Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1858-05-21
From The Richmond Examiner.

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From the Richmond Examiner.l L
The Late Charles Fenton Mercer.
Charles Fenton Mercer belonged .o!a
family distinguished in the history Of our
Revolution. We will pass over his fami-
ly, history, however. notu being very fs-
miliar with it. and confne our remarks
to his public life and character. n
Mr.. Mercer was first elected to the
Legislature of Virginia. from Loudoun
county, in 1910, and continued in that
position till 1917, when be was elected to
Congress. de took an active part in the
debates Of the Legislature during the
period ofhis service, and was justly class.
ed amongst its most talented members.
Ho distinguished himsalf particularly in
his advocacy Of call Of a Convention for
amending the old Constitution of the
State. Upon that question he came in
contact. on one occasion, with Littleton
Waller -Tazewell. the most powerful
champion of the old Constitution. and &C
Quilted himself to the entire satisfaction
of the advocates Of change in our orr
ganic law. On the subject Of internal
improvement, he was considerably in ad.
vance Of his day; his fellow~members
calling him an enthusiast in the cause,
and one OF them telling him, in speech.
that he was born just one hundred years
too soon to fulfil his mission in behalf of
roads and canals. - a-
In 1917. Mr.. Mercer became candi.
date for Congress in the Loudoun dis
trict, to succeed Joseph Lewis, who de-.
cliued a reelection. Mr.. Mercer ran as
the Federal candidate. and General Arm
istead T. Mason, distinguished and
popular Republican. took the field
against him. The district had been Fed.
eral from the frst division Of parties; John
Adams having carried it against Thomas
Jefferson in the first race between them.
when the electoral vote was by districts
The canvass between Messrs. Mercer and
Mason was active and acrimonious. and
resulted in the choice Of the former BY
less than one hundred votes. Out Of
this canvass, il we mistake not, grew the
serious difficulty between General Mason
and Col. Nc Carly. which ended in duel
with fatal result to the former.
Mr.. Mercer was e.elected to each sue
ceeding Congress, il our memory is moi
at fault, till 1889. when he voluntarily
retired to private life. a
Upon the national theatre to which he
was called, Mr.. Mercer took his position
among the ..star actors" and maintained
it creditably for more than twenty years
During that period he participated with
the master>spirils Of the HouseFof Rep.
resentatiyes 10 discussing the important
questions that came before it for oonsid
Grafton and action. His name appears
on the record as speaker as well as Q
voter upon almost every proposition Of
general interest. He grappled in debate
with many Of the FIRST minds OF his day
and always sustained his character tOsI
as a man of mark.
In his political sentiments. Mr.. Mercer
was Federalist Of the old school. and
his votes on party questions were conse
quently with the minority Of the Virgi
MIA delegation. with rare exceptions. He
supported the election of VIM. II. Cran.
ford for President in 1924; but. with that
exception. he never voted with his State
in Presidential election when there wa.
a contest. He supported Mr.. Monroe. 81
did nearly every body else. Of every par
". in Virginia and elsen
In consequence Of his zeal and enthu.
siasm in the cause Of internal improve.
ment. some Of his friends denominsted
him "the De Witt Clinton of Virginia
He was called. by general consent and de-
sire. to tho presidency of the Chesapeake
and Ohio canal; and it was then more
than 80 years ago) confidently believed
that his conspicuous connection with that
work would materially strengthen his
claim to the title with which he was hon.
ored. But their bright anticipation in
that respect was not realized; owing how
ever. TO causes which neither Mr.. Mercer
nor any other men could control.
Mr.. Mercer was conspicuous mem,
Der Of the State Convention Of 1929 30
AS the call of tha. Convention had been
secured as much through fundamentally
Of Mr.. Mercer as that Of any other man .
his election was matter OF form and not
OF contest in district in which there
was an almost undivided sentiment
against the old Constitution. In the
Convention. he was among the most UNI
compromising and efficient champions OF
Western interests. With Doddfidge,
Cooke. Powell, Summers and Others,
he gained eclat in the West in .smeasur-
ing arms" with Eastern men Of world
vide fame as debaters and orators. Not
withdrawing his Federalism as a nation
al politician. Mr.. Mercer was. in the Viz
ginia Convention. radical Democrat Of
the FIRST water; one not surpassed in in
tensity BY Andrew johnson, the present
worthy Representatives of Tennessee in
the United States Senate, who IL said BY
his enemies to define admirably the char.
acter of Red Republican. In discus.
ing the Basis Of Representation and the
Right OF Snffrare Mr. Marcer tnnk AZ.