The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-09-24
General Dlx,s Letter.


General Dlx's Letter.
From The ~ Y. World,
The American Minister at Paris has writ
ten rancorous letter, bitterly denounoing
and abusing Governor Seymour, and laying
bare heart ulcerating with spite and envy.
The letter, by transparent subterfuge, pur-
ports to be private, but its whole tenor and
composition show that it was written for the
American newspapers. We do not condemn
its publication, for an open calumniator is a
less blameworthy and less dangerous charac-
ter than secret backbiter. We do not object
to the publicity, but to the affectation that
that publicity was not intended. II it were
proper to make such an assault at all it should
be made with manly openness. The false
pretence of privacy, and real intention to pub.
lish, put the writer in a dilemma between a
meditated stab in the dark and conscious
violation of prOpriety in appearing before the
public in a character that does not become
him.
We adopt the more favorable suppositon,
and relieve General Dix of the imputation Of
being snake in the grass. We assume that
he intended that his vituperative letter should
be printed in the public journals. We have
then the spectacle, to which we can recollect
no parallel, Of an American Minister to a
foreign Government taking sides, with bit
ter ostentation, in party contest at
home. Mr.. Adams, who has lately returned
from England, has a juster sense Of pro.
priety. He feels that he cannot, without a
violation of decorum, embark in this party
contest and assigned that as a reason for alb
staining from party topics in responding to
the welcome of his admiring fellow citizens.
How infinitely stronger are the reasons for alb
staining while minister is actually serving
abroad in his diplomatic capacity The true
sentiment on this and kindred subjects was
vel expressed by Mr.. Webster in speech in
Congress during the war of 1872, when he
said that all our party differences ought to
cease at the waters edge. genuine patriot
ism can accept no other role; and hitherto,
as far as We can recollect, our foreign
ministers and our naval officers serving
abroad have practised the wise reticence
which patriotism and decorum enjoin. Gene
raj Dix is the first to forget that he is the
representative of the whole country, and to
exhibit in one of our great missions the fierce
acrimonY of party politics. The excuse which
he offers for this breach of propriety is
statement "a statement which we have never
seen, and which nobody who knows him
would cTedit) that he desired the election of
Mr.. Seymour. If such statement has been
made, and General Dix desired to contradict
it, he might easily have made the contradic-
tion in more diplomatic, or at least in
more decent and considsrate manner. He
could have disclamed thu imputation with
out such a TRADE of vituperation. The
assigned reason is only pretext; for the
letter makes it too evident that its author
Is glad OF an opportunity to pour out the
rancor which has long bsen fostering in his
breast towards Governor Seymour. There
are hundreds of men as virtuous and respect
able as General Dix who do not think it in
cumbent on them to make such aggressive
demonstrations againt Governor Seymour. If
patriotism inspired this attack, why have we
had nothing similar from Chief Justice Chase,
or Charles Francis Adams, Reverdy John
difference between such men and General Dix
is that they have no personal hostility to
Governor Seymour, while General Dix har-
bors old grudges which he takes this occasion
to display. General Dix is a New Yorker
many years the senior of Mr.. Seymour. He
has always been a greedy place-hunter; he
has, in his time, encountered many mortify-
ing disasters, and not the least of these is
his constant failure to get the Democratic
party to think him good candidate for
the Presidency. He has seen a younger
Democrat in his own State eclipse his popu-
larity and bear away the honor for which he
has so long pined and aspired. He is accord
ingly as falr judge of Mr.. Seymour's charac-
ter and public career as neglected spinster is
of the beauty and manners of the reignipg
belle by whom she is thrown into the shade
General Dix is mortified that his name was
never talked OF, nor even thought of, in con-
nection with the Democratic nomination. II
gals him beyond endurance that he should be
of SO little account in party to which he has
always professed to belong.
AS regards the matter OF General Dix's letter
there is nothing in it which everybody has not
seen a hundred times in the Tribune, and
hundred times replied to and exploded by
Democratic journals. There is nothing new
but its utterancs by General Dix, who
merely attests his personal hatred of Mr..
Seymour, but contributes no new ideas to the
canvass.
The MIDDLE in the Southern States.
From the N. Y Herald.