| From the Richmond Dispatch |
| |
| April 3, 1861 |
| |
| Charter Election |
| To the Voters of the City of Richmond --
Superintendent of Gas Works |
| Mr. Sharp, a Southern man, who
is a candidate for the office of Superintendent of the Gas Works of the
City of Richmond, has been assailed in an article in the Richmond
Dispatch, signed "A Tax-Payer and Gas Consumer," not only as being
"too much of a Secessionist, but that he first seceded from a Northern
State, at an early age, and came to this city. He next seceded to two
Northern shops, in two Northern States, while serving a short
apprenticeship; after which he seceded to Lynchburg, and again to one of
the Southern States, where he had charge of a railroad, from which he
seceded, leaving the company oblivious as to the cause or his
intentions. Then, again, he came to this city, where he had charge of
the York River Railroad, from which he seceded without making known his
purposes until, the patience of the Directory being exhausted, they
elected his successor." |
| All of which statements are
utterly false and untrue, as may be seen by reference to the following
letters: |
| 1st From Alexander Dudley,
President of the Richmond & York River Railroad, dated Richmond,
September 6, 1860. |
| 2d From Edwin Robinson, late
President of the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad Company,
dated September 15th, 1859. |
| 3d From the Montgomery & West
Point Railroad Company, dated September 8th, 1859. |
| 4th From the same, dated also
September 8th, 1859. |
| 5th From William T. Joynes,
President of the Petersburg and Roanoke Railroad Company, dated
September 19th 1859. |
| 6th From the same, dated
January 26th, 1856. |
| All of which above letters may
be seen at the Dispatch office. |
| Mr. Sharp was born and raised
in a slaveholding State, and has been living in a slaveholding State all
of his life. His father (Thomas Sharp,) was the well-known
Superintendent of the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad
Company for many years. |
| Mr. Sharp is so well known as
a mechanic and engineer by the people of Richmond, that it is
unnecessary to more than mention his name to entitle him to their
support. |
| We challenge inquiry as to the
qualifications of Mr. Sharp for this position, and ask voters to refer
to the letters above cited as being at the Dispatch office. |
| Many Voters |
| Who will Support him at the Polls |
|