Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1857-09-30
MIR. Sigar at Harvey's SCHOOL,
house, Livingston Parish.
Baron ROUGE, Sep. %, 1857.

~ t"e EatN " me Advocate
r. nit me t" give you a truthful account OF
the Great q Davidson Ratification meeting
which took place on Saturday last at Harvey's
school.house in The parish of Livingston--Da,
Wilson's stronghold. | was there, according
TO promise, to meet your seIf>styled Democrats
lc candidate WOO, as you informed me Yourself.
was TO De on the ground aud to address the
people l"bstrved carefully, counted, ques-
TONED cF0ss>questioned, and took notes ''to
print EN-" if necessary.
reached the scho0l-house about 10 O'Clock
IN Inc morning, in company with Mr.. Harvey,
MS son, and Mr.: Kenrick. and found about fifty
persons on The spot. OF these. some came
from the immediate neighborhood of Mr.. Da>
wilson, in the Northwest corner Of the parish,
some from the neighborhood Of Mr.. Benton,
who got up the meeIiug ard figured as the
Grand Master Of Ceremonies on Tie occasion;
Inc others came from the French settlement,
led on by Dir. LobeI. There were a few others
present who had accidentlv heard Of this Great
Ratification Convention ~ as you call it, on
The very day on which it was to be held, or on
the preceding day. Before. the meeting was
organized. | counted three several times the
persons in attendance, the result varying from
~ to Sc. Taking, then, the largest number
as the correct one, there were in all eighty-nine
persons present at this Great Ratification Com
vention Ia Convention gotten up by Mr..
Davidson and his friends in his own parish,
intended to be a parish Convention too, and
called as such
But the manner and mode of The call are as
significant as the paucity Of members in atten-
dance. No circulars or notices Of the meeting
were issued in the parish of Livingston, or
posted up at the usual places or at Springfield
where the Court House is located. The call
was made through The Baton Rouge Advocate,
which was mailed at Baton Rouge on the
preceding Monday, and reached Springfield on
Tuesday evening. ii is true that the Spring
field Gazette was requested 10 copy; but as
The Springfield Gazette Is issued on Saturday
only, the announcement Of this great ConVen-
ton could not have gone forth through its
columns before the very.day of the holding Of
it. What wonder that ouiy those who lived in
the neightorhoOd Of Davidson, Of Mr.. Benton,
and Mr.. Lobel knew anything of it! Messrs.
Harvey, kenrick, Allan and others living within
a mile of the school house, heard OF it for the
first time on the very day. or the previous day.
Is it not evident that Davidson intended this
parish Convention to be a very nice little pri~
vate affair of his own, not to be interfered with
by his opponents, and to be magnlhed by his
organs into a grand unanimous endorsement OF
his immaculate purity Of character both as a
Democrat and a man.
Let me now return to the history OF the
meeting. Having been introduced TO some OF
DaviGsoR's friends and neighbnrs, | asked them
whether Mr.. Davidson would attend. His
s0n answered that his father was sick and could
not leave his house. Mr.. Rose, Davidson's
overseer, said that he (DavidSon) could not be
present, having gone to the parish OF 81. HeIe~
ma on business. A third whose name | do not
nov remember, was so positive as to David
sons illness that he could tell the very cause
of it. Another one, who, with a dismal face
and som apparent foreIhonght, had been ex-
aiming very closely the proportions of this
great Parish Convention, swore that Davidson
was not there because he knew nothing of the
meeting and had nothing to do with it. Un-
fortunately for all these stories. besides their
inconsistency, a gentleman from East Feliciana
had seen Davidson the day before the holding
of the Convention and had reported him in
health.
immediately after the speaking, the resolu-
Of ratification were put, and the yeas and
nays being counted, it appeared that there
Fun ~NINE FolIhS AbCWs h'Sh
must be deducted two boys and Messrs.
and Gillespie, who are not residents OF
the parish and should not have bsen admitted
to vote. There were forty against the adop-
ton, from which number seven non residents
must be deducted. The vote, therefore stood
for the resolutions, As; against them, SO.
Had the meeting lasted one hour more, many
Of my friends, who, | have since learned, were
On their way and IN SEARCH of the place Of
would have added enough to the
present 10 reverse the action of the
meeting and to ratify my nomination. As it is,
am well pleased with the result of my visit to
Livingston. ! have found as warm and enthu-
,iastic friends as could possibly wish. ! shall
,anvass the parish in October. have the most
,ntire confidence in the people "they will dare
10 the right" when they know it.
Yours truly,
l.. ], SIGUR.