Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1859-02-18
From the Petersburg Press
To the People Of the Fourth Congressional District
Of Virginia.

To the People OF the Fourth congressional Dsuict
Of Virginia.
The Hon. VIM. q. Goode has issued an AL
dress. and scattered it thick a autumnal
leaves over your District, in which he charges
his competitors with "intrigucS and machlna-
tons to s%upplant him insinuates that they
circulate false reports Of his health, "becarsc
their wish is father to the thought" and calls
upon YOU 10 protect him against the Impotence
of ambitious aSpirants.." For these "chimcraS
dire" of his disturbed imagination, ! have no ca
plantations to make. and no onslaught to de
prccatc. But he shall have n Rowland for his
oliver The high vaulting ambition, the die
~tatorial spirit. and the sel:aSSumed superiority.
that, lin his own eStimation,) make HIM 1.-THE
accepted and acceptable representative OF the
Fourth Congressional District" and assign to
those who dare to oppose him the ignoble work
Of intrigue and Vaccination to supplant him,
cannot escape the condemnation Of a just. IN
lightened and generous people. He is a scholar,
and knows the meaning of the words he uses
According to a dictionary before me, the verb
..Supplapt'' means ITO displace by stratcScin,
to trip up the heels, to turn out"
Mr.. Goodies representative term expires, By
constitutional Limitation, OH the Sd day Of March.
Before that day, to remove him from his place
might be TO supplant, to displace, or to Dust
him. But after that day, he holds no place
from which to be displaced-no office from
which ITO be turned out" And if he did, who
is To Misplace" or turn him out" Nobody,
Of course, but the people. IN the people, then,
if anybody, must fall the heavy gilt of sup
planting this selfasSumed accepted and accep-
table representative" The good book tells Us.
'.out Of the fullness OF the heart the mouth
speaketh." and hence il is that Mr.. Goodies
language implies a continuing title to the repre-
sentative office, after it has expired and is no
longer his. Certainly, in every just application
of the term, he i, seeking to supplant me as
much as | am to supplant him, But, further,
he saws he has been nominated twice and elect
ed three times. and, therefore. IF no Convcn-
ton be demanded by the people" (nark the
language-it means something's he is entitled
to the advantage OF the position Of the regular
Democratic candidate, and that all opposition
TO him is an assault on the Democratic organi-
~ization.' 1t may be that Mr. Goodc is a most
excellent Judge of what constitutes an assault
on the Democratic organization, since, in the
meridian Of his life. with all his powers; mental
and physical, in full vigor and maturity, he
tried. with a right good will. to crush it out for
ever.
Nay, if my memory be not at fault, | think
he has denied his allegiance TO the democrat.
ic organization even since nc dotted his Wing
uniform, for a commission in our then triumph
ant Democracy. Did he not openly and peril
paciously refuse to vote for Gov. Smith. the
candidate Of the democratic organization, for
the Senate Of the United States, while a mem
Der of the House Of Delegates. during the Ses-
sion Of ls4T'4S: And when Gov. Smith was
withdrawn. in Difference to the squcamishncss
of him and the few kindred spirits that acted
with him, and the lamcnted John Winston
Jones was presented instead, as the regular
candidate OF the democratic organization,
did he not continue his resistance, and vote
against Mr.. Jones on every ballot, till the
Wings. wcaried with the contest, rallied To his
aid and elected Mr.. X. N. 7. Hunter over the
dead body of king Caucus" as Mr.. Tunstall
calledit {: But oh! how changed are the scene.
the sentiment. the principle. the duty, now
that Mr.. Goodc finds himself dependent upon
the mid of n iancicd Democratic organization"
to help me. Cassius, or I sink" Does he sup,
pose the Democrats Of this Congressional
District, with their swelling thousands oi
a majority. have forgotten these things, or can
DC CllOlcQ ltilD u SDIlNSIiiSih h''"h f'
cause Of his newborn zeal, for the integrity and
supremacy Of the democratic organiza'
tom lie has, himself, rendered the issue.
I accept il. And thus, without intending
to involve other candidates in this issue,
shall 90 before the people to discuss
it fearleSsly and fully. with him. But the rea.
son Of hi, claim to precedence and superiority
over all other candidates, is as remarkable as
the claim itself. He has been nominated twice,
and elected thrice-ergo, he is entitled to thu
advantage Of the position Of the regular Dem
ocratic candidate" 1t has been said, ''the pre-
cedcnt Of today becomes the law Of to-mor
row." If this be so. then Mr.. Goodies lifc-ti
tie to a seat in Congress is rapidly and s@urel.
maturing. Three successive elections, in hi
opinion, is already tantamount (~without a Con
%ventionJ to a title to the candidacy Of the party
In a district Of twenty-five hundred majority
the regular candidacy is, Of course, equivalen
to an clcction-so. in effect, the life estate IL
the Office has already enured. But each sue
c~eSsive election will make it stronger anc
stronger, till the title to the candidacy vii
ripen into a title (by usage to the seat. anc
terminate the necessity and trouble Of an cleo
ton altogether. I will only add here. that i
the people value the elective franchise. am
mean to exercise their own free choice in tn
selection Of their representatives. it is time f"
them to assert their own rights. For. at ever!
successive election, this claim Of precedence ant
superiority will be urged with increased fore
and effect, as established by the people them
selves. Let them not forget, 'Ae price Of Hd
trty is eternal vigilance"
do not know that Mr.. Goode alludes toan.
thing as coming from me, in what he is pleased
to say Of the ..collusive arrangement r%eferre'
to by him. But the language is similar to tina
contained in a reply TO a letter OF mine, and
therefore, deem it an act Of justice to Colona