The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1869-09-01
Judge Dent on the War Path.

Judge Lewis Dent, bf0tiier-fu-iaw of
the President, and an applicant for
gubernatorial honors in Mississippi. is
on the war path. The Judge says he
represents the Conservative RepnbIi.
can party, of which his brother-in law.
President Grant, is the head and cen
tire. He blames Boutwell, for Grants
Detection in the Tarbell conversation.
and has addressed that gentleman the
following highly interesting and spicy
letter:
:Hon. Geo Boutwell,, Secretary of the
Treasury:
"SIR-I shall make little apology for
asking your attention TO my letter and
less for the nature of its contents. You
were the first to deny the political Or
lthordoxy of my friends and myself and
by all the rules of the forum am en-
Titled to defence. Again you hoitla an
Office of the Republic, and your acts.
therefore, are legitimate subjects Of
criticism by the hnmblest citizen there.
| Of. But in some respects we are alike;
| for instance, we are both aspirants for
place. with this difference-you aim to
be the next President, with every as
surance ofsnecess, except in the opinion
of the people; while / seek an humber
place, with my hopes in disastrous
eclipse, except in lleiuilgment of Miss.
| the future, We both stand adverse to
the Judgment of the country.
In the pursuit of your ambition you
are nnscrupnlous as 10 the means of
your success. Your organ, the n. Y.
Sun, in the same breath ridicnles the
capacity Of your master, and dwells
with emphasis on your peculiar fitness
for the office.
Your excellent tool, Mr.. Tulluck, he
came 50 reckless in the manipulation
of your department in the interest of
your ambition. and so defiant of the
| wishes Of the President and the coun-
| try, that to- save yourself from an ex-
plosion of popular Indignation You
found it convenient to transfer hia to
another sphere of scandalous activity,
where his talents might be exerted
with equally good effect, and less CT
| frontery.
Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi and
Texas, not to mention anything SO
humble as myself, were Instructions in
lihe way OF Your success, because,
| through President Grants intervention
| in excluding the prescriptive clauses
from their organic laws, these States
are brought inio the Union firmly well
dcd to his'support. Now. this is in d.
rect conflict with your systematized
plans; for what Gen. Grant gets in the
next election, clearly Mr.. Boutwell, will
not get; and therefore you have de-
nounced the Conservative Republicans
who are for Graft, that you may ebtain
the proscriptive' Republicans, who are
for Boutwell, and by some strange,
dcxtroas management, and occult po-
litical strategy, you have so worked
upon the confidence of the President
as to cause him to flourish the cub
with which you intend to break his
head by inducing him to join you in &C.
nunciation of the Conservative Repai,-
LEANS, party created by his magnan-
Unity. and triumphant through his
management.
But, sir, your purpose is easily dis
cerned, and hasa twofold object; nmne
", to destroy the National Republican
party in the South, and then TO recon
fstruct from its shattered fragments a
Boutwell, party, With no Richmond III
the field to strike for your crown. But
| if yon cannot succeed in this scheme of
desperate enterprise, you mean to ruin
IA result, from present appearances,
much more likely to be reached.
Your official intervention for Wells.
for instance, gave $4,000 majority to
| Walker. Your letter TO Stokes gave
Senter to Tennessee by an oyerwhelm-
ing vote OF 10000. Your marvellous
political sagacity, now active i'll Mis-
sissippi and Texas, will report your
calamity, and again overwhelm You
with discontinue and defeat. Super
add to these results of four unapproach
able folly the imposition ON these
States of your iron-clad oath, and the
alienation is complete, landing them
all in the outs retclled arms of Demoe-
racy.
" But the consequence of yeur folly
does not end here. Ohio and Pennsyl-
vania and others will follow, decide
their political status in October, and
the North will echo back the condem-
nation of the South, and peal in your
ears this fact-that there is still left
enough of the ineorruptible virtue of
the Republic to rebuke you for a wah-
ton repression of that most sacred
fright, the elective franchise.
g But, sir, this will not deter you
from your mad course. You will still
persist until every prop that supports
our party is stricken away, and the
whole grand superstrficture tumbles
about our ears in hopeless. ruin.
+" When you were appointed Secret,-
ry of the Treasury and unanimously
confirmed by Senate OF every. shade
of political opinion, did you not take
an oath to administer your office I'M
/ partially, and for the exclusive objects
i of its ereation-to collect the revenue
and control the finances of the country
Is not that Office the property of tho
nation, and yourself only clothed for q
time with a little brief authority
i Then, sir, how do you explain this
J, iperyersion of its Legitimate uses and
functions into n means and instrument
of oppression, and compel the election
of obnoxious rulers upon tie people OF
the South is such course consist
ent with your oath of Office, or do you
call this a great moral idea ? But, Mr..
Boutwell,, though You have thus pros
tituted the powers of your office Tor
purposes of oppression, without the
-. NM