The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-10-08
OCTOBER 8, 1868.
Hon. h. H. HirI ON the Political
Situation. 1
NEW YORK, October 8, 1868.


To the Editor of the Herald: 4. 4
In the Herald of this morning is an arti-
Gle headed aaSouthern Democratic Leaders
in New York." and among the number my
own name is mentioned.
Allow me, fret of all, to say I am nc
party leader; never have been, and never
expect to be.
Allow me, in the next place, to say I did
not come to New York to drink wine OF
eat fine dinners," and have not been SO en-
gagged.
came North to ascertain, if could, TIE
exact temper, views, and purposes Of the
northern people, and the probable result OF
the political contest now being waged. To
one who has studied and learned to admire
the system of American government, Fede-
raj and State, limited and reserved, with
harmonious boundaries fixed for each by
plainly y-written constitutions, the examina-
tion has not been encouraging.
Shaken to its foundations by criminal
war occasioned by a fanatical discussion
about the rights and capacities of some
savages imported as chattels for speculation
from the jungles of Africa, the question
now is, whether these savages, being now
confessedly free, and certainly greatly i'm
proved by southern masters, this great sys-
tenn of government can again be made har-
monious1y stable, and the freedom of the
white race maintained and Of all races per-
petuated
find the Republicans meeting this great
question by proposing to maintain and
perpetuate measures which are outside
of the Constitution" which avowedly seek
to disfranchise and degrade white people
for no reason but that of q vindictive ha-
tired of section against section, and which
pretend, in the most unnatural way, to ele
vate the negro by leading him, ignorant
and credulous, promisingly to equality, but
really to ruin, as the butcher tempts with
his bundle of hay deluded sheep to the
slaughter-pen.
I find the Democrats meeting this most
palpable insanity Of the Republicans by
exhausting all their powers upon q cent
percent. argument about bonds, gold, and
greenbacks. I find the capitalists, more
insane than the political leaders, taking
sides with the Republicans in this issue,
and are lavishly spending their means to
maintain and perpetuate measures which
subvert the Government and destroy the in
dustrial energies of the country in order to
make the Government stable and its re-
sources ample to pay their bonds. Minis
ters Of religion are executing their noble
commissions as peacemakers by abandon
ing the Gospel and urging their hearers to
join in the work Of maintaining a policy
whose only fruits in the past have been,
and whose only fruits in the future can be,
riots, hate, and bloodshed. Amid all this
Babel discord of political and moral confu-
sion of the northern people 1 find but few
who seem to remember that there is q writ
ten Constitution, and that those who are
chosen to administer it must be sworn "to
support, protect, and defend it." 1t Is
most significant that in the whole Chicago
platform, and the letters of acceptance from
the nominees thereon, this Constitution is
not mentioned, nor even alluded to. Its
builders remembered there was negro, but
forgot there was a Constitution. l have
heard and read long speeches from notori-
GUS (called distinguished) political leaders
who, l do believe, have never so much as
read the Constitution, and most certainly
have not read it's history nor understood its
meaning.
Statesmen have abandoned the Constitu-
ton clergymen have abandoned the Bible
and the people are losing both freedom and
religion. Nothing in the North-not even
its great cities and wonderful material de-
velopments-stand out SO prominently to
view as this startling truth.
If the Union can be cordially restored.
and the resources Of the country thereby
be developed, this Government will be able
to pay the existing debt, even if three times
as great as reported. In this contingency
there need be no debate as to whether the
debt shall be paid in currency or gold, for
then the credit Of the Government will be
restored, and currency will be equal to
gold. :.
If the Union cannot be cordially restored,
and the resources of the country thereby
be permitted to be developed, the existing
debt will not be paid-nay, not ten cents
on the dollar; for in that event the re-
sources of the country will be consumed in
process of subverting the Government,
and some other government which did not
contract the debt will take its place either
in the form of red republican anarchy OF a
military dictatorship.
How can the Union be cordially restored ?
By returning to the Constitution. How will
the Government be subverted BY the
American people deciding to maintain
and perpetuate policy outside of the
Constitution. Inside of the Constitution, a
Union, freedom, increased prosperity, re-
y \ n..k- IL