Staunton vindicator and general advertiser. (Staunton, Augusta County, Va.) 1858-1860, 1859-04-23
From the Tenth Legion.
70 the Democratic Voters Of tho Ninth
Congressional District,

|
It seems we are to have contest between
the friends Of a Convention, on the one
hand, and the gallant Democrats enlisted
u7ede7 the ants-cancus banner. on the other,
and the battle to be fought to the bitter end.
Will the unity and harmony Of the Demo
cratic party be promoted by such a conflict
or rather, will not the conservative usages
Of the party be obliterated? 70 avoid the
present state of affairs, and looking to the
effects Of free fights upon the future, ad-
dressed note Of warning to the Democrat
ic party ;-and my excuse for now obtru-
ding myself upon you is not to repeat what
[ then said, but to leave the opponents of a
Convention no excuse for misrepresenting
the facts which occurred in 1871, respect~
ing the canvass for Congress in that year,
in which [ was a prominent actor. [ do
not suppose that the occurrences Of that
day are wilfully misrepresented; but that
owing to the length Of time, they are for
gotten or Inexperienced, yet the anti-cau-
Gus party have resorted to them to sustain
their cause. A plain statement will suffice
to convince every unprejudiced mind that
the two contests are entirely dlssmular.
The District then was composed of the
counties Of Rockingham, Pendleton, Bath,
Page, Shenandoah Hardy and Warren,
and my position will be seen from the fol-
lowing extract from an address published
in the Rockingham Register about the LIST
Of April Of that year:
''The result of the Convention which met
at New Market on Monday last, makes it
necessary that I should explain the position
| now occupy before the people. The in
tention Of the Convention was to obtain an
expression of opinion from the whole Dis
trict, to reconcile the sectional preferences,
and to unite upon some suitable individual
likely to preserve the harmony Of the Dem
ocratic party The object was a laudable
one, and, after the annunciation of so many
candidates, met with my appreciation. It
was for some days past generally believed
that an attendance Of delegates from all the
counties in the District could not be had :
but as such an event was possible, delegates
were appointed at my request, by a meet
ing in Woodstock, to attend at New Mar
ket The persons comprising said meeting
saw fit to accompany the appointment with
instructions, that unless there was gener-
al attendance, they should not consent to
acquiesce in a nomination by the Conven-
ton. The meeting was organized, and a
committee appointed to consider and report
upon the propriety Of resolving into Con-
vcntion, against which a majority Of the
Shenandoah delegation and perhaps several
delegates from Rockingham, demonstrated,
upon the ground that but three out Of the
seven counties in the District were repre-
scented The committee reported in favor
of the Convention, it was confirmed by a
majority of the meeting, and thereupon the
Shenandoah delegation, except those from
the New Market precinct, withdrew, leav-
ing in the Convention delegates from two
entire counties only, Buckingham and
Page, and a small portion of Shenandoah"
A portion Of the proceedings of the New
Market Convention, and Of a meeting in
Page, are also given:
''The committee reported the following
resolutions
Resolved AS the sense of this Commit
tee, it is expedient at this time to go into a
Convention.
Whereupon, Mr.. John Sibert arose and |
the withdrawal of that portion I
Of the delegation Of Shenandoah which was I
appointed at a meeting held in Woodstock,
IN accordance with the following resolution,
adopted by the meeting which appointed |
them: