Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1871-10-06
EDITOR BRISTOL NEWS

Having returned to the little
wits that we are endowed with, from
/ the alarm raised last Monday i'll Alb
: ingdon of the radical party. and see
/ inc that the women and children OF
the country have not been murdered
and that if the people of Washington
county did not rally at once in grand
convention, the County and State
would soon lay a bleeding victim at
their feet, we feel emboldened to say
a few words to the voters of the county.
As to a convention or any plan got
/ ten up fairly and openly 10y any per-
I son or persons in which the people
can have fair notice, AID a fair chance
/ to express themselves, and exercise
/ their rights. we think the people OF
! Saltville Township will i'm the main
/ heartily coincide, and join in the great
work of forming a party which will
| be able to defeat thc radical party.
/ We feel authorised to say so because
we believe there are fewer radicals and
/ fewer OH line wings in this Township
/ than in any other townships of the
/ county in proportion to the number OF
/ votes, and because we believe that the
old issues of of wing and democrat art
! dead and that both parties have acted
/ in good faith thus far since the surTen-
der. We do not know of single in
! stance in which the democrats have
objected to any candidate for office, on
/ the ground of his Beinga whig. Hav-
/ ing very heavy majority, we have
given almost all of the important of
/ ficcs of the Township and County t.
men who were old line wings.
The Township has determined moi
/ to 20 into any such packed COnven-
tons as have been gotten up for a long
time in Abingdon, and we believe the
proceedings of the last meeting on
Monday in Abingdon, will receive
Just and hearty rebuke OH next Satur-
! day mt Mahanaim.
/ Now, Messrs Editors let us examine
the proceedings of this last Abingdon
/ Convention, and if we mistake any
fact in connection with it, you can
readily correct, as your senior was pres
ent and took a lively interest in the
proceedings of the meeting. The con-
ventiOnists claim that they are acting
in accordance with the Richmond plan
of organization for a Convention, and
urge the people to adopt it at o:.ce.
A meeting being called. DR.. Hutton
appointed Chairman, the object of the
meeting being announced by Mr.. l..
/ G. Fowler. 1t was moved TINT the
chairman appoint select comm ttee
to prepare business for the meeting
. The committee retired to a convenient
room and appointed DR.. Edward
/ Campbell chairman of the committee
and Mr.. |. e. Fowler acted as Secre-
tary.
The Secretary moved that the Com
mittee recommend the adoption of the
! Richmond plan of organization; but
/ the Chairman having been engaged i'm
| an attempt to organize the Stale into
a party then called the conservative
party, preparatory to the election OF
Governor, and that plan being almost
exactly the plan adopted by the Rich
mOnd Convention. The chairman de-
clared that the plan cOald not he con-
Summated in less than three months,
and that he had serious fears whether
it could ever be done. Thus the chair
man virtually killed the Richmond
plan in the committee. for il was new
er entertained any more in the COM
mittee, and in lieu of which Mr.. w.
b. DickersOn offered substitute
which was that a meeting be held at
one of the voting places in each town.
ship, to elect six delegates fIom each
township, who should meet in con-
vention i'm Abingdon to nominate can
didates for the next Legislature.
whereupon Mr.. /. &. Fowler Offered
as n substitute, that i'm view of the fact
that there was not sufficient time TO
complete the Richmond plan of or
ganiZution before the approat hing
election for delegates for the Legisla- |
ture, that the committee recommend |
that there be held in each Township. ,
primary election, and that the two
candidates receiving the largest num- !
Der of votes at said. primary election, |
shall bc deemed the candidates of the /
conservative party. Now, gentlemen +.
all candOr, which of these two promo (
sitions give you the greatest right in /
the exercise of the elective franchise;
the one that asks you to go up i'm the /,
exercise your rights in person, or the /
one that alks and requires YOU TO dele |
gate those rights and privileges TO 9TH /
ers, who may use them in an opposite |
direction from that in which YOU de- |
sire or intend them to he used? For /
in the log rolling system of convention /
they are quite as likely to be used for /
those, yOu detest as for those you de- /
sire. AT this point discussion arose /
between DIR. r. Campbell Chairman
of Committee. and Mr. I. c. Fowler. |
Mr.. Fowler advocating the primary |
election. and Mr.. Campbell advocating |
the Dickinson resolution, which he
called the Richmond plan, which was
intended to be a hasty and precipitate
convention, so long desired by the Alb
ingdon organ and Meshach Homer
The vote being taken on the primary
election, it was lost by small MAORI
ty.
Next the vote was taken on the
Dickinson resolution, called the Rich
mond plan, which was adopted. On
returning to the house with said report
Judge Page gave place for the meet
ing. The secretary read both reports
upon which there arose quite a lively
discussion between the chairman and
secretary. The secretary contending
for the minority report as a substitute,
and the chairman of the committee
for the majority report, as
a substitute for the Richmond plan.
The chairman. DR.. Hutton, put the
report which was lost, then
the majority report, which carried,
probably about one out of every ten
nresent voting in either case. Then
Joseph I. Campbell, Esq, called on
the candidates who were present, to
state whether they would submit to
the action of the convention.
Col. FulkersOn being first called up-
on stating that if there was or could be
gotten a convention, according TO The !