
get the sentence, though could not
catch at the how and why ? of it.
Long and in vain bothered my head
with it, till at last--and it was at al
late election in KY. seeing how things
went onto Lnd o Lud how things
went on /! ~ stumbled at once upoa
the key of the ridd!c-The art o. cleo
tioBeering aciti be brought to such an
abominabte perfection thGt none bit the
most ;corthlesS ,oiH any more offer as
Candidates and no honest man ,ciu turn
ont any more TO gire his roie from fear
Of Tossing his property or character
or us the phrase IS risiinS his Popu-
{arity. POPULARITY ! POPULA-
Ri rY! Nothias but POPULARITY
it stands at the head of every virtue
anl of every reward.
II Il Justice Of Peace takes care al
ways to shape his Judgments SO Us to
please those that can bring a parcel Of
votes into the field Of battle, - he is
fast gaining Popularity. He may
otier, and - will stand a good poll. If
a Captain OF the militia treats his Gem
pauy al master, with whiskey instead
of exercise, and takes care to cross
none, if he possibly can Sc, over it, or
only such rs are too poor or too ddmb
to command votes, he is gaining pn-
puIarity." Ii a Doctor is carefa, TO
charge those wealthy standards Of
families, that can BRING hundreds OF
votes iii their trail, or what means here
the same thing, Influential characters,
only half price, and 10 take g his own
again from the still, lahorious, honest,
bat - uneonnected'' pioushman, he
w,ll be elected whenever he pieases.
Ii II man who is already blessed with
8 influence" takes care To have his
children married in other - influential
families, that vote - e7i meSsa,' his
popularity will be enormous /: he may
set up Tor King, and will - so'' If even
he should be the NEST notorious villain
on earth.
Il, on the other hand, magistrate
does conscientious!y his duty, he is
certainly the * most Unpopular charac-
ter in the country" LII merchant
finds it necessary to put his accounts
into the hands Of the sheriff fer co!lec-
!iUn, against one or two slow paymas-
ters, who have great family connecti.
ons, he will soon he told that he has
lost = popularity IN that part of the
country. Thus every virtue is swallow
ed up by the word " popularity" by
that" mushroom popularity which is
gained without one virtue and lost
without u fault" If audidate will.
not follow the laws OF the elcctioneer-
ing system, that is, if he makes him
self not utterly contemplate in shei
eyes of every honest man, it is mira
Gle if he be elected.
Let us follow one Of those vote hum
ters in his elcctioneeriDS career!
When by such means as have BEEN
mentioned above, gentleman has all
last made himself SO far g popuiar,"
as TO venture upon offering for the
legislature, he then frequents IA thing
which perhaps he never did hefore)
, the meeting houses. Devoutly ne
enters among The congregation. II i'll
be Baptist meeting he by Ito meansj
fails 10 declare to the elders or to thel
preacher, that he has not moment'si
doubt ti.eir mode of baptizinS is the
. most anticnt and evangelical. He
will hint, broadly, that his lady has
ever had great prediction for that
profession, and declares, that If shei
should desire to be immersed in the
Jordan, he neither could nor would
have the least objection. Next Sunday
he joins Presbyterian Sacrament as
devouiIy as before, and declares him
self smitten with the correctness of
I their mode of worship, and principally
with the superiority Of their preachers,
they being men of learning and elassi-
cal education. After this, he, as it'll
we're, accidentally enters methodist
congregation, and all but-sulters him
self to be converted by the powers"
elicited by their wonder working prea-I