The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-05-03
A s,nr,, from General EEsb0deh.
RlcHMoSp, May ., 1872.

Editors Dispatch:
CONTAMINATION one who has taken 10
mart in politics Cor good many years, ma
myself most unexpectedly i'll the newspapers
THE week in connection with the dolnss Ut
Cincinnati IN. ,,,,o,,
On last Friday Mr.. Stenrns. Win whom J
have for years enjoyed the klnd!!est pcrso.'ai,
relations, called atmy Office, stating ne "otliu
leave next day for Cincinnati, and ASKED me
for letters of Introduction to some Oh tue
leading men in that movement, whom nap
nn,od 70 know very well, and who were eN-
nected to be ut Cincinnati. We had some
conversation about the great good that might
rasult 70 the country from. the SUCCESSFUL H.
oup,,ration Of this reform movement Ill the
Republican party, but The conversation
ended before had the opportunity OF saying
nil intended Next morning, after writing
the letters of introduction, not knowing that
| would see Mr.. Stearls before he left on the
70 80 train, hastily wrote out my views Tor
his own private perllsal !; my object being 10
present reasons why thought he should ala
| in the nomination of Mr.. Greeley, whom
have regarded for more than Year rs thc
best man in the United States for PrcslucNi,
so far As we are concerned.
| Finding Mr.. Stcarns in his cii'ce JUST oclp1c
lie started ran over my letter 10 nm, ana
| handed il to him with the remark tat lie
could read it carefully Oh the cars, ana
hoped would concur with me ana 60 iof
Grcecy. and that he would understand tHe
| letter was intended for himself alone. On
Monday received telegram from AIr.
Stn,rnS from Cincinnati in these words ::
{. Nav ! publish your letter: Answer imme.
diately." Believing that he thought il would
helm Mr. Greelcy'5 nomination, answered:
NV letter was hastily written and private,
but Use il any way you please.
The next heard OF it WAS in ya,lr columns
Yesterday. when about half the letter WAS
published by YOU a Il special telegram from
Washington, and taken from the New Iori,
Tribune, to which SO much of it seems to
have been telcglHphed from Cincinnati on
Monday, emitting, however, that portion re-
htng specially to Mr. Grceley's nomination.
So much in explanation Of how come to
BIZ in the newspapers with letter which to-
day YOU comment on and characterize as
'.eSSlring to express the opinions Of tie
people of Virginia" and charge me with tie
responsibility of assuming TO "speak for
large community upon such delicate qllcs-
TONS
In answer to this | simply remark that
"esSaycd" to express no ones opinions but
nv own, and ''assllmcd" to speak for no one
else. But believe that the views expressed
in that letter will meet little dissent in Viz
ginia and the South. except from rlt>>
which, for want of q better word, olrarac-
teriZe-bllt not otlcnSivcly-as fossil remains
of the old Democratic party, who have been
cngulphcd in the political commissions OF the
last ten years, and will hardly ever he dug UP
again except rs curiositicS, like the sharks
teeth and bones they are finding in the tun-
mel under Church Hill. l hayea high regard
for you, gentlemen, personally, and need
hardly diScam in advance any purpose to be
dsreSpcctful when I remark that your COM
mcNts on my letter this morning tend to as
sign you place amongst this political dfbr|S.
You seem Mortified nj tic idea OF g bid
dug" for the negro vote. You say eve
wish 10 resort to 10 device merely to win
over the negro. We do not believe that the
white people Of Virginia desire anything oi
the sort" Wien did this change come over
YOU and the white people Of Virginia!
WHY was Governor Walker nominated but
to win negro votes. 1t was by no means
certain who had the upper hand in Virginia
then. the white man Or the negro, and we,
the white people, went with Nh. Stcarns,
Senator Lewis, Judge Rye, and others Ire
pubicans(, to put up Walker and Lewis, both
Republicans. It's "a device to win negro
votes -; aud we won the election. We pat
up Colonel Ordway against Porter, hoping 10
.win negro votes" enough to eject an ac-
ceptable member Of Congress. but failed in
that case.
Our Legislature and City Council have
appointed negroes to office as n device "tO
win negro votes" to our side. In ul the
south side and tide-water counties where the
negroes predominant, the whites have in
their local elections done all in their power
to win negro votes enough to beat the car
pet-baggcrs. How can the white people, where
they are in minority, ever hope to control
except with the aid Of negro votes And how
can they get them except by bidding" for
them in way that will show the negro that
il j. his interest to vote with us? The negro
is a voter, and will be one long after you and
| are dead and gone. Even here in Virginia
his strength is too great 10 be dc>piSed, and
it ought not to be, nor should lie, Us an indi-
vidual or race. lie is as God made him,
and it has been through no agency of his that
he has been thrust into political Importance
In the main his course has been better than
we had Il right TO expect
You say that "to bid for the negro but in
ereascs his sense of sclf-iinporlance, ind the
more completely separates him from the
| white man of the community in which he
| lives. The people of the South make no war
| upon him, but will not buy him by lowering
| themselves" l cannot, for the life Of Inc,
see how the effort to elevate the standard OF
Intelligence and create Self-rcspect in the ne
gro lowers the white man. | would regard
it as a most fortunate Improvement if he was
so far elevated as to be able to appreciate
not only the power his vote gives him, but
the responsibility Of properly casting it for
the general good. want to win to the intclli-
gent white mans side in the South I'LL the
aid Of numbers. white or black, to rid our
selves Of the curse Of 81 carpet-baggers." You
know the class l mcan-the same that Mr..
Greeley described some months ago. The
Democratic party has tried il and failed.
| You lent hand to it yourselves i'll the cleo
tons have referred TO, but there has been
"a niger i'll the wood-pilc" all the time,
and your policy has failed.
Suppose Were to suggest that the real OIL.
lection you find to Mr.. Stearnss letter is that
l express the opinion that a certain policy
adopted in making nominations at Cincin-
natl will consolidate the political power OF
the South substantially in old Wing hands
more likely than in those of ante-belium De.
mocrats, would miss the mark very far. ]
am sorry to differ from you about anything
but do really think it is time to change the
policy to which you seem welded, and which
adhered to, dooms more than half the South
and even a large part of our own State, tc
alien, ignorant, and corrupt domination.
But neither your space nor my inclination
warrants further discussion, in which, sc
far rs am concerned, the public can feel nc
concern for 1 am no politician or office
seeker, aud am under unremoved disabilities
to hold any office.