excitement and warmth of feeling, and only an elaborate and detailed rehearsal of them, too voluminous for our space, could do justice to all who participated in the debates and ballotings, we shall confine ourselves to a mere skeleton recital of its leading transactions. The Convention was organized by the appointment of Oscar M. Crutchfield, Speaker of the House of Delegates, President, and Wm. F. Ritchie, editor of the Enquirer, and Ro. W. Hughes, editor of the Examiner, Secretaries. The great debate and turning point of everything done by the Convention was upon the original resolution presented by Mr. Shackelford, and upon an amendment which was offered by Mr. Garnett, of Essex, to the same. Mr. Shackelford's resolution was Resolved, That this Convention will not make a nomination for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or Attorney General, unless the candidate receive votes of this Convention sufficient to represent a majority of the whole Democratic vote of the state. To this resolution, Mr. Muscoe R. H. Garnett, of the county of Essex, who was the leader of Mr. Wise's friends, offered the following amendment: Resolved, That it shall require a majority of the votes cast to nominate. candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General. This amendment was opposed with great ability by many of the leading men of the Convention. The speeches of Messrs. Fauntleroy, Irving, Aylett, James Barbour, N. C. Claiborne, J. W. Massie and W. H. Harman were of great ability and eloquence. It was the most spirited and able off-hand debate that ever transpired in a political convention. The debate was continued into the night of Thursday, the 30th November, 1854, the first day of the session. The vote was then taken, and was scaled on the principle of allowing each county represented a number equal to its Democratic vote in the presidential election of 1852. The process of scaling the vote was so tedious, that the Convention adjourned over until the next morning in order to allow the secretaries time to compute the result. Friday, Dec. 1.-On the meeting of the Convention this morning, the result of the vote on Garnett's amendment was announced as follows: For the amendment, Majority, 35.212 9,018 So decided was the opposition manifested to this result, and to the amendment, that a re-consideration was at once moved, and a long and most animated debate was kept up through the greater portion of the day. Finally, a second vote was taken on the same proposition as at first with the following result: For the amendment, Majority, 32,903 3,844 This vote, of course, settled the question, and the Convention decided that the majority of the votes cast in the Convention should nominate a candidate for the party-without reference to thirty unrepresented counties. The contest on this important proposition was warm and excited from the fact that the adoption of Garnett's amendment was equivalent to the nomination of Mr. Wise; while the adoption of Shackelford's resolution, if not equivalent to the nomination of Mr. Leake, by requiring a vote larger than Mr. Wise's friends could have polled, would have resulted in the nomination of a compromise candidate. This amendment having been adopted, the Convention proceeded at once to the nomination of a candidate for the office of governor. Mr. Douglas, of New Kent, put Mr. H. A. Wise in nomination, and Mr. N. C. Claiborne, of Franklin, presented the name of Shelton F. Leake. Prominent among the speakers during the evening were Messrs. Berry of Alexandria, Fauntleroy of Winchester, Skinner of Augusta, Brown of Kanawha, Browne of Stafford, Meade of Petersburg, Kenna of Kanawha, and English of Logan. All of these speeches were creditable, and many of them eloquent and telling. It cannot be said that they were sermons inculcating doctrines of affection and brotherly love. Although the speakers were personally courteous, yet their political reviews, comments, &c., on public men were the bitterest it is ever one's fortune to listen to. An excited audience, by loud applause and boisterous manifestations of approbation and displeasure, rendered the whole scene one of extraordinary excitement. The large badly lighted hall seemed the theatre of the bitterest and most envenomed feelings during this long and acrimonious debate. Such a scene was never presented in a Democratic Convention before, and we hope never will be presented again. The most violent and pointed assaults upon the prominent men of our own party were the most loudly applauded. Late on the night of the second day of the session a vote was taken, and the Convention adjourned over until the next morning. Saturday, Dec. 2.-The first thing done was the announcement of the vote for the nominees for Governor, as follows: Some further debate took place. Ex-Governor Smith was put in nomination by Mr. Hiner, of Pendleton, and withdrawn. Finally another vote was taken, and the result was And Mr. Wise, was declared to be nominated. The result of the second ballot was announced on Saturday afternoon, and in consequence of changes in the vote of Halifax and Greenbrier, Mr. Wise was nominated, getting a majority of 2,347. A proposition to make it unanimous failed. The Convention then proceeded to the nomination of a candidate for the office of Lieut. Governor. Dr. C. R. Harris of Augusta, A. G. Pendleton of Giles, Henry A. Edmundson of Roanoke, Elisha W. McComas of Kanawha, and Dan'l H. Hoge of Montgomery, were all put in nomination; but all except Dr. Harris and Mr. Pendleton were afterwards withdrawn. After zealous and urgent appeals for the candidates, a vote was taken, and the result was— The names of Dr. Harris and Mr. Pendleton were withdrawn. Mr. McComas was again put in nomination, and Col. W. H. Harman was also nominated. A spirited series of eulogies of the nominees ensued, and the vote being taken, was announced, after a recess, as follows: McComas, 32,520 Mr. McComas was declared duly nominated; and on motion of Col. Harman the nomination was made unanimous. W. P. Bocock, the then Attorney General, was re-nominated by acclamation. Mr. McComas being present addressed the Convention. The following resolution was adopted: Resolved, That the official career of Franklin Pierce has been marked by a perfect observance of the limitations of the Constitution and an entire fidelity to the principles upon which he came into power; and therefore he is entitled to the confidence of the friends of Constitutional Liberty in every section of the Confederacy. So the result of the proceedings of the Convention was the following ticket: For Governor-HENRY A. WISE, of Accomac. For Lieut. Governor-ELISHA W. McCOMAS, of Kanawha. The Convention adjourned sine die a little after twelve o'clock at night, the Chairman making a brief valedictory address. The closing scenes were quite uproarious, but not acrimonious as those at an earlier period of the session had been. COMMENTS OF THE PRESS UPON THE STAUNTON NOMINEES. These nominations did not give general satisfaction to the Democratic party throughout the state. The principal objection was to Mr. Wise who had voted for the Whig nominees in 1840, and been a very warm opponent of General Jackson in Congress. Although Mr. Wise had been a strict adherent to the party since 1841, and been honored as a public servant by John Tyler and James K. Polk, and performed efficient service on various occasions; yet it was the disposition of many not to give him their support. He was held up to the party as an inconsistent, self-willed, dangerous, and unstable man. The Know-Nothings affected great satisfaction at the result of the Staunton deliberations. No candidate ever went before the people for any office under more discouraging circumstances than Mr. Henry A. Wise. Never was a candidate before so little understood, or so much misrepresented and slandered; but we shall see how gallantly and successfully he surmounted these difficulties: From the (Rockingham) Valley Democrat. OUR NOMINEES.-In obedience to the behest of the Democratic Convention held in Staunton last week, we proudly throw our banner to the breeze, inscribed on its ample folds the names of WISE, MCCOMAS and Bocock, the chosen standard-bearers of the Democratic party in the coming gubernatorial contest. We frankly acknowledge the nominations are not our first choice. We preferred others, and endeavored to secure their nomination in Convention. We, however, were disappointed in our wishes, the majority thinking the above ticket the most acceptable one to be recommended to the Democracy of Virginia. We, therefore, surrender our predilections upon the altar of our party, and shall use our utmost exertions to secure the election of the ticket. It cannot be denied by any that the ticket is composed of men of the highest order of intellect. They are men around whom any party may be proud to rally. Our candidate for governor, HENRY A. WISE, the fearless tribune of the people, will sweep the state like an avalanche. As an eminent Southern and fearless advocate of civil and religious liberty we could desire no better leader. His eloquent voice will summon the Democracy to the contest like the red cross of Murdock the sons of Clan-Alpine to the fight. It will arouse the latent energies of the old and excite the enthusiasm of the young-a blaze of enthusiastic fire will burn from every crag and from every cliff, and be reflected from the broad waters of the Ohio to the billowy ocean. Its echoes, like the shrill whistle of Rhoderick Dhu, will arouse the Democracy from the lowlands and the highlands, before whose resistless march the contemptible ism of the day and miserable trumperies of an hour will be scattered like autumnal leaves before the raging whirlwind. We deem it superfluous to speak of his political character. In the halls of legislation he has won a national reputation, and stands before the country as a brilliant orator and accomplished statesman. Like Portia, his private · character is above reproach. The breath of suspicion has not even dared to dim its lustre and brightness. Our candidate for Lieutenant Governor, E. W. McCOMAS, is a young man of ability and of the strictest integrity. As a member of the late Reform Convention he distinguished himself as an able and eloquent debater, and fearless advocate of the people's rights. He is eminently qualified for the position, and cannot fail to make an excellent presiding officer of the Senate. He has borne the flag of his country on the burning plains of Mexico, and won the distinction of a brave and generous soldier. He will ably sustain the leader of the Democracy in bearing aloft the democratic banner, and is entitled and should receive the cordial support of the democratic party of Virginia. The name of WILLIS P. BOCOCK, our candidate for Attorney General, is familiar to the people of Virginia. He has proven himself to be a sound and able lawyer, pre-eminently qualified for the position to which he has been elevated. We trust the democracy will honor him again with their confi dence. Our candidates are now in the field, and it behooves every lover of democratic principles to buckle on his armor and go forth to battle against the hosts of Federalism and Know-Nothingism. The old flag ship of democracy must be kept on the old democratic platform of Jefferson and Madison. I the democracy do their duty we doubt not the result. With such chivalric spirits as Wise, McComas and Bocock as leaders, the democratic party proudly go forth to the battle, and challange our opponents to marshal their forces under whatever flag they may see proper. We care not whether it be under the banner of Federalism or the contemptible, drooping and cowardly oriflamb of Know-Nothingism; we shall meet them with the same plure, confident that our gallant champions will fearlessly and gallantly he States-Rights banner triumphantly to victory. b you ocrats of the Tenth Legion! sleep not at your posts! If less emphatic was the endorsement of the Richmond Examiner, which had most earnestly, of all the Democratic journals, remonstrated against the nomination of Mr. Wise. We extract its declaration of adhesion to the Staunton nominations: From the Richmond Examiner of December 8th, 1854. We should feel sorry, indeed, if there could be any doubt as to the course we and those who acted with us at Staunton shall pursue in the canvass now commenced. We shall go for the ticket. We have attested the sincerity of our preferences for men, openly, honestly and sufficiently. We have done so without reference to the maxim which modern political ethics have made a cardinal rule of conduct with successful candidates, that they have friends to reward and enemies to punish; for we went to Staunton under the conviction that we should not be able to overcome the vote by which our preferences were defeated. The question between men has been decided against us by regular and authoritative adjudication. The only question now is between the ticket of the Republican party of Virginia and that of the opposition to 3 |