Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1868-09-30

tion, but the gentleman to whom 1t
was addressed has consented to give
it to the public -
GEN. DIx's LETTER
PARIS, Sept. 4, 1868
Ny DEAR SIR 1t was my hope
! that my distance from home would
have saved me from all participation
! in the political excitement prevailing
| there but | notice in one of the
newspapers statement that | am
heart in hand with Mr. Seymour.
| am not aware of anything in the
| present or TIE past, which could right
fully subject me to such an imputa-
! ton.
| have been acquainted with Mr.
| Seymour more than quarter of a
! century. He is an amiable gentle
man, of unexceptionable private char
/ acter and respectable talents. But
/ you hnO1U as aUeil I that he has not a siaqle
/ qualification for the successful erectt1on of
/ the htgh oG7rtoL trust to wtich he has been
nominated and IS especially deficient IN
the frnaness Of purpose a0hich IN critical
emergencies as the only safeguard against
public disorder and calamty.
| He has been twice, at different
| times, governor of the State of New
/ \ ork and he has had, in neither case
/ the talent or the tact to keep the
Democratic party together more than
two years.
I should regard has election, at H.ts juno
tire, 'chen steadlnes Of purpose, decision and
! se!t control are so much needed, as one of
| the greatest calamlties that could befdU the
| country! Moreover he has been put
/ IN nomination by a convention which
has openly declared the purpose of
| those 1T represents to pay the greater
/ part of the public debt, contracted to
/ preserve the Union, IN de preciated
/ paper. Such a measure would, in my
| Judgment, be palpable violation of
the public faith, pledged under cir
cumstances which should have been
binding on all honorable men. Scv-
mour has made public speeches to
show that 1t is our duty to pay the
debt in specie. In accepting his nom
nation to the Presidency he adopts
the declaration that it ought to be
paid in paper. I kno10 nothing so hu-
initiating IN the history Of american poll,
tics as h5s tergiUersation 1t was, per
haps, not unfit that Mr.. Seymour, af-
/ ter presiding in 1864, over the Chica-
! go Convention, which declared the
war a failure, should preside over the
| Convention of 1868, in which a propo-
sition to discredit the debt contracted
| to carry on the war was received with
tremendous cheering. and that he
should be the chosen instrument TO
execute this act of national turpitude.
| do not believe that the wishes or
opinions of the great body of the Dem
ocratic party are fairly expressed in
the proceedings. They have nothing
in common with the statesmanIike
view of the policy and the high sense
of national honor which guided the
party when Martin Van Buren, Will
/ liam L. Marcy, Silas Wright Lewis
/ Cass and Stephen \. Douglas were
among its most conspicuous members.
l see bod one source of safety for the
country, under the e17Sting Circumstances,
and that IS the election of General Grant
In his decision of character, good
sense, moderation, and disinterested
patriotism, l believe the South will
have a far better hope Of regaining
the position in the Union TO which 1t
is entitled, than under a man whose
political career has been in nothing
more conspicuously marked than in
utter infrmlty of purpose.
Independently of all these consider
ations, | should be greatly surprised
if the people Of the United States
were to elect, as their Chief Magis-
trate. d man who was making, at the
4 Academy of Music, on the 4th of Ju-
ly, 1868, speech deficient in all char
ac.eristics of an elevated love of coun-
try, at the very hour when General
Grant was carrying the victoriou.
arms OF the Union into Vicksburg,
and when thousands of our fallen
countrymen were pouring out tAeir
blood on the plains of Gettysburg, in
defence of their homes and the Gov
ernment which Mr.. Seymour was do
inS ali in his power to ernbarass and
discr-dIt.
| am quite willing you should show
this letter TO any friends who may
take an interest in my opinions in re-
gard TO the coming election; and l