Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1871-09-29

ton which had just been adopted BY
the meeting. ana that q convention
called in any other way than authori-
zed BY the State Convention would
give great dissatisfaction and disrupt
the party. That the meeting was one
without notice to the people and was
unauthorized by the great body Of the
people who were absent and that it
would be denounced as the work of q
Ring. and would result in the defeat
of the nominees. Further that it
was u,juSt-that it put all OF the
townships on an equality, and that the
men who received the smallest num-
Der of votes in the county might be-
come the nominees. He.then offered
as a substitute, that the Conservative
Hoters he recommended to meet on the
22nd Of October, at the curious cOttng
places and proceed to hold primary
Election, and that the t,cO receirtng
the greatest number Of rotes III the
county should he deelured the nominees
of the party. During the remarks
which we're made by Mr.. Fowler in
support of his substitute. it was OBJ
served by another gentleman that
there were a number of significant
sCinFs slyly exchanged between seve-
raj of the Committee who were in ia
vor of denying to the people the privi
lege of saying who should represent
them in the Legislature. In other
words the countersign of secret un-
Outstanding was passed. Mr.. Dick
enson's resolution was passed-Mr-
Fowler's substitute was voted down
by a vote of two to one.
The Committee presented to the
meeting these two propositions in the
shape of a majority and a minorit!
report, 1t was shown that by the
majority report we were calling a
convention without authority, and
calling it in an unauthorized manner
That the meeting lad no right to call
any convention except one Of the PEG
pie at the polls by a preliminary vote,
where every vote would be counted.
But it was of no use. The speakers
spoke about the Ku Klux bills, and
Chas. Fl. Porter and anything but
the point in debate and spoke many
of the people to their homes. and
then lute IN tie afternoon, in the alb
sence of many Of those who had been
accidentally in attendance, the ma
iority report was adopted and only
by very small majority at that.
Fellow Citizens of Washington this
unauthorized meeting which is said to
have been the child Of a caucus de
MES to you the right to meet at the
polls and by a majority vote name
your candidates. 1t seizes the part,
lash and undertake. to drire US to the
polls to vote and then assumes to TAKE
our ballots and count them in its Oac1
,cay to defeat the voice Of The con
servative voters. Will we be driven
You were not notified to be present
and vote on this vital question.
The Candidats were all present. -
One gentleman said he wanted first
TO know whether the Candidats would
submit. Messrs. Fulkerson, Kell,
and Campbell, all said they woulC
submit to a primary vote of the PEG
pie but not to an unauthorized Con
vention, which refuses to count thu
number of votes cast. Only Col
Hopkins agreed to abide by this yer!
strange action
Now a primary vote which count:
every vote cast, can do no one any
harm and certainly represents honest
" and entirely the wishes of all the
voters. Then why was the great OPP
position to il? Surely it must be to
defeat by manipulation those Candi.
dates whom the people are determin-
cd to elect.
Now we close with this plain pro-
position. Those who wont accept
the majority vote of the people are
determined to defeat the will of a
majority of the people.
We desire to state rho several gen.
tleman Of the business COMMITTEE,
who voted for the majority report, not
knowing the plan at work, have deter
mined new to repudiate the unwar-
ranted action of the meeting-and to
appeal with us to the people, and the
number of people who will support
them, is such that the County will
ring with the verdict it will render.