Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1865-09-12
COMMUNICATED.
For the Spectator.

Mr. EDITOR In the last issue of your paper
Citizen alias aspirasat for seat in the legis
lature. has arraigned me for being instrumental in
stocking the cards at the meeting of Augusta coun-
ty which nominated the ticket for the Legsla-
ture, whereby he and it may hav been other
worthy gentlemen were overlooked, who perhaps
ought to have been nominated. 1 shall briefly
state all the circumstances connected with the or
gansZation of the meeting, the selection of the
committee, &c., and the dssinteresfed voters Of the
county may approve condemn as they prop
Or. Before Court took recess for dinner OBJ
tanned its consent as well as that Of the Bar, to
give notice to the audience, of general desire
the part of the people that meeting should be
had at P. 81, to make nominations for Congress
and for the Senate and Legislature. AS walked
out of the Court House, said to Judge Kinney,
that with his permission, we would have him call
ed to the chair. number of gentlemen to whom
/ suggested his name concurred with me- that we
could not select amore suitable gentleman. Some
one of these having suggested that as he had not
been long in the county he would feel some en-
barrassment in the selection of committee, the
proposition was made that it would he well for me
10 be near him and aid him. Ireplied, that might
be regarded by the meeting as oficious, and |
would prefer that we should then and there, on the
Court House porch, as I came out from giving the
notice. select the committee with the aid of three
respectable and so far as | know perfectly disin-
terested gentlemen, (wish | could include Citizen
In this category we made out the committee as
named. 1 did it in the main, asking the approval
of the other gentlemen, and when | did not re-
member to have seen gentlemen from particular
district in town, one the other suggested a
name which was add ed to the committee I had
been in town scarcely an hour, had not spoken to
more than two or three of the gentlemen who were
put on the committee and that a mere salutation
in passing, and did not know the sentiments of
single individual on the committee. The gentle
Al q
this statement, if it.was necessary. | remarked
that it would be satisfactory to put Democrat
and Wing for each magisterial district where we
could They concurred with me- | named one
Of the gentlemen present, but my eye presently
having caught sight of democrat from same dis
trict erased the first and substituted the second
After we selected the committee, | remarked I
would Judge X. and explain to him achy 1t acas
DONE lest he might think we had made mere au-
tomaton Of him. When the crowd commenced as
eembling in the G.. H. / met the Judge and was a
bout to explain the matter, when he interrupted
me by saying that for reasons, the delicacy of
which fully appreciated, he desired to be ex-
cused from serving. Of course [ cheerfully nc.
guessed, and at the same moment whilst CONVEX
sing with him, Col VIM A. Bell came in near to
where / was standing i spoke to him for the
first time that day, placed the memorandum of
names of the committeein his hands, accompany
ing it with brief explanation of the circumstan-
ces under which they were appointed. After the
three gentlemen and self on the porch had named
the committee we had some conversation as to the
persons most likely to be nominated. All of us
concurred as TO the gentleman we thought ought
to receive the nomination for the Senate. For
the House, we had a diversity of views-I named
two gentlemen in Waynesboro, either of whom
Hwoud be pleased to see get the nomination, one
In Staunton and one at or near Churchyile, and
no one of those | named was nominated. The a.
-bove is full and need not Say to the people of
Augusta VINO hnoD me, truthful history of all
said or did touching the nominations. fool Bell
had named the committee is it probable he would
have selected other gentlemen, could he have Sc
lected those better qualified, more disposed to dis
charge the daty properly, or could he have better
represented every nook and corner OF the county
Citizen will not undertake to say no. to one of
these propositions Does he charge that every
thing was not done fairly in the committee room
Does he alledge that any other committee, 1 care
not.by whom appointed, would have selected any
-four gentlemen more respectable, and as are
s.ied down to a narrow margin, any better quail
fled / say he could not
Anintelligent member of that committee, land
syho will call in question the character of gen.
tleman named upon it, or believe for moment
that could have had any influence in moulding
its opinion 2? said to me, after the meeting had adj
;journed that he was surprised at the large num-
Der Of gentemen-Gspirants, for a seat in one or
the other branch of the legislature. ] have not a
doubt Sir but sCitizen" has had score or two
of these gentlemen about him, and volunteered to
ma Ike his and their grievances known. No, no,
will not do them injustice in the suspicion. He
is solitary an1 alone in building the big air castle
which the facts Of the case, | fatter myself, have
demolished Asking pardon st the bands ct yoiir