South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1859-05-06


tion. and published in Democratic paper.
This IS the convention which. after the |
protests of Rivcs. of Harrison, of the En-
qnircr. and almost every Democratic papor
in the State, still proceeded. in the midst
Of the noise and confusion described. when
spirits prcdominatcd more than patriotism,
to nominate Mr.. Lctcher for Governor of
Virginia. "God forbid them they knew
not what they did"
Now what arc Mr. Letchcr's antcccdcnts?
What claim has he to be Governor of this
, good old Commonwealth, which he wished
to divide. but which is. happily, still united
fiom the Scaboard to the Valley. and still
our common mother. Yes, there sits n
! gentleman who would have cut her in twain!
, There sits the gentleman who would have
! done this, and what for Because the
James River and Kanawha Canal was stop
ped at Lynchburg! And for this. in Sc
! cret conclave. john Lctchcr solemnly and
deliberately formed scheme to divide this
old Commonwealth, and establish n State
beyond the mountains What would have
been its name, had be succeeded The
| suppostion is, that, out of fgratitudc to him,
! 1t would have been called the State of
l.etcher! And if his purpose had been
carried out VIC would have been speaking
in the State of I.etcher during the long and
arduous task We have had in this canvass
! beyond the mountains We would not have
been in the State Of Virginia, but in the
| State of Lctcher. for some months past
believe that in the history of this Com
monwealth parallel case has never occur
red l. A party protesting to be the pcculi-
! ar guardians of the South and of Southern
institutions. nominating a man for Govern
or of Virginia, who has declared himself
to be, not only in favor of abolishing sla-
very, but who actually proposed a division
! of the State for the accomplishment of that
! end
General Scott the hero of Chcputcpec
! Chcrubusco. and almost hundred other
battlcS-who hlr,l in The cause of lis coun-
try-cnuid int hc trn>ird. because he WAS
seen talking with William II Seward in
the streets of New York. General Tay-
lor, down in Louisiana. with his hundreds
of negroes. cannot he trusted because he
was seen talking with the same abolition
| ist and above all, that man who was in
my estimation taller than any man l ever
saw, politically. socially personally, the G.
| qual of any other morally. and in many o.
ther respects-glorious old Harry of the
: WCst'-cvrn he could not be trusted -
Not only this: they told yon that Geo. W.
Summers, OF kanawha was not to be trust
cd, because in 1892 he had voted upon pc
titions gotten up i'll the East. Che first of
which was presented by William H. Roanc,
of Hanover, afterwards Democratic Scna-
tor from Nirginia) asking the Legislature
to adopt some plan for the gradual cman-
ciPation OF the slaves, and that Immediately
after the Southampton ipsrIrrcction which
scheme was advocated by Mr. Ritchic, Jno.
llampdcn Plcasanis, James Mcdowell and
others, some of whom subsequently held
Offices under the Democracy. Aud now
they bring man who is thousand fold
worse on the record than any of them and
ctfcr him for your sufrages us fit person
to be Governor of Virginia lie who, in
time Of peace, when there was no cause
for excitement on the subject, except that
the fanatica fever raging at the North made
it necessary for the South to be more than
ever On the alert; he, in the town of Lex
ington, was plotting the destruction of this
institution and division Of the State -
And yet he comes here now before you,
hoping to be endorsed. and tells you he is
, n marvellous ------ ~, ,tIvcs ! Is It So
! harrison Is it so, independent men of
/ the city OF Petersburg? Shall the candi-
date OF that convention proclaim that such
nomination is equivalent to an election I?
! Are you like the subjects of dcspot.
never to open your mouths? Is lit possible
that you are not possessed of some little
independence. some spirit, some patriotism
Can no appeal in behalf Of your own State
and of the whole South induce you to stand
up for the blessed mother of us all Such
an appeal now make to you, in the name
OF all parties, in the name of Virginia, in
the name of the dearest interests of the
South, as did your own standard bearer n
few months since, in stronger terms. I
make no appeal that has not been made be-
fore on other occasions The Democracy
told you when Mr.. buchanan was can
dldatc for the Presidency, that it was ne
ccssary for the South to be united. The
Democracy carried the South upon the idea
that she should 60 to help them TO beat the
leader Of the Abolition party, Fremont.
They told you that Fillmore was sound, but
that Fremont was the danger that threat
ened US, and yielding partizapsbip to pa
trioiIsn, thousands of Wings went 10 the |
support Of Mr.. Buchanan. The consequence |
was that he got in Virginia. not merely the |
10000 majority that went for Wise. but
by the appeal made to the patriotic Wings,
majority Of 10000 was rolled up for him |
in the old Commonwealth
Now, sirs. when "" 'rakc this appeal TO
yo~r PATRIOTISM. ard III ,", that there sits