The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1843-03-18
From The Charleston Mereay.

Our readers will see, by the following letter from
distngui source, how the Convention has been
managed at Richmond. /, remains 10 be seen whe-
Their the people Of the Old Dominion will be man
aged by Convention SO managed.
loORsEsPoSDnNcE THE MERouRrl
Extract OF a letter dated,
RIoHMoEp, March 7th, 1873.
SIR.-The, result of the State Convention of Vir-
glnia which assembled here the ID inst, VIII
doubtless have reached YOU before you receive tins
That result would seem unpropious 10 the prospects
Of MIR. Calhoun, but we his friends here hatter our
selves that # is not even fair expression of the
sense Of the Convention itself Much less is il
curate index to the feelings and preferences of the
people Of the State.
The Convention organised on the call of Mr.
Richie who had previously informed himself alike
upon whom he might rely, and whom he should avoid.
lie placed as the temporary President known Van
Buren, man. He appointed Committee TO nomi-
nate officers and that Committee by one majority
proposed Van Buren, President and Secretaries and
two Of four Vice Presidents.
Ii was not deemed prudent To offer opposition 10
this proceeding after the first move, knowing that
such opposition must be made great disadvantage
The next step was to appoint committee OF 70, one
from each Congressional District and two for the
State at large, to draft address TO the people.
This Committee was appointed by the Chair OF course,
and il was the address that We determined TO
give battle feeling entirely confident of having the
vantage ground We succeeded in committee after
a warm contest, and our report was adopted. IL was
perfectly obvious however that the struggle was to
be gone over on larger scale in the Convention yet
many Of the Calhoun deeg aes thinking the question
virtually settled as their Committee had deer
ded for us left the City We still believed we had
| the strength and felt no fear of the result.
! We had TO contend against one dsvantage whiSh
! finally proved nsurmountable, to-wt, want OF Par
liamenlary skill and discipline The first fatal move
was from of own men. Ii was that the vote
should be taken by Counties instead Of per capita As
| fatal as was the utmost effort could not
rally party against it. Perhaps moiety united
with the Van Buren, strength and voted the PROPOSE
! ton through. After that il not possible to ex
hbt our strength, and every thing was carried agans
| us. Ii reduced the number of votes n the Conyen
ton at the most to 1874, and placed the majority
without the hope Of successful resistance in the hand
of Mr. Rtchie and his particular satellites Of the lie
gslature He alone commanded some 20 votes in hi
own person; and majority perhaps were members
of the Legislature mostly devoted to his will and drec
ton Many of the distant Counties, unable to be repre-
sentedby their own county Delegates, because of the
great distance from Richmond, and ignorant of MIR
RS preferences, equally that any question woult
be agitated which would call for division, had ver
naturally deputed him to represent them. l all
thoroughly convinced that the Committee imbodie'
a fairer expression Of the opinion of the State thai
the Convention 1t was selected from every part o
the State and far better understood the subject.