Vicksburg weekly herald., 1870-08-20
A. H. DOUGLASS,
R. D. BAUGH,
T. j. LATHAM,
T. B. NORMENT,
W. T. AVERY,
r. F. LOONEY,
G.. P. FOUTE.
MEMPHIS. August 8, 1870.

". L. FLUTE.
MEMPHIS, August s, 1870.
Messrs. A. H. Douglass, T. J.
Latham, r. D. Baugh and
others:
GENTLEMEN l am in receipt of
your highly complimentary letter
of yesterday, and hasten to reply.
If the name of Democrat" be
obnoxious to some of the Wings
on account of "reminiscences of
the past, they should remember
that both of the old parties, with
their issues ind leaders for all
practical purposes, are overheard ;
and with them should perish ami
mosities growing out of those
conflicts. There are nowno ques-
tions to divide US, and none can
be named upon which we differ.
1t is best that by-gones should be
by-gones. The trick to induce
Wings to form a seperate party,
that divisions may spring up, and
the Radicals profit by it, is we'll
understood. Every party must be
known and distinguished by some
name, it is impossible to dispense
with a name, and not very impor-
tant what the name may be. The
present Conservative party is COM
posed Of the Wings and Demo
Gratis Of the past; the young men
of the present, and of all Conser-
servative men, by whatever uame
heretofore known, who are in fa.
vor of the Constitution, the SUI
premacy Of the laws and the sa-
cred unalienable rights of the
States. Out of this material, the
greater part of whom have passed
the ordeal of fire and blood, and
come out purified, we shall,
construct the grandest and noblest
party that ever existed. The
name is but the result of accident.
During the war, when anarchy and
Radicalism was in the ascendant,
when men spoke with bated
breath, when the halter and stake
were threatened; when freedom of
speech and of the press were
stricken down; when thick coming
disasters were upon us, when the
Constitution was assailed and lib
erty jeopardized, the defenders of
Constitutional freedom rallied,
and raised the banner of Democ.
racy. In This name, Milliard
Salisbury, Garrett Davis, Jasse
D. Bright, Dan Voorhees,, c. L.
Vallandigham, and VIM. L. Shar-
key, with a few noble brother.
hood of patriots in each of the
States; forgetting the names and
differences Of the past, banded to-
gether, and battled for our rights,
despising danger and the froWns
of power. Following their ex
ample, let us raise that flag, gather
under its folds all good and just
men at home, the votaries ofliber-
ty from abroad, and march on to
greatness, glory and enduring
prosperity. When the war was
over, extreme, malignant, and in
competent men held the relns of
power and controlled the legisla-
ton Of the country. Instead Of re-
storing peace, harmony and kind.
ness, by their sunchastened am-
bition, by their rapacity, by their
assaults upon the Constitution, by
their cowardly warfare upon the
Southern people, they have made
what they call peace more intoler-
able than tUdr. Such was our con-
ditlon, when General Grant with
the pledge ''let US have peace" was
elevated to power. Gen. Grant
was uncommitted to either party,
chad no friends TO reward, no enc
mics to punish" From his ele
vated standpoint, he should have
calmly weighed and gravely de-
termined upon a line of policy
which would have insured peace
and prosperity to all, injustice to
none, and such was the hope of
the people. He should have plac-
ed in his Cabinet, wise, prudent
tried statesmen, high above the
enmities, jealousies and petty am
bitions of mere partisans. He
should have filed all the high off.
ces Of the country, at home and
abroad, with none but true, tried,
competent and trustworthy men,
and these held with an unfaltering
hand to the full discharge Of their
duties. Seeing that the country
staggering under the weight ofan
oppressive debt be should have
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