The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-05-08
A voice from tho sou,s, Side.
For the Dispatch.
TUE OLD WIGS or TaE SOUTH.

\ IL
that General 1mbodcn WAS authorized ~
sneak Tor the people OF Virginia. Permit
Ctlh who adhered TO The Wing t,arty Ia fba
last--even when the Gcnetai had fhoi,nht
proper to abandon the small remnant lnfif io
so over to the Democratic PARTY before tho
| war--to deny his right to speak for tho old
Wings OF the South, and especially thosr of
VIRGINIA. The tntinlation IN his letter, that
the nomination of Mr.. Greeley would band
together the old Why's again, and That his
r,ectioh might seem to CONSOLIDATE the no.
,"cat power of the South In old WING
',ahas, merely because that cratic indiyi-
."''' was Tor some time q quasi member OF
,.e ola wing party. does not argue yerr
hlgh appreciation Of The intelligence, intes
'"S' or patriotism Of the surviving followers
ana admirers OF Henry Clay and Watkins
Leigh. Ii no better reason for the srnnort
OF the eulos,st OF Johr Brown can be ad.
uuced than the fact that he was. in by-rone
Gays, nominal adhcient of the WING ,arty,
then the appeal to old Wings will be made
IN VAN. Certainly, none of us can forget
what terrible drawback Mr. Greeley's con-
| ncc,lon with the party always was to us, or
how often we were compelled to repudiate
| party. VIZ all rccorct but too well how,
when the Wing party for the last time had
regular presidential ticket in the field I'm
| lS52}. he spit upon the platform, though he
| consented 10 accept the nominees.
General lWhodcn seems To have great hor.
ror of ''in>sil remains" yet the brilliant idea
| has seized him Of cNhuming the renmius of n
| lvtrty which really expired years before the
war: for it never had any substantial ma
| tiunal existence after the death of its great
founder and leader. Why this attempt to
rc>,lscitaic the old prciudiccS and fcuds that
once existed between Wings and Democrats
upon what, by all rellccthg 1reii, must flow
| nc regarded Is comparatively insignificant is
sues! Yet, strange 10 say, the thrcadbare
cXhortation "I.ct the dead past bury its
| dead" is constantly III the mouths of those
who will by no means consent that there
Stall he MI oblitcrat!on Of dntc-jell,m larty
lines and "reminiscences 50 far rs W higS and
Democrats are concerned. If we arc 10 for
| get the terrible iSsucs which produced the
hate war. and the terrible scenes which
marked its progress. resulting IN such ruin
AMI devastation to our section and
State as have been rarely. If cter. suffered
by people, in order 10 affiliate III tratcrnal
association with the projectors and authors
Of our dcSolation; in the name Of all that is
holy. why are the. raw-head and bloody
bones of ancient Whiggcry TO he constantly
thrust into or faces to deter us from Il per-
feet determination with our Democratic
friends aud brethren. by whose sides we
stood and fought without one thought OF dis
trust during all the trying years of our dread
tul struggle: During that struggle what
Wing or Democrat ever thought OF suspect
ing his front rank, OF right or lctt-hand man.
or the one sent out in front to watch and
: keep guard between him and the enemy
while he slept in security, because that
c"mrade had formerly been separated
from him by his party relations !:
General Lee had been Whi- i'll hi'
| sentiments. Us far as he took amy interest in
politics. while StonewalI Jackson had been Il
decided Democrat. Did that flct ever for Il
moment suggest any shadow of distr,l>t be-
tween those faithful and devoted Confederate
leaders: and is IL possible that if both had
survived the war, their former political diff.
tcrcnccS would have presented the faintcSt
conceivable obstacle to that cordial coUpclTl-
ton in civil and political matters which char:
actcrizcd their military operations? The
attempt TO invoke aid revive the old eX
ploded prcIudiceS engcndcred by mere politi
cal struggle for office and power between
Wings and Democrats is the worst possible
form of that " Bourbonism SO often referred
TO in connection with the remark attributed
: TO Napoleon-whi@h by-thC.by. Was Dor
: rowed from an English chancellor who, long
before. made similar remark in regard tc
: the Stualt>.
Now that Horace Greeley is nominated
l whether true policy requires lis to waive tht
:, very many serious objections 10 him whicl
exist. and support him for the presidency, i
| Il question which addresses itself To a.! me!
l who have 1t heart the real interests OF tht
! country, but upon very different grounds
than some suggested 10y General Imboden
:. I'll" decision OF that question must depend
u III very great measure upon the action O
= the Democrats and Conservatives of the North
I and any undue cagcrncSs OF the part o
4 southern Democrats and Conservatives t,
{ mrddlc with that action can result in Yer,
little good. Very certainly if Mr.. Greeley
hopes for election depend upon "bids for TIN
negro vote and the prospect of consoli
u dating "al spotical power in the South il
q old Wing hands," he will not get soliar,
# electoral vote in I'LL the South if he gets on
in all the United States. He must have SOM
4 better dependence than that. "Let us have
Y peace" therefore, between the old Wing
# and Democrats of the South.
As you say, when the Conservatives go int,
}. the market for negro votes, they 20 undo
very great disadvantages, and are certain t
y he outDid. The few votes that have beer
;, bought by bcstowing doorkecpcr's or mes
: scngel's place or two are like the Indian
y y,n-thcy cost more than they come to; AM
then you never get any title, but have to kcel
n buying the same thing over. To tlattcr TIL
. negro only gives him an idea of his consc
uucncc. and makes him 60 his own way. \
:, for reasoning with him, you had just as wei
n try to argue Il woman into loving or not loy
. ing a man as to try to reason with ii negr
= about his true interests and political duties
the more you argue the more he wont b.
:. convinced. He had therefore better be lie
/. severely alone"
G For one. the writer of this is not to be al
t l,rcd to the support of any one by the ab
/ surd hope Of getting power into the hands @
= old Wings, and though he was IL thorough,
/ uncompromiSing Wing (as he understood th
= principles Of that party up to the very be
: ginning of the war, he can now assume TIN
4 name Of Democrat, if necessary, withou
: hesitation and without the slightest sense o
: humiliation. 1t was Il name borne with prld
for long years by the great founder of tn
Wing party. who, in his last purely political
speech, proclaimed himself a true Demo
: crt," AN OLD WING.
4 Voice fre.n the North Side.
Editors Dispatch: The country people
, | with ctriprIlppS