Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1843-09-23

live TO sec the day when Virginia freeholder,
be he rich or poor, will be ashamed to declare
at the polls for whom he gives his suffrage
Nor when candidate for Congress or Legisla-
ture will refuse TO meet his constituents face to
face, and address them in his own fdror sir !!
No private caucuses, no newspaper harangues
for me sir, they may do north of Mason and
Dickson's line but do not suit our southern ha-
bits, sir.
well, said l. suppose you carry your no.
tions of independence so far as to think repre-.
sentative is not bound to obey his constituents
unless his own opinion agrees with theirs =
Sir said he, with smile, Il don't Ike to an
swer direct interrogations, and you are not my
father contessor On the first day OF election
it has always been my practice, as in old Eng
land, to attend at the courthouse, where con-
slider that every frecholder has right to ask me
any question he chooses. Uo,c would answer
such question as you have just put, sir, can
not tell olserherc and especially to you who
are not my constituent; but it is likely, sir, Ell
ther that would yield to my constituents, or
they to me for we never yet have quarrelled :;
and no other man ever had such constituents
as have, sir; they come off the good old Vir-
giniu stock, pure and unmixed.'
He loved to talk Of the old times when
Virginia was the empire state and when her
great men seemed to guide the spirit of the
whole Union. lie was full of anecdotes o!
these men, all Characterised and some days
their histories would form the cheftopc of his
conversation, but he generally wound up his
very vivid description Of past days after this
manner:
But, alas sir, the glory of Israel has de-
parted Old Virginia is no more The Vir-
ginia gentlemen of my younger days, our pride
and our beast, has ceased TO be reality; for
which we may thank that suicidal act the re-
peal ofthe good old English law of primogeni-
turc sir. Our politicians made a great mis-
take, sir, in breaking down our native aristo-
cracy. Whilst it existed, we had an ascen-
dency in the councils Of the nation, which has
now nearly ceased; our patrcians are on par
: with the successful Yankee traders, and the
backwoodsmen of wilderness which we have
} tooIishy permitted to be elevated into ne,c
states, sir. Why, sir, these Yankees are even
. making inroads upon our home-quarters. Not sa.
tisfed with being mere traders, sir, they wan,
to purchase our estates ! | must tell You an an.
ecdote of one of them; he had made his fortune
as tobacco merchant, which | suppose gave
him taste for the soil and in the course of hi,
travels in search of a plantation, he took fan
cy TO Roanoke | had just finished my din
; ner, when stranger was announced by Juba
ASK the gentleman into the parlour,' said |
In few moments tall, matter-of-lact New
Highlander came in, and very much at his case
took scat. After had rendered him the hos
pita!itics of my table, sir, inquired to what
. must attribute the honor Of The unexpected Vi
sit lie replied, why, Mr.. Randolph, wa
admiring this here plantation of yours and as
see, the land is naturally good, but rather over
: worked, but no matter the situation please
me, and if you are reasonable in the price,
) guess we can strike bargain in little less thar
no time
=, AS this was said under my own roof, sup
= pressed all anger, and very quietly said, per
haps, sir, you will first accompany me a shor
walk , To this he assentcd, and we walked il
silence until we reached the stream that di
yides my estate from my next neighbor's.
:, then, looking him sternly in the face, said, 'Yo
ha We grossly insulted me. sir, under my ow
roof; bat Virginia hospitality forbade my not
cling il there. How dare you, sir, ask Joh
Randolph, of Roanoke, 20 part with his patrimc
NAL estate, within view Of these patrimonia
: oaks, and surrounded by his patrimonial slaves
- If ever necessity compelled me to part with i
be assured, sir, to none Of your nation would
=, transfer it. There lies my boundary-pass it
quickly, sir, quickly and the next time y
- ever commit trespass on this side, look ou
:, sir, for my best rife-baH;;' He was quick
out of sight, sir, and that is the last offer eve
received for Roanoke The spirit of ga
10 sir, is fast destroying what little chivalry "
Ia had left, we are becoming a mere mattcr-o
We fact, money making people; and zoe poor sout
a erners are bound, hand and foot, to our "Egy
tian taskmasters' of New England. Yes, 81
as the glory has departed from Israel!' -
Nj In speaking Of the grea, men whom he adm
sw red. soon discovered that his three prncip
ed favorltes were Chief Justice Marshall NJ
al Tazewell, and Nathaniel Macon-whom he
ng ways called Uncle Nat Ifeycr any questic
arose at the whist-table he used playfully to e