Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1846-05-14
To Mc Editor of The slaunton Spectator

SIR,-The position you had occupied in our COM
munity for independence and candour, and your APP
peal to the public through your paper of the End OF
April, for ''the same consideration and respect for
your opinions and motives" which YOU then avowed
you ''reely accorded to friends who differed from
YOU" have hitherto prevented commentary ON your
very assailable editorial of that date. Your old
friends trusted that strong personal predictions and
preJudlces had miSled you for a time and placed you
in wrong position, as they sometimes do very up
right and sensible men. They therefore felt dis
posed to bear with you in the hope that calm refiec
ton would put you right agan-and TO aid this de-
termination of forbearance it did not seem TO them
that your argument in support Of the singular posi-
ton you had decided to assume could possibly mis-
lead any else. You avowed yourself friend
OF the White Basis of representation for the very
conclusive reasons that it was the most simple,
safe, and republican, and more readily adapted to
every change of circumstances throughout the Com
monwealth You said it was a principle for which
you had been ardently battling, on all suitable occa-
sions, for more than sixteen years Yet, holding
such sentiments, and it having been always I'M
pleasant to you even to seem to take sides in your
editorial character in controversies between friends
in the late canvass principles high public CON
slderatlons were inyolved,' which required you TO
oppose candidates holding your own views ON that
important subject, and to support candidates avow-
ing opposite sentiments and avowing determination
to act on them if reelected. This was strange
enough, but moreover, being White Basis man,
you objected to the issue drawn into the late canvass
as being opposed to the position which Augusta had
heretofore maintained in regard to the question: and
involving responsibilities and consequences which
she was not prepared to meet. Now the issue was
simply whether Messrs. Baldwin and Masse had
violated the will OF their constituents in voting in
'he Legislature against the organization of a con-
Vention on the White Basis and for It's organization
on the mixed or arbitrary basis. What responsible
Ties and consequences did that issue involve alarm
ING to one who had 'ardentIy battled" for the
Wmte Basis Tor sixteen years? You said in your
editorial that Augusta had sent delegates 10 the
Iewsburg convention to tell our Trans AIleuhanv
Brethren that 'they had our syrnpathy''-that s.we
sun stood with them on the broad platform of prin
clpe, and were ready to aid them in all yequt,y and
constitutional efforts 10 obtain their rights" Yet
you, one of the delegates to that convention. who
bore that message, and made that PROMISE on behalf
OF Augusta, now think it proper 10 breaI, it in effect
by sanconng the conduct of delegates one of whom
was the means by his casting vote in committee. OF
having bill reported TO the House, organizing a
convention ON the arbitrary basis of the House Of
delegates, instead of on the White Basis-both OF
whom without firing gun TO ''aid" the Trans
Alleghany people In that "reguIar and constitution