Staunton vindicator and general advertiser. (Staunton, Augusta County, Va.) 1858-1860, 1859-05-07


true answer is, By i'll united and harnliohious
organization. and such an organization can
alone be effected in large district. where
there are number Of candidates in the
field, through the fundamentally Of Con-
vention: Accordingly Conventions have
been for long years past almost invariably
resorted to in all such eases, by both the
great parties of tie country,
Was, the Convention BY Which [ was NOM
.inated held in accordance with the time
honored usages Of Tie Demostatic party ?
answer; it Mas Need remind YOU YOU III III
support. II this allegation; that William
Taylor, James McDowelland John Letcher.
the men who have represented yo1i for tie
last sixteen years, and whom yoh :, al
ways endorsed and supported, were all Of
them nominated by Democratic Conventions.
You are all bound to admit, whether you
be Wings or Democrats, that you could not
have had more honest, capable and faithful
servants than they were. CONVENTIONS,
then, in times past, have done you no wrong.
On the contrary, they have always worked
to your advantage you have always cheer
fully supported che men whom they have
nominated; and it had become the estab-
lished and benefcent usage ST the party,
whenever the seat in Congress became va
cant, to Eold a Convention and nominate
some one man as your Representative. To
this usage such men as Taylor, Mcdowell
and Letcher readily submitted, and I COM
mend their example to all Whom it may
concern. But was MT, let me ask, Con,
vcntion as aeces5a1y in March last, when
was nominated, as in 1851 when Mr.. Letch-
err was nominated In 1851, when Mr..
Letcher was nominated, the Democratic ma
jority in the district was from 270O to 5000
large enough certainly for all practical
purposes. The Democratic majority was
not then, and IS not mow, large enough to
enable the Democrats to run two candidates
and elect either of them, should Wing
candidate be running, and the Democratic
vote be about equally divided. In such an
event as this defeat to the Democracy vas
then, a1Id IS 1o15, inevitable. When Con-
vention was held ii 1851 and EIr. Letcher
nominated, It Was not done on account Of
any pressure from the Wings /; it Vas done
il accordance with the usages Of, che party
and neither you, nor even Mr.. Harris him
self, then thought Of. complaining that the
Convention was al i nfffing cement upon your
sovereign rights:
But Mr.. Harris says now-for the first
time in his life-that Conventions are obi
ous and only proper when necessary to
beat a Wing or an American, and that we
bad the universal pledge" of the Wings
and AnisfsiHcaains that they would not run a
candidate and he says that on this account
he chad no hesitation ii becoming car
date And yet, strange to say, before Mr..
Harris became a candidate tie Wings and
Americans Of Kockbridge and Augusta hsd
held couhty meetings and considered this
/ very subject Of the propriety of their run
ming candidate for Congress II Rock
bridge they resolved il favor Of ruiinnfng one,
and in Augusta they refused to pledge
themselves against doing 50. These two
counties contain majority Of tie Wing
and AMERICAN vote of the district, which
thus actually refused to give any pledge on
the subject and yet Mr.. Harris says Chat
IN consequence Of the pledges Of tAe OPP
position press and its disting uished mem
bers" that they would not run a candidate,
he chad no hesitation in becoming q can
didate" But more than this. En Fess
than three weeks after Mr.. Harri, announc-
Cd himself, the Wings and Americans OF
Pendlelon also, il county meeting assem-
bled, resolved Id favor Of running an Or
position candidate FOR Congress. These
three counties contain more than three III tbs
Of the "Opposition" vote Of the district.
which thus re fused to ggire d pledge not
to .d,i1f a t0ssatdate, and it is submitted to
you is say Whistler such action as I have
above set fortfhi' Oh the part Of the s.masses''
! Of the Wing ana American parties, does
not put to naught any public or private
pledges which Mr.. Harris may have ELECTED
from the Opposition press and its diS1in-
guished members" AH
now proceed to- consider whether it be
the fact, as asserted by Mr.. Harris. "that
majority Of the Democratic ,voterS. Of the
District 9id riot :a0dnt Conve,ation,' ana
that the Convention cf the 2OtA inst. was
held in defiance Of the popular Sentiment
of the Democratic party Of the district.
and in utter disregard Of their rights" I
will proceed to show that this assertion is
utterly unfounded, and, having done 50,
| will have taken away from Mr.. Harris the
only grouhds Of justification upon which he
has planted himself in opposition to the ac-
ton Of the Convention 81 which I was nom
mated. F. will not be denied that the De-
mocracy Of si1 out Of the eight counties
which constitute this district declared IN
favor Of Convention, and thht therefore .
decided majority, Of the counties favored q
Convention. In Pendleton, Highland,
Rockbridge and Bath, there was hardly g
voice raised in opposition. Ep Augusta
there was snsaiF's minority, and ii. Hardy
there was also minority opposed to Con
vention !; for all Of which, in the course Of
my ARGUMENT, ! shall make ainple, and far
mtore thar ample, allowance En- yShenan-
doah large meeting was held at the Court
house on February Court day. At that
meeting, we are informed by Mr.. S. G.. Will
ljams and seven other of the most respecta-
BE citizens Of Shenandoah, (whose card you
have seep,> that the resolutionsin favor Of a
Convention were carried by Gerry large ma
jority, instead Of having been "by close
vote decided to be carried" as asserted by
| Mr.. Harris. You are f1irther informed