Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1846-01-29

chance, I'VE might gaze with ''stupid wonder"
and speechless establishment on this lameniable
event. But knowing, that there is dlsposer
of all events. who, being infalliie, Cannot err,
while we cannot have tie tenleniy 10 doubt
/ his wisdom, yet we cannot rerTess Tie heaving
] s;oh nor restrain the sympathetic ioar for the
untimely fate Of OH representative, whose ma
! nv sterling virtues we so much adrnired. Pro-
! found is tie grief that pervades the district
bu. unavairg as Profound " can but min
! gle our tears Of regret over ms grave, win the
prayer, "May The tarf press lightly rpon it!''
But in the ndstof the general sorrow which
nervades the District, Won should not forget,
/ that by This dispensation Of Providence, the
| performance Of another duty is incumbent on
you, ard which demands your immediate at
iention, viz: that Of appointing some suitable
person to serve out his unexplred term. This
will be work of no inconslderable magnitude /;
not that we have not sufficient ,aa'nbcs Of men
who are verify TO fill the oflice;-but the diff
ficuty of making proper selection, arises irom
! the great number of those whom you feel have
claims npcn your favors, and from W HON yon
have to select. Doubtless, every voter In the
District would prefer the selection Of his favor
lie for that office. over all Others. and we have
already seen that MANY Voters" emphatically
taking time by the forelock," lave, through
The Sentuel-almost before our deceased rep
rescntatives was cold in his grave, and certain
" before the news Of his death had traversed
| the Oistriet-recommended that untnching,
unwavering, and indomitabe old Republican,
JOS. II. S4,aIUELs, Esq, to the favorable con-
sderaton II the District, as ''fit and proper"
person for the station.
This being the case, then, yen are called up
on. dispassionaely, and with ds Invested
as much as possible from all undue bias. TO
weigh the pTetensions Of the various ndivdu
ais who have claims upon yonr sEfFrages, and
thus, by comparison, to ascertain which Of them
is possessed Of superior claims upon your sup
port, at las time. No man, however humble
his pretenaions should be treated with discour-
tesy; but the friends of every individual should
have fair hearing. Give each mans claims
their due weight and then see whose prepon-
derate; and 10 such an one give the preference,
! by giving him your cordial and undivided sup
port. 10 conform strictly to the dictates Of
justice, it seems 10 me, you should not. fjr the
time being, permit the preferences which you
may entertain for any other individual, 10 iHfu-
ence your course in this question in the least
But you should willingly and with ''alacrrity"
meet out that reward 10 han, 10 whom reward
is due.
The writer, who has presumed to address
ftt Oh Wis tiEpJlidIl StLJt1tt, - IUt So OlSSit-
liar to his democratic brethren. as to Lave no
favorite. My object in addressing You is, to
demonstrate the sup cIioriiy Of his claims apnn
your suffrages. He is man extensively known
in and out Of the District, no! more for bis tno
talents and invulnerable integrity as politi-
clan, than iyr the many ennohlinc and exal.iug
virtues which adorn his private character =
That individual is JOHN LETCHER, ESQ.
Of Rockbridge Possessing, as he doos, talents
Of no ordinary character; knowledge Of M
tional politics, second 10 no man in tha District;
Ia private character against which even the Gu
venome- tongued SANDER has II had the leme-
rity to raise its head with business habits sur
passed by few and adding to this the fact Of
his being an unfnching and genuine Democrat
OF the ,'elfersonan school, with the ability and
willingness ct all times, and under all circun-
stances. to defend his noble principles; lie
seems TO me pre-emiaently fitted ioy Tie STA
ton.
But his claims upon your favor, do not rest
for their strength, upon these all suificien; and
desirable qualifications alone. lie possesses
5 others Of a more tangible shape. Now. to sup
pose man has any claims upon the sufrage5
Of party, is to presuppose thai he has done
''some service" for that party. Claims upon
a party, rest upon acoThS. Of this character
are those of Mr. Letcher. lie is just as far
from being what is technically called "paEloT
politician,' as the glorious orb OF day is from
being the ''pale mistress Of the ocean," Heis'
emphatically 'corkulg politician. Not of that
class, to be sure. who sit in their parlors and
write letters, and whose sole object seems 10
he to secure 10 themselves. or for their particu-
lar friends, all the immediate emoluments tina.
victory obtains but he is one OF that class,
lhro' the fundamentally of whose ceaseless
eXertions, oietory is secured. He always has
been such.
Born ana raised ina community Of lc bitter
est and most incorporating Wings, we Yet
see him choosing the right. as if guided by an
instinct love of truth. And we find him. while
yet college youth. like the beardless David
Of old. graphing, through the press, with the
Goliah's of his county, and successfully vindi-
T eating his party and principles against the foul
asperslons by which the Wing writers were
endeavoring to make them odious and detesta-
he in the eyes Of the people. After this, tAro'
his insirumentality. was established the ''Val-
lay Star'-a paper which, under his able edi-
oral direction, has always welded most pow
ertnl and wholesome influence in favor of De
mocracy. And in lS40-that ever-memorabe
epoch IN the history Of the politics Of the coun-
try-wien desc,ii0a from onr ranks was the
order of the day---when Democrats of ten.
twenty and thirty years standing, appalled, at
the irowning front Ct defeat, Were by scores de-
seriing us-and when truly our political horizon
was all dark and forbddng-we find the Sin
defatigabe Letcher." as old father Richie
called him, undaunted and dauntless, throwing
himselilnto the midst of the fght-traversing
the western countes-delivering speeches n
writing for his paper-distribnting truthful CO.
cuments, and indeed, in every honorable way,
\ endeavoring 10 counteract the effects ots
Wing misrepresentation, land save the sinks1,
ship. That his unceasng and untiring effdrss :
in that canvass, contributed materially to pre-
serve Nirginia's bright eseutcheon from being
furnished by Wing victory, have not a
a doubt. And what man in the district fought
harder in the last presidential battle, than Mr..
L.? Ii there be such an one, know him not.