Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-04-28
Discussion at Warrenton, Va.

The Court House at Warrenton, on Mon-
day, was crowded to its utmost capacity
and many were unable to get in. AT two
o'clock. the candidates took the stand and
it was arranged that each should speak three
quarters of an hour. Mr.. Smith was allowed
three quarters Of an hour to reply, and each
of the other gentlemen fifteen minutes, and
Mr.. Smith twenty minutes to conclude the
discussion.
Mr.. SMITH rose amidst applause. He
said that he anpearcd before his tellow-c0un-
tymen to announce that he was again IL
candidate for reelection. He had represent
ed this District in three Congresses, and You.
my fellow cOuntrymen, know that | have
been IA faithful representative; and he felt
assured that his appeal To them now would
not he in vain. He had two opponents, one
II Democrat and onea Whig-a Jeffersonian
Democrat as he called himself at Culpeper.
There was "a common object in both: one OPP
posed him on personal grounds, the other as
the nominee of the Wings, and his position
was not a very pleasant one. He wanted u
know if it was fair play. Mr.. Shackelford
is a candidate without the hope of an cleo
ton, and he called upon him here to say can
didly whether he has any expectations oi
success. He thought Mr.. Shackelford was
here for mischief, and will you be Il party To
this mischief? His other opponent would
not have been in the field if there had been
no other candidate but himself. The gen
tleman was a%vailing himself of this opportu-
-, L. =. =. ,,. l,, ..., t.. l.,,,
ocrats. but he cannot slip in Il, easy as he I'M
AGNES. He comes before YOU, tn" candidate
of Il conventions; Il convention composed ut
delegates regularly appointed in but three
counties. Fauquier, Culpeper aud Alexan-
dria. He, Thomas, went there without APP
pointment. and rs Il squatter sovereign. lie
was made President of that Convention. and
had the appointment of the committee which
nominated himself. He did not consider it
Il regular conventional was the voluntary
assembling of some gentlemen who deter
mined TO run a candidate. lie. iSmith,
was the regular candidate as he was the in
cumbent, and Mr.. Shackelford. he repeated,
had no chance.
Mr.. Thomas claims to be the nominee Of
a Convention. Two Of the Wing papers in
the District, the Fredericksburg Herald and
Culpeper Observer, had taken ground against
a nomination. A Fauquier gentleman, and
one from another county, ii former Repre>en-
tative in Congressional refused to sanction
the nomination, and the people Of Fauquier
he did not think would sustain it. Mr..
Shackelford will make Il violent personal as
sault upon me. Mr.. Thomas will charge
the Democratic Administrator with extrav-
agance; but you must receive with many
grains of allowance what he says on this
subject. He. (ThomasJ was the man who
had treated the people Of %Fauquier in 1910.
with black bread. and proclaimed that if the
Wings were successful. they should have -
per day, and roast beef.
The speaker then reviewed the public
debt Of the country. arguing that under
Wing Administration the debt had been in
creased. All the corruptions II frauds
that had been practised had been brought 10
light by the Democrats, aud the perpetrators
promptly dismissed. lie quoted from the
National Intelligencer. which he compliment
ted in high terms for its conservative views.
and the fairness and candor with which it
discussed all subjects. which paper in its
issue OF the 18th of December. 1853, had
stated that the falling off in the Treasury
receipts was owing to the financial crisis
Mr.. Everett, whose voice was now heard
throughout the length and breadth Of this
land, in Il noble mt patriotic cause, had sta
ted, in one of his recent letters in the New
York Ledger. that the late financial disas-
tiers III this country had grown out of pri-
vate, not public extravaganza. "a VOICE.
Are you willing to rely upon the lntellisen.
Ger for its opinion hereafter: y Mr.. ). SAID
that he supposed both Wings and Democrats
would be willing to rely upon the statements
in the public documents from which the In
telligencer derived its information. The
Federal Government collected less from the
people per man now than il had done since
lSl2 for it, support. Does the gentleman
want TO increase the tariff upon sugar. salt,
and iron! lie is n capital hand to raise
taxes, and has increased them from lu cts.
when | was Governor, to 10 cents. rs they
are at present.
lie wanted u know whether Mr.. Thomas
was in favor Of the Pension bill a. it passed
the House of Representatives III IT'S last sc>-
sion, but was defeated in the Senate. Tie
iSmithJ would not vote for the pension bill,
because we had to borrow money 10 pay the
pensioners. He was for relievingthe widow "i
and the old soldiers, who had horne the hard
ships of war, that We might ENJOY the bless
ings under which We now live, but under
the Pension bill. as passed by the House Of
Representatives, even the President of the
United States would be Il pensioner. When
the gentleman speaks OF the extravaganza
lavished upon that most extravaganza work.
the Capitol extension, he desired the audi
ence to bear in mind that it had been con-
ceived and put in course Of erection during
the Fillmore administration. He denied that
tagging could he laid at s cts. per foot. and
said that Mr.. Stuart was i'll error III his
statement lie repeated the assertion made
at Culpsper. that if Mr.. Thomas believed
that he would be elected, he would resign
his seat as State Senator. He also desired
TO know. if MIR. Thomas was elected, how he
would vote for Speaker? Would he vote for
a Black Republican or Democrat? The gen
tleman says that he will not vote for Il Black
Republican. Ii he will vote for a Demo
! crat, he claimed that he (Smithl was the
most proper man, as he had the hang of
these elections, which Mr.. Thomas would
have to learn. The speaker said that Mr..
Thomas claimcd TO be IL Jctfersonian Demo-
crat-Says that he was born "a jefferson
Democrat. Thomas denied the assertion,
Well, said Mr.. Smith. you ~eyy a Jcffersoni-
an Democrat.) During this short inter
rnption there was much applause.) Mr..
Smith continued. You said all good Wings
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