The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-05-26

~
citizens was held at Scott's Monticello Hall
last evening. The meeting was called to
order hy NJ. May. Esq, and Mr. George
Klein was called TO the chair. DIR. Nor
WITT, of Philadelphia, was then introduced,
nrd spoke ~ fo'ows'
Felow.ritizens.-Yoii l:aic. f0llor6d me
cIS .tly liy yoitr Invitation ia. be present
ii YOUR grand Injecting for til. delibcra-
ton Of the public affairs Of your fine and
famous city, and to express MT views about
them. Thg more deeply and gratefully. |
Was touched by the Kindness and the
trotlierly spirit Of your favor, the. livelier
s!'d lie tttora rHgrctfu! felt nnd feel my
inability as pubic speaner 20 rostt,ot!a 20
the same in any way adequate to your gene
rouS confidence. But could certainly not
hesitate to show my best intention; SO that
81 des,t,H uircs tamcn tdudandG Uolunt0ss,
and therefore not doubling your kind jndul-
Eercl for lie saprt Of rhetorical art atid
oratorica ability, | will now State id
plain and simple words what the spirit
moves me-as they say at home in the Key
stone State.
A desire has been expressed that I
shou:d review an address 20 Ec
German citizens of Richmond headed "1t
q Serious Time q Serious Hord.' l
will gladly comply with that desire,
for. although that serious word to me
hphears bv no means .serieusalld grave. but.
on the contrary, is latiiet m5ts cotSica' arid
f,rcical than anything else; nevertheless,
the ptrrersion of sound Judgment (since l
am unwilling to believe in any malicious
purpose), the pervcrsion and alteration OF
tic mind aphalcnt in that pamphlet, really
calls for some attention aliu proper trcat-
ment.
Then, following the rule to treat the
thing according to its own perverted ma
ture, | begin towards the end where we
find the main essence Of the yenomous sting
of the vermin. couchse,d in the WORDS: Her,
,arins, do hPnor to The 5iten ,Gh0 had the
COURAGE to force through the first, breach
of prejudice; follow ihef, (that is, vots
~ wy t'iSci;; veil! Now, we really want to do
honor to those men. We want to do it
e4cn if their good judgment as to what is
prejudice or not MAY be very douptfnl7as
long rs VIC are slirc of their sincerity and;
more vet, we are ready to do them honor,
leaving even their sincerity unscanned, il
they only show the courage to stand up III
defence of the position they have taken ;
and we would perhaps be ready also to fol-
low their lead. But, who are they? Where
are they? How can we follow them if they
don't give us either their names or where
aboutS, and tell us absolutely nothing about
their persons? And why don't they do it !
Does the serious acord seriously mean to
advise our German felloW-citizens to fol-
loU nobody or nobodies2 Is that serious
or Is it an impertinent joke? Or does this
not look far more like the unintended mani
festation of the finger and handwriting Of
that spirit of meanness and treachery
which some less charitable, than we
are here, would think is the soul of that
whole pamphlet, and which makes it as
manifest rs the most absolute evidence can
do it, that those nobodies have got no
honest conviction at all, and that they have
not bit of that courage they so vainglori-
ously boast of. Yes, fellow-citizens, with
their own hands they have written them.
selves down the high creme of carpet-bag-
gers-bare of mind, Of soul, and of heart
Spiritual carpet-baggers !-nobodles in the
most extended meaning of that word.
Now, of such nonentities of course no.
thing real, nothing true, can be expected
and this in fact is the case in all their asscr-
tions. First, they express their astonish.
mcnt that Virginia, endowed by nature
with such unlimited resources, should, now
five years have elapsed, show ever! less
prosperity than at the close of the "ruinous
WiC Vi DIUtucls, do tliOS Sttlt ~, aiil GhoL
ask, Whose fault is that? They are entirely
blinded to the fact that in the first place
their proposition is not true; for, us gene.
raj thing, the material wealth and prosperity
of Virginia have grown considerably since
the war. In many localities the progress o.
development in AZ Sricultural and industrial
enterprise in the building Of railroads and
other means of communication for the
constantly increasing demands of trade
and commerce has been very great
But admitting the advance Of so vas!
and naturally rich State. shoult
have been In all its parts far more
rapid, how can those running brothers ask
whose fault is I'll? They, the men Of mill
tary rule I; they, the noble warriors agains'
a prostra(ed and defenceless brother they
who have tried to keep up their demo
rahzing and paraiyzing usprpation, under
their present candidate, until that terrible
and appalling public calamity, ending it.
filed the whole country with the deepes'
mournings and sorrow. How can these
nohodies without y soul have the assurance
- 49,. s--s-#.-E