Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1835-06-08
COMMUNICATIONS.
PirTsyLvANIA, May Both 1898

u tHt f'uuW ~ IH fVHtHpGS DtH'ofFU
Su-Noiselcss as has been the tenor of my way
through life, am honorcd, it appears by your spc
cial notice. | am not subscriber to Your paper
but, lest should lose the cdcation which its de-
bonair and cruditc columns never, presume, fail
to impart to its readers, you, Sir, have gratuitousy
transmitted the Democrat Of the 3Oth of April
to my address, with au endorsement upon it, !" RI
IN and Intdmy' -strikingly characteristic, ii must
be confessed, of the source from which il spruua.
Upon turning to It's contents, | find, under the
Pittsyvania head, the following statement "The
following is the result of the election in this county,
AT the various precincts. 1t is stated fact
(aud nothing more is wanting to establish the posi-
ton that the Democracy have enlisted against thcm
the whole mercantile and silk stocking gentry of
town and country that out of 30 merchants III tins
county, only two voted for the republican candi-
dates, and they were influenced by personal con-
siderdtons" You then give a statement of the
polls, viz :-Davcnport 626, Cole, 6lo, Witchcr
Gl2, Swanson OPP, Walton 597, Coleman 5i6
and comment upon il in the following terms, to
which my attention was directed, by manuscript
signs, thns o. %, made for that purpose by
yourself o." 1t would appear from the above
expose, that causes other than political, were
brought to bear upon the election AT j. Smiths
precinct. We doubt not that some nation saver
in that ncighborhood rules with a rod Of ron-ycs,
some remoscess dcspoi, by means Of ms tedgT,
cXcrts an influence dclctcrious to liberty and sub
vcr,ivc Of the rights of trrcmcn. We gratilicd,
however, in seeing that even there, an nnti-panic
reaction Of 3 or 4 votes has taken place since last
year--yes: and by next spring, this tonans Jupiter
will be hurled from his high estate by the Dcmoc-
racv in and about Jabc Smiths Store. m
Well Sir, let the fact be taken for granted that
out of 30 citizens, who are merchants only two OF
them voted for persons whom you are pleased 10
designate, as the republican candidates, and those
two, you add, were influenced by personal oonsd-
crationS. Suppose they did, were they not free
men But is this fair statement? Docs it ey-
hibit the whole truth Are not those thirty citi-
zenS merchants though they be, are they not also
for the most part farmers and planters, owning and
cultvating their own trccholds, and having a '.eo,
jority of their interests absolutely drMifcd, in
cry essential point with the interests of the q VII
body ofthc citizens of the county Are they ne
then, to all intcnts and purposes part of the pV
pie What good end is to be obtained, by cndo g.
voring to sci up classification of citizens, as t
mercantile and silk stocking gentry, and by
tempting to bring down upon their heads the odiu.
of their coun'rymen, under the more popular nom
NATIVE of the Democracy! Were they not a pal
of the voters, in this county, who have hilbert.
been taught to believe that they hada right to vote
/ freely, and above board for the men of thci,
! choice Were they more criminal than the res,
of the voters, BY whom Davenport, Witchcr all
Swanson were supported Would you have chart
| Ced them with the crime OF being " merchants and
silk stocking gentry" if they had voted for Cole.
Walton and Coleman Whas it not because the,
dared to vote for those long tried, able, and faith
full servants of the people, Davenport, Witchcr
and Swanson that You bcstow upon their six hun,
dred supporters 1or the terms applicable to
the whole as to part the odous cpithct of silk
stocking gentry ~ Yes, Mr.. Editor, il those same
citizens had had the bascncss to surrender their
consciences to the keeping and their votes to the
dictation of yourself and your political asso-
ciatcs, they would, whouta doubt, have been lau-
dcd to the skies. "All Hail. All Hail, Glory, Glory
Glory enough" would have been showercd upon the
heads of the pure demorraCy-thc genuine dyed in
the wool democrats. OF the two silk stocking
gentry" who you say, voted tor the republican cam
didatcs, from personal considerations, and whom
you charge with scryty and corruption, in the
exercise of their right Of suffrage, am free TO de-
clare my conviction, that YOU have done them gross
and fragrant injustice. They voted their scnti-
ments. ! doubt not honestly and independently
And if, Sir, this be the treatment which your friends
( receive at your hands, your enemies should surely
quake at the first nod of your dlspleasurc. That
must be tremendous.
The location of the charges that some g nation
saver in the neighborhood of J. Smiths precinct
. rules with a rod of iron'-that some rcmorsc-
less dcspot, by means Of his iedger, exerts an in
fuence dclctcrious to liberty, and subversye the
rights of freemcn," coupled with the threat that
this " tonans Jupiter should be, next spring, lur
ed from his high estate by the democracy, in and
about .Jabc Smiths Store" plainly proves that
they were intended to apply to me. And, Sir, if
] supposed that you were the real author of them,
! should probably dismiss them. unn0ticed, with
the contempt which they deserve. But you, Sir,