Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1865-09-19
To tho Voters Of the Sixth Congress
SIGNAL District.

LII ODcHlCUcG ~ cdkbcSt ou-
licitations from many citizens of different
counties of the District, seconded by the
unanimous wish of mass meeting of the
people of Augusta County, | have beer in
duced to declare myself candidate for Con
gress. The position was one which neither
sought nor desired Whoever IN y be elect
cd will find it no bed of roses-but having
been rendered to me under circumstances so
Aattering, [ did not feel at liberty to shrink
from It's trials AMI responsibilities.
Having served the country in various pub
lie Offices, from time to time during the last
% years, have right to presume that my
political antecedents ale not entirely unknown
to the people.
l was educated in the belief that the best
interests of our country were inseparably as
sociated with our national Union, and taught
to cherish it as the Palladium of our Eber-
ties As member OF the 9th Congress, and
at later periods as one of the constitutional al.
yisers of Mr. Fillmore Senator of Virginia,
and a member of the Convention Of 1861,
my best energies were dedicated to the PRES
ervatiou Of the Union.
was infexibly opposed TO the secession
of Virginia and voted persstently against the
ordinance which proposed to sever our con-
nexion with the Uni'ed States. believed
and in oral and printed addresses to the Con-
vention and the people, | declared my belief
that secession was unwise, inexpedlent, un-
constitutional aud impracticable. endeav-
ored to prove to the people that it was
fraught with evils which the mind could not
contemplate without horror Amidst all the
tumult of excitement, when ie required no
small degree of courage to stand up against
the popular clamor and wien day after day,
members were asking leave to change their
votes SO as to conform to public sentiment, [
remained ur moved refused to change my
vote against the ordinance of secession, be-
cause my opinion of lis mischievous character
remained and still remains unchanged.
| The ordinance passed the Conyeutir m on the
18th of April 1861. 1t was submitted to he
popular vote for RATIFICATION or rejection on
4ih Thursday in May following. la the mean
tine the war bad commenced Hostile ar
mics were within the borders of Virginia, and
the vote was mere matter of FORM voted
at that election for ratfgiDg the ordinance,
not because approved it, but because be-
lieved that the war having begun, unless we
all went together, we should have an iuierne-
cine war added to the civil war which had al
ready b. Ell inaugura,ed
At the adjourned session of the Conven-
tion some months after the ordinance had
been ratified by the almost unanimous voice
Of my constituents. | signed the ordinance,
not because | approved it (for | still refused
to change my vote on the journaD but be-
cause | believed it to be my representative
duty to authenticate their act with the usual
forms.
When Virginia united her fortunes with
those Of the Southern Clnfederaey, | felt it
to be my duty to acquiesee in her decision
and to submit to the authority of the new gov
ernment. But Ffelt it equally due toinysef
to retire from public life, and TO remain in
retirement, although an honorable and lucra
tive position was rendered to me by Mr.. Da~
Wis in March 1868.
During the war abstaned from AL par.
ticipation in public affairs except Oh two or
three occasions when was called to address
public meetings to urge contributions for the
relief of the suffering soldiers. and the priso-
hers going to as well as returning from the
North.
My age relieved me from the obligation TO
render military service, aud all the assistance
/ gave to the Confederate cause was by feed
ing the hungry ard clothing the naked, and
nursing the sick Confederate soldiers, and
making myself, and urging others to make
| liberal donations for their relief.
| But would be wanting IN candor if fail
ed to say that did this voluntarily aud that
after my son and uephews, and brothers-n-
| law, and o.hcr relatives had been drawn into
the contest, by the memorable CONSUMPTION
all my sympathies were with my own people.
Though | believed Virginia TO be wrong [
could not do otherwise than rejoice when she
rejoiced and mourn when she mourned. l
was proud OF Lee and jackson and Johnston
and my kinsman Stuart and the host of other
gallant Virgnians who won immortal honor
in an ili-advised and unnecessary contest
After the surrender of Lee, prepared and
signed a call for mass meeting of the peo-
pie of Augusta, to consider the propriety OF
accepting the result of the war as a final set
Element Of the matters in issue and of declar-
4 ing our readiness to return to the Union and
to conform our constitution and laws to the
new condition fpuhlic affairs.
was cal ed TO preside at the meeting and
made an address to it which was extensively
published in Northern and Southern papers.
1t was the first reconstruction meeiirg that
was held in the Southern States, ard | have
reason TO believe that its proceedings did
much to mould the public sentiment of the
State in favor Of the restoration of peace and
tranquility to the country.
From that time to the present have been
an anxious spectator Of the march of events,
AID | am gratifed to he able 10 say, that un-
der the wise and conciatory policy of Presi.
dent Johnson, there is every reason to hope
that brighter day is about to dawn on our
State. Slavery has been extirpated, AID
much Inconvenience has arisen from the sud-
den overthrow of the labor system of the
South. But the wonderful energy of our
people will soon enable them to accommodate
tn mselves to the change, aud believe there
are few now who would care to encounter the
hazards of restoration of slavery, if it were
left to their choice.