Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1853-05-06
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FELLOW w'CrTIxENs Hif ans.as
The Wing Convention which assembled at
Pittsylvania Court.house the 2slh Of April has
thought proper to nominate me. as the Wing
for Congress in this district; and in
responding to the call thus made upon me.
may truly say that up 10 tho very time when
this nomination was made, no man in the dis
trict anticipated such a result less than did.
The nomination was not sought or desired by
me, but il having been made--and the time boz
tween this and the day Of election being 30
short as not TO admit of any other organiza-
lion OF the Wing party. do not feel at LIBEL
ty to disregard the call Of the Convention. think.
ing as do. that the Wings Of the State gener-
ally owe il to themselves and the country, to
make an earnest and united effort to thwart
the object of that odious and tyrannical meas.
ure, by which it has been sought to stine the
voice of tho entire Wing party Of tho State.
For the first time. in the history Of this Com
monwealth at least.a party majority in the Leg
islature has made the open and ayowed attempt
30 to arrange tho Congressional Districts that
it's opponents should not be represented in the
National Legislature, and in the preparation
of this great wrong, tho members of that ma
jority have utterly disregarded the plain and
unequivocal requirements OF aConstitution,
which they were solemnly sworn to support.
That this Congressional District has been
arranged solely with a view to tho ascendcp.
cy of the Democratic party, without any re-
Il aaft
Pile, and in open disregard Of that clause Of
the Constitution which requires the districts to
be composed Of contiguous counties, and to be
compact, any ono will be satisfied by mere
glance at tho map. And that as little regard
was had TO that other rcquirementoft theConsi
tuition, as well as of simple justice TO sixty thou
sand Wings OF the State. viz: that the districts
should contain as far as practicable equal Fed
eral numbers is equally manifest Under the
law of Congress, this State being entitled to ID
members of the House OF Representatives, the
ratio of representations fraction ovcio3.0oo.s
Under the Act of the Gen. Assembly, the LIST
district has 02,Sl5, the End district 9l,257;
the 3rd district 104 1873, and the two contigu-
Gus districts on the cast Of the Blue Ridge,viz
the 4th and 9th, have; the first named, log,
41s; and the last, oO.45o, while this, the 9th,
contains l0l,3s3 BY placing Appomattox in
the 9th, that district would contain 97,732,and
this 94. 10.
Why then was Appomattox placed in this
District 1t was certainly not because it would
mako the district compact--nor because tho
counties OF the district would be contiguous
nor because the Federal numbers in the va.
rious districts would thereby be rendered as
nearly equal as practicablc-no yet because
there was indemnity of interest and intimate as.
sociation between that county and all the other
counties OF the district. The county of Patrick
has it's western boundary on the top of the
Allegheny and touches the waters which flow
into the Mississippi the county of Appomat-
tox lies low down on the James River and
may be said almost TO be in view OF iidewater.
And venture to assert that prior to the per-
petration of the outrage by which these coun-
ties were thrown into the same district there
was not single citizen in either county, who
ever contemplated the possibility Of his being
called upon to act IN conjunction witha citizen
of tho other, in the election of Representa-
tive in Congress. I do not allude TO these
counties with view Of arraying any feeling,
or exciting any prejudice between them; but
merely with the view ofshowing the utter dis
regard of all justice, convenience and consti-
tutora requirement. in the Act which has
brought them together in the present arrange.
ment Of the Congressional District. Let me
inquire then fellow Wings ofAppomattox and
Patrick; Of Campbell, Halifax, Pittsylvania.
franklin and Henry. whether you are prepar-
ed to bend your n.cks, and TO submit without
a murmur--to surrender without struggle.
10 the nefarious act--to the outrageous Gerry
mander, by which q reckless and uhscrupulous
majority has sought to stiAe your voices as well
as those Of you Brother Wings throughout tho
S,atei thrust not-I believe not. But You
will allow me TO hope. that you will answer this
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