Monongalia mirror. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1855, 1853-03-05
POLITICAL.
CIR CULAR

AILnVuRn tnC ia" 'S"tlN'NsNb'hS
the State mnler The last census has
no, YET passed, It seems to he render.
ci probable that The coun,its named
will compose the district for the north.
west.
There are guestions CONCERTED with
the next canvass which you are only
competent To determine, aud it is pro.
per that they should be early laid be.
fore you.
Asa member of the congressional
convention which met at Blacksville
on the 2lst Of January, 1915, l pro.
posed, as the official proceedings show,
rule with reference TO our district
which dues no, seem to be properly
understood at the present day. Per.
NIT mo TO recurto its language:
"On motion of Mr.. Clemens. the
following resolution was adopted:
"Resolped, That while this conven.
ton acknowledges that its members
have no power to tetter the action OF
afuture convention, regularly appoint
cd by the people, yet we declare it as
our opinion, which we conceive to be
founded upon correct and equitable
principle, that rotation in office is ap-
plicable to territory as well as to per-
sons, and we believe, and hereby ex.
pressly stipuate, that the mountain
and river counties shall have the rep.
reservation in Congress, alternately,
each for four years.
The adoption of thatrule may have
been a fatal and indiscreet step. Its
advocacy on my part may have been
more matter of impulse than Of sa-
gacious premeditalion; and some of
the very best and most circDmspect
men in the district have always de.
nounced it in terms of the severest
apprehension. 1t is undeniab1e that.
the only effect it has had hitherto has
been TO foster sectional controversy,
and to open to us an utter exclusion
upon the representative at,he very
time when. after matured experience
in Congress, he was best fitted to
serve you. Instead Of being the rep
resentative of the whole district, he is
made in fact the representative of a
part. The barriers in,erposed by
Nature upon our territory are perpet-
ua,ed, and made part Of our political
policy.
1t is true that the resolution does
not profess to bind future conven-
tion-it was a mere declaration Of
sentiment-bu it had and still has an
unseen and all.pervading influence,
amounting to permanent covenant
of prejudices. 6S@
Under these circumstances there
are two questions fory outo decide:
First. Shall the rule heretofore
subsisting for the future be abandon-
edo u
Second. If you determine it shall
be enforced, which particular4geogra-
phical section of the district is emit
tied to the next term in Congress.
Throwing out Of consideration as
far as possibly can any benefit !
may be supposed to derive from the
policy, permit me to suggest that SO
far as we are concerned as one peo-
pie, so far as you are Interested inthe
efficiency of the public service, it will
be for the better that no such exclu-
sion should be tolerated by You here
after. 1t will create, as it has crea-
ted, bitter feuds between the leading
men, not merely Of the district, but
Of every section of it. 1t may ope-
rate, in this view, to the entire des-
,ruction Of your party supremacy. It
may deprive you hereafter Of the SER
vices Of your best men, and put your
power in the hands of the inexperi-
enced and the inefficient. ~
hope you will do me the justice
to believe that, in the declaration Of
these deliberate convictions, | am do
ing my duty to you, at the hazard,
probably of not pleasing many.
With reference, then, to the ques.
ton as to the next term, in case the.
exclusion referred to should be per-
petuated, it seems to me perfectly
plain that the next term in Congress
belongs to the river counties.
" The resolution does not provide
that each section shall have the candi.
date, as seems to be contended in some
quarters. Such was certainly not its
purpose. The very equality intended
to be secured might, under such cir.
cumstances, be destroyed. We have
such case presented even now.
Under that rule the Hon. W. G.
Brown served four years. Judge
Thompson was selected as his success.
sor He was defeated by Col. Hay
mond, and he served out his term.
making six years for the mountain
counties. Atthe next election Judge
Thompson was again selected, and
was triumphant over his former COM
pe,itor. Under this state of the case,
The river counties have only had two
years of the eight, Of the representa-