Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-10-06
wHlG STATE CONVENTION.
CHARLoTTEsyILLE, !
Friday, Sept. 26th, 1851. I

said As an Eastern gentleman l return
my thanks to the gentleman who has Just
nominated Mr. Watts. ! assure you that
he will receive from my section Of the east.
a cordial support Now the east has a
candidate and the west has candidate but
we have another section of the State TO
| crafty, and l would, therefore, select as a
candidate for Attorney General, gentle
man from the Valley ofVirginia. He is a
gentleman Of distinguished ability as a law
yer, and as politician uuequalled in the
State. He has ever been ready to unfurl
the Wing banner and fight under it. and
wherever he has fought victory has smiled
upon it. Whenever distinguished cham.
pions from other quarters ofthe State come
in his immediate vicinity, he is the man
that is called forward 10 meet them, and
wherever he has met them, success has at
tended him. He has the honor Of having
demolished one Of the most distinguished
and gallant sons Of the democratic party.
He stands equal to any man in the State
! Of Virginia. His fame is known through
out the broad commonwealth. He is the
man who said, when the contest was he
tween the gallant son Of Kentucky and
Gen. Taylor: 81 admire Henry Clay--nay:
| love him; but lay aside all these things
for harmony, and will take General Tay-
lorin order TO carry the Wing banner
successfully" The man to whom | aliudc
is Andrew J. Hunter, Of Jefferson. Great
applause.)
Mr. j. II. Gilmcr, of Hcnrico said: That
it was with feelings of great pain that he
found himself diiicriug-houestly differing
with the gentleman last up. They were
all brethren of the same faith and al
though he did not rise directly to oppose
the nomination which had been so eloquent
ly and patriolically made, yet he rose TO
do what he considered duty devolved
upon him--very respectfully 10 place in
nomination another very distinguished gem
teman for the office Of Attorney General.
He had nothing to say in praise Of the gen.
tlcnan whom he was about to name. He
could pronounce no eulogy upon living
man in a convention that was about to pass
upon his merits. He trusted. however,
that every whig present would consider
well his construction that would he put
on the step they were about to take, by
their opponents when they met them face
to face. The wings as party-as band
of intelligent patriots, had always pro-
scribed prescription. That was one of the
notices which had been inscribed on the
whig banner Of the United States, and it
was for this reason, and for this alone, that
he would now pnt in nomination the pre-
sent incumbent ofthe attorney generalshp
Sydney S. Baxter, of the city of Rich
mond. (Chcers.) While he should say
nothing in commentator Of Mr.. Baxter,
God forbid that he should cherish n thought
in condemnation Of his opponent who had
been nominated by the gentleman overthc
way. While he, Mr.. Gilmer, was prcpar-
ed TO endorse TO the fullest extent every
euogy the gentleman over the way could
pass upon his personal friend, Mr.. Andrew
Hunter, he felt bound to say, that if Mr..
Hunter was here, unless he had greatly
misconceived his character, he would be
the first to rise up and call upon the Con
veniion not to put upon the wing partythe
dangerous imputalion of prescribing a
faithful, tried, honorable and distinguished
officer, the very first time the wings were
about to come into power in Virginia. lie
knew Andrew J. Hunter intimately and
there was not warmer, rurcr, noblcr
more generous heart than his beating ia the
bosom Of Nirginian, great cheering and
he believed that there was no man in Nir-
ginia. after the great leader of the west,
more devoted to all the interests of the
State than Andrew J. Hunter. (Rcnewcd
cheering) He could say this with perfect
confidence, knowing the man and the poll
tician. Il could not therefore be said that
he (Mr. G.) was opposed to Mr.. Hunter,
but he believed, from what he knew of An
drew Hunter, that he would be the first
man to rise il this body and second the
nomination Of Sydney S. Baxter. He i'm
plorcd his brother Wings to reflect well
on the effect of nominating Mr.. Hunter.
How would that gentleman he met upon
the stump by the Democratic opponent ?
He would be told ''yonr own party has
prescribed Where is Sydney S. Baxter,
The late Attorney Generall What fault
had he committed that..is ownparty should
prescribe himl" Even if Mr.. Hunter was
the stronger man,would not tlia; argument
alone weaken all he could sayin bis defenccl
Mr.. G. concluded by again imploring gen
tlemen TO deliberate well before they acted
upon this question.
| NJ. A. Rivcs, Of Albenarlc, began by
expressing hearty wish that it might be
practicable for the Convention to attain the
same unanimiiy in this nomination that had
marked the preceding nominations. He
most heartily desired that the work of the
Convention should be work Of concilla-
ton and harmony, but he could not disguise
from himself, that if this nomination was
made in Convention without preliminary
effort to obtain an interchange of opinions,
and union of sentiment, the action of the
Convention would not be characterized by
that harmony which had hitherto prevail.
ed ia It's deliberations. fIc rose for the
purpose Of adding to the list Of names, but
if in so doing he exposed hi,nscllto the i'm
pntaiion of leaning to that odious doctrine
prescription, he should certainly shrink
from it. What Prescription when they
Were nominating for an office under new
consiitution-an Office to which every man
in the Commonwealth might have equal
and independent claims TO advance. He
| (Mr r. thought that he understood tic
force Of the English language. Could a
Wing prescribe Wing, or Democrat a
Democrat "Proscription" was for an
advocacy to discharge an opponent from
Office, not on account Of any inability to
perform the duties Of The office, but solely
on account Of political differences. That
he understood to be the odious doctrine oi
proscription-a doctrine which ought just
y to be odius. and which | trust never
will be practiscd upon by the wings off the
Commonwealth Of Virginia. lCheers. l.
Were they to he told that in presenting
the names ofother gentlemen for this office