The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-06-18
The Honesty and Capacity of the
Presidential Candidate Tor Re-elec-
From the New York Nation

From the New YORK Nation
We all reeoilect that worthy citizen of Athens
who baGisheG Aftstdrs solely bee au5e il annoyed
him 10 hear the epitlet "1'he Just" constantly
coupled with his name. We have all been struck
by this strange specimen OF political liberty, and
by the lack OF judsmen; In Its application. 1t was
not because this undue not0rety given to the name
OF a citizen of the Republic might, after tine,
prove dangerous, nor because the epithet OF Just
was questionable, that the worthy citizen OF
Gteece banished Aristides. He would not even
discuss The matter; the epithet annoyed him, and
that was enough to ostracise the unfortunate
bearer In this We see an excess of liberty and
lack OF political education.
Now, we anuoycd aRa inflated at hearing
the words Abtaham Lincoln aud honesty always
coupled t0scthe,, but, being moe generous than
the excellent Atheniin citizen aforesaid, we pro
pose, before oitrtcisbg noicst Abe tiOm the White
uouae, 10 consider his night 10 The surname Gf
"huueef - To call 0He n,an h"neat ont oi pop
uiaiiun of 80 900 eD) IL not much compliment
10 him a sacas upon all the rest. Let us look
into his honesty AMI capasiisy. Alter three years
of patient silence we have ,tgh,, and IL is more
over our du y, Nj Lneoih, TO examine your acts
and show them IL the nation fuu commenced
by cOniiing the fate OF cause the honor Ut 0uI
arms and the lives of 0Rr s0as, To inen having no
higher claim to such trusts than host Of voters at
theif command, whose support you coveted-in
order 10 advance the welfare of The nat On.
We have allowed you To further your political
aud personal Interests and tu uaHsioim into he :
roes men whose ihethclency has swallowed up
thousands VI lives and millions OF dollars, SO that
you might be able To dazzle the eyes of the peo-
pie win victories far more apparen. than reai We
| have permitted you 40 sacfiiiee tried patri0Is,
whose popularity alarmed you, and whose enefgT 4
disappointed your calculations.
| We have atloSei you 10 deceive the people; We
have let yOu Transform d,sgracefnl defeats into
| victories; and we even made no Ontcry when You
| were reduced TO beg exoheIauOn for acts which
have eteTnay diSgfaced The honor Of our arms
Y0u have been unable either to foresee to fore
| siai anything. What has become OF the nations
enthusiasm What have you done with the I'm
1 rapG ia Nod In
| the nation has iavlshly given You
| You are now appealing To c0nscriptton, and we
will not enter Into iscu sion OF the principle IL
| SELF bur We will tell you that you should have
| i0reseen that the Gay must come shen you would
need these men, and that you TO blame in not
| cailiag for them when the people $ enthusiasm
| was hTst aroused, when they certainly would not
| have beea refused you. You are to blame, inas
much as, through your iacapacity and personal
| schehes, the necessity Tor such appeal has be
| come question Of public saieiy. You are To
blame for depTiviDg US OF the services OF the men
| Wnos popularity stimulated that euthu siasas.
You have told the c0uatry that bo.h the rebellion
| and slavery were dead You have told the people
that the forces of the rebels were reduced by DC
seTtons, and that they could not be recruited, led
clothed; aud yet you are forced 10 act upon the
| defensive, being threatened at all points
| Whenever you have directed the action Of our
troops, they have been uniformly successful you
have perpetually offered US the wretched spectacle
| Of splendid resbufc,s and excellent chances Oi
success sacrificed to tncapaeity The only success
which You came near attaining, put Tue credit Ol
| which we intend TO take ffom you, is due to the
incredible haginaiiveness that you have displayed
In describing facts Changes Of base, masteity re-
| treats, aud Teconnotssaaces have succeeded each
other with q rapidly worthy OF lhe greatest show
man of modern times The immense variety oi
circumstances is only equalled by The tdealiy ol
the results.
We have
ShetNaa'5 reconnaissance
Smiths reconnaissance
1homas'5 reconnaissance
kdpatslck's 3 reconnaissance
Cuslat's reconnaissance
Seymour reconnaissance
Gilmore > Charleston reconnaissance.
The result IL everywhere The same, ndieuious and
| disastrous The soie concession We eaa make "a
your honesty Is that You have Improved upon lhe
changes of base la 1863 you destroy fewer sol
diers ana burn less OF sne nations property
How Is It that, after three years OF iacoiupafabe
victories. according 10 Aaeck's 3 facetiOus cxpres
sion, ia the military history Of ma
tiatsn YOU afe sii poHteting how 10 preserve the
| naI0nAi capitai aud your bases VI operation
Is it as q reward tor Huch success, tor the
achievement OF .nch results, that you now ash tbs
anton 20 pass vote Of conIdenee, aad re eleei
yua ios aaolars aud perhaps sliH another sesn,
In yUns Inaugural adssess, You gave very stIik
Ing illustration VI your pecaiaf honesty by virtually
known principles OF the parry which had elected
you, not 10 serve second term; you did this IN
manner which nOna Of your supporters thea Mis-
understood !; but your WOtds Wcge evtdtuliv De
sigssd 10 bear = double nssahiex; 80 tAai, if y0u
sha. fmd she sweets OF Oaiee eAtic,,as than
you possibly aniicipsteA, you might change yOus
bufJasa without scrssiux ~ st0iate pour psOesise
OxadiA people viii see ID tht1 > gOed deal MOss
evtdence Ol cenhinG iAan 81 haoesty.
This whole uastl u this yoM sfs lea4iag shs na-
a. u tlie daeGsm wAIch ahssatsA IL. Ii Ne Gsal
past o. the cADpaten u le62, yuw nstued adVAa-