Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1851-06-09

derry sergeant, poor private like myself speak in
whisper, OF the same thing in The encampment
IN iree country, before the flag of truce sent,
without exposing himself to be shot traitor Trai
tor how! The same treason that the general-in-chet
was ready to enact!
But alas, and unhappy man that am! Why did
not consult the editor the VHginan about my
here, e'er took the fatal STEP pending the enduring
and everlasting debate engaged in at the ser-
Gus and enormous expense OF the people Of Virginia
my constituents and all-ot Offering, in convention,
upon my Gown hook" and upon my best judgment, the
very best scheme, appeared to me, that could be Of
iered-and IN tho way too, OF eBeCtudt and alum
dant protection, as conceived-to take of the
best interests OF my constituents, and to advance the
peace and harmony and prosperity of this to me, be-
loved Commonwealth! suppose ought TO have
consulted him! Because, besides the other powerful
pathy to every species of croakng whatsoever whether
Of the respectable frogs. the little oades that
amuse themselves only " it'll their own racket"
And towards the close of his awful lecture, my au-
gust guardian and conscience keeper, booms aloit and
brandshes his jack knife in all sorts of fashions like
regular built Georgia ma or and about terribly in
ms peculiar hop, skip and jump style, and makes ones
hair stand on end, stiff porcupine feathers and
rily fir ghtens Ierrgfes me into fits with his unn-
lie ligibe and hidden obuscaton Of the dreadful things
he is talking about He splurges, like HERCULES
drunk about change OF pro
tuents'-"sure they would have been perempory"--
"unitirg with o11onents"erratlc Representatives.
"too late to instruct them"-the evil already entailed
West'-inlured constuency-too late to repair the in
DISQUALIFICATION meeting at Campbell court spoken
ot'-abandoned, because too late to do any good
party !--Wegented it, he opines-the Democratic
leaders, who suppose had got drunk in the evening"
Changed their quo amino from WHAT in the morn
ioeH And still he Here she goes; there she
goesf'whte basis Observation-Disclosures in their party
awkward abandonment of the mix
ed basis by Eastern Representatives again-He loves
to praise rather than blame-tte editors Fidelity to
the publie-magn Of our offence the poor
man mo choce-and all that sort of gibberish and bal
derdash Boob. what tail that cat has got, and how
she twists it about.
But this twisting, whirIing editorial tale, is too long
for me 10 keep up with any longer, and shall only fur
stuents and all heneighbors and tine whole surround
ing country and creation pretty generally, and all the
unknown parts clrcumjacent thereunto-and the rest
Of mankind besides, upon the accession to this neither
subunary world OF the sapen. editor of the Vrgnian
The schoolmaser is abroad manitesty and the editor
OF the Vrgnian i. an uustrious illustration of that
famous schoo-master that Goldsmith tells us Of
And still they gazed and still the wonder grew
That one small head should carry all he knew.
JAMES SAUNDERS.
Now, we ask those who have been in the habit
of reading this journal, if anything has ever ap-
peared in its columns to justify this disgusting as
sault, this nauseous dose from doctor Saunders?
When, where, or how, have we offended this "pu-
a1ssant" hero of the war of 1912? tits true, we
have exercised the admitted right of journalist
to comment on his course in the Convention. but
never with severity or with any other than kind
feelings and we submit to our readers whether we
have not done SO in spirit of fairness and cour-
tesy. Does this venerable assaila.t-ths war
worn veteran, claim exemption from all examina-
ton into his representative course by virtue of
his herosn, which history has forgotten to record,
sin the war of 1922? Or does he ask it in vr-
tue of those "long public services" OF which he
boasts, in the Convention of l829-servces, we
imagine which his constituents then as now, fail
ed to appreciate
We admit the validity of neither claim, and we
wish this ''purisSant'' hero of 1912 to under
stand that, so long as he occupies public posi-
sion, so long will the Virginian claim the right,
freely and fearlessly, to comment on his course,
regardless alike of his frowns and his smiles, of
his cloWnsh denuncatlons and of his unsought
praises.
We have read "Doctor'' Saunders diatribe
several times over, in order to discover, if posi-
bic, what the man was aiming at, what he had
pleaded in extenuation of his cratic course; but,
for the life of us, we can make nothing more of
his disgusting slang, than personal attack upon
us, as senseess as it was uprovokedrAnd did ever
mortal man read such stuff before? And can it
be possible that it is the production of represent
tative of this enlightened District in the Virginia
lZ,I
with the prefix of"Doctor"t to his name, "near |
half century afterwards"-of public servant |
who takes occasion to remind us his services |
have been song and arduous," and who one |
might therefore suppose, had learned little of |
the decencies and proprieties of lite? 1t is sad
truth, as humiliating as lamentabe, and we con-
TESS it with shame. But we do not intend to
permit him thus to cover up his misdeeds BY any
attempt to divert the public mind from them,
to his assault upon us. This is a trick to /
which politicians as vulnerable as he, not unfre-
quently resort, but it is one which shall not |
avail him now.
And here let us remind the reader what is the |
real question at ISSUE We charge that Dr. |
Saunders msrepresented his constituents by fail
ing TO sustain the Mixed Basis as it came up in
several different shapes, and by not heartily CO.
operating with the main body of the Eastern mem
bers, to carry that measure. This he denies by |
pleading specially that, though he did not sustain
these particular propositions, he redeemed his
pledge to his constituents by advocating a mixed
basis-and such basis (which the Examiner |
calls his pocket way-bill" for the reason that he
kept it in his pocket and never disclosed its mani
fold virtues, until after he had helped to defeat the
mixed basis proper, or that for which the main |
body of the East voted. We deem it needless |
here to recapituate the argument we have hereto
fore advanced against the miserable subterfuge |
hat, in sustaining any sort of mixed basis he was
his pledge to his constituents. We
nave shown,in a former number of this paper
now deeply he was committed to the mixed basis
proper by which his constituents justly under
stood the existing mixed basis, or one which would |
etain in the East the control of both houses of
he Legislature. 1t is idle to waste time in al
empling to show what is obvious to every mans
We desire, however, to give |
birds eye view of DR.. Saunders course on this
'asis question, by which his responsibility for the
discontinue of the East will be made more mani
est
In the Virginian of Monday last, we published
history of the basis question, and by turning to
hat article, it will be seen that on the 30th April
there were three basis propositions before the
House. The first was proposition A, or the ORR |
ginal Mixed Basis report of the Committee, with |