Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1869-08-24
Another Political Letter from Judge Dent
Pungent Criticism Of Secretary Boutwell,
and his Political Course.


Pungeut Criticism of Secretary Boutwell,
and his Political Course.
WASHINGTON, August 17.--Judge Dent has
written to Secretary Boutwell, pungent letter,
of which the following is a copy:
WASHINGTON, d. G., August Il, 1860.
TO Hon. George s. Bout,oeH, Secretary Of the
Treasury
Sir,-I shall make little apology for asking
your attention to my letter, and less for the
nature of it's contents. You were the first to
deny the political orthodoxy of my friends ard
myself. and by all the rules of the forum l am
entitled to defence. Again, you hold an Office
of the republic, and your acts, therefore, are
legitimate subjects of criticism by the humblest
citizen thereof. 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 assurance ofsuccess,
except in the opinion of the people.
While l seek an humber place, with my
hopes in disastrous eclipse, Except in the
Judgment of Mississippi; SO in the probable re-
suits of the future we both stand adverse to the
Judgment of the country. In the pursuit of
your ambition you are ungratefu and unscru-
pulous as to the means Of success. Your organ,
the New York Sum- in the same breath ridi-
cules the capacity of your master, and dwells
with emphasis Upon your peculiar fitness for his
efGee. Your tool, Mr.. Tullock, became so reck
less in tie manipulation of your department. in
the interest of your ambition, and SO defiant of
the wishes of the President and the country,
that to save yourself from al explosion of po-
puar Indignation you found it convenient to
| transfer him to another sphere of scandalous
activity, where bis talents might be exertcd with
! equal effect and less efrontery. Virginia, Ten
negsee. Mississippi, and Texas, not to mention
ANYTHING so humble as myself, were distractions
in the way of your success. because through
President Grants Intervention In excluding the
proscriptive clauses from their organic law these
States are brought into the Union and hrmly
welded to his support.
Now. this is In direct conflict with your sys-
tematized plans for what General Grant gets
| in the next presidential election clearly Mr..
Rontwell viii not get, and therefore have you
denounced the Conservative Republicans who
are for Grant, that you may OBTAIN the pros
"r;nt;ye Republicans, who are for Boutwell,;
and by some strange, dexterous management
and occult political strategy, you have SO work
ed upon the confidence OF the President as to
cause him to flourish the club with which you
intend to break his head BY inducing him to
ioin YOU in denunclatlon OF the tonsefvatlVe
| Rennblicaus-a party created By his magnan.m~
;tv and triumphant through his encouragement.
But, sir, your purpose is easily discernible,
and has tEo=fold object-namely, to destroy
the National Republican party in the South,
! and then to reconstruct from .ta shattered frag-
| menfs Boutwell, party, with one kLcfRind ID
the Geld to strike for your crown. But If you
cannot succeed In this scheme OF desperate
enterprise you mean to run result, from
present appearances, much more hke'g 20 De
It ached. VT
Your official intervention for Wells, tor 10
stance. gave thirty thousand majority to Walk
or Your letter to Stokes gave Senter Iennes-
see by an overwhelming vote OF seventy thou
sand. Your marvellous political sagacity, now
active in Mississippi and Texas, will repes;
vour calamity and again overwhelm you witt
aiseomfiture and defeat. Superadd to those re-
suits Of your unapproachable folly the lmposl1
tion on these States Of your iron-clad oath, and
the alienation is complete. Landing them all II
the outstretched arms of the Democracy.
But the consequence of your folly does no
stop here-Ohio and Pennsylvania and Others
will follow. Decide their political status II
October, and the North will echo back the
condemnation Of the South, and peal in you
ears this fact, that there Is stll! left enough
the incorruptible virtue Of the fepyths to re-
bnke YOU tor Wanton repression OF that taoS
sacred right, the elective franchise. But. sir
this will! rot deter you from your mad course
YOU will still persist until every prop that sup
ports our party is stricken away and the whole