Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1868-06-13

RADICAL SENATORIAL CONVENTION. The
following account of the proceedings of the
Radical Convention which met in this city,
yesterday, to nominate candidate to repre-
sent this Districtin the Senate of Virgins, was
| prepared BY member Of the Radical party:
! The Convention MET at the Court House
| and called JOB Hawxhurst to the Chair, at l:3O
p. M, S. B. Chamberlin, of LoudOun, was
Secretary. Mr.. Hine offered resolution that
the representation be based on one delegate to
every 500 votes allowing Alexandria 7 !; Fair
| fax S; Loudoun s.; total 20-passed. MIR.
Nichols offered resolution that the delega
tons be permitted to retire and fill up any vacan
cies that might exist in the delegations, or If
not possible, then to be authorized to cast the
full vote of the delegation of their county
The Resolution met with much opposition from
Vim. johnson, colored, from Alexandria, who
seemed to be unable to understand the m olive
for Offering it, but after some delay, and al
ter exhaustive debate and county motions, 1T
was carried: Downey, j. NJ, of Loudoun moved
| for OF Committee on Credentials, which was pass
ed and j M. Downey. E. O. Hine, W. D. johnson,
! were appointed. On thequestion of the adoption
of the committees report, there was some de-
bate on call for the yeas and nays. Eight voted
against the adoption, and there being but
other delegates present, though casting IL
votes, the noble headed by j. NJ. johnson
contended the report was not adopted, being
unable to comprehend how the report could be
adopted, when on counting noses they found 8
against, and for the adoption. The chair, how
ever, after allowing great latitude IN debate
decided the question settled and the report
adopted and further debate out of order. The
Convention was then permanently organized
| by the appointment Of Thornton Nichols as
President and S. E. Chamberlain as Secretary.
J. M. johnson seemed very anxious to secure
full share of the benefits of the Convention,
and declared the colored people were being
completely ignored, when in fact they had at
this time monopolized q hours of valuable
time in useless palaver. A resolution to elect
! one white. and one colored Senator, occupied.
| the attention of the Convention for two hours
| more, but was finally lost by two votes. The in
teution being to torce the committee BY this
| means into selecting r. D. Beckley without
opposition, but as the delegates from Fairfax
and Loudoun in view Of the great number OF
nominations already secured for Alexandria,
determined to secure the two Senators from
these two counties, and though not at all anx-
ious to ignore the claims of the colored men,
they were anxious to secure local men to rep
resent them, and not having any colored men
deemed competent they selected the best men
from the white republicans they could secure
for their candidates, and they cannot be too
highly commended for the manner In which
| they stood by the rights they came to secure
for their constituency. The chair was called on
by - Syphax to define Republicanism, which
! the chair did not deem pertinent to the present
matter. The colored men in the Convention
were determined to rule if possible. This was
IL, rrf, In, no
minority the most persistent efforts were made,
and the most prolix speeches made that could
we'll have been imagined. They showed igno-
| rance Of parliamentary proceedings that was
but to be expected, and paid no more atten-
tention, as general thing, to the rulings OF the
| chair, than if he had not existed.
JIM. johnson, of Alexandria, seemed to have
decidedly exalted opinion Of his abilities
and tried his utmost to rule the chair appeal-
| ing from its decisions, calling the yeas and
nays and standing on the floor making speech
es which were but repetitions of former endeav~
| orS.
Finally, on the seventh ballot S. A. Coe,
| of Fairfax and Jas. NJ. Hoge, of Loudoun,
| receiving II votes each over +. d. Beckley,
| of Alexandria, and w. G. Hendricks, of Fair
| fax, who received votes each, were declared
the nominees. The Convention was instantly IN
| confusion, amid which the name OF Il: u:
| BeckIey was called. He appearing, declared
| himself an independent candidate for the posi-
| ton, and called on the blacks to support him,
| which they engaged to do, saying that as
they had failed in securing the nomination OF
the Convention they would not vote for whites,
but if they could not get the whites to vote tor
| a black man they would split and run colored
man for themselves. In the midst OF great
confusion the Convention adjourned.