Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1872-08-22
MIR. Lacy to MIR. Partridge.
WIscAssET, Aug. 10, 1872


r. s. Partridge, Esq, North Whitfield
DEAR SIR:-Yours of the sth inst. was re-
ceived on the l4th, and as you have taken the
liberty to publish private letter from me
without my consent, take the liberty to pub
iish some remarks which deem called for
from the tenor of your letter.
You express your regrets that you and so
widely differ upon the political issues Of the
hour. You and had q talk June goth, and
we agreed fully on all subjects that we talked
about, and our conversation was entirely con-
fined to the political situation of the day.
You made no allusion to the bad President that
you now make Grant out to be, you did not
say word in favor of Sumner. Trumbull,
Schurz or Banks, or in favor of democrats or
the democratic party. Neither did you hint in
any way to the popular uprising that you now
speak of, but you did say that you would use
your influence to e-elect the entire republi-
can ticket Jason NJ. Carleton to the contrary
Notwithstanding. Now as to my saying that
| the Greeley and Brown movement was in my
| judgment a move to reinstate the rebel jeff
| Davis democracy, am even stronger in that
| than before, and will refer you to speeches
made in Kentucky after receiving the mistak
| en- report of a democratic victory in North
| Carolina. Hon. James b. Beck, a democratic
Congressman, openly avowed that the demo-
cratic party only supported Greeley "as a
ruse and expedient;' Gen. Geo. B. Hodge,
| democratic electOr, was even more explicit,
he declared that, 81 look back upon the once
shattered and fruitless hopes of the South, and
| see that the sovereignty of the States will be
restored and that my comrades of the lost
cause have not died in vain" Col j. c. S.
| Blackburn, said ''some considered the demo-
cratic party dead, but it is not dead, the sue
cess of Greeley in the coming election would
oIrot rf,,l than hat 10
| the meaning of the language used by Gen.
Hodge, ''that my comrades Of the lost cause
have not died in vain?'
AS to the national uprising you speak of, l
| will commence with Whitefeld and say that
| have been called upon by persons who told
me Jason M. Carleton and yourself got
| them to sign your call for liberal convention,
and they say they were cheated and will not
vote for Greeley and Brown, but will vote for
Grant and Wilson and wished me to proclaim
| it. And l have the same information from
other towns and localities, so l can see your
uprising only as a ruse and in my judgment
the people will not be cheated in that way, for
l consider them as we'll qualified to judge of
those matters as you or l. AS to the demo-
Gratis and republicans joining to put down the
| rebellion l most heartily concur, but what
were the circumstances? l am believer in
true democracy as l understand it. l was
brought up under democratic influences. But
heard one-legged soldier say, who went
into the war as a democrat and there left his
mark by leaving his leg, that the only true
democracy that he could find to-day was in
the republican party, and l think he has not
come out for Greeley. As to our home
democracy, which in my judgment was only
in name amongst the leaders, they advised re-
sistence to the draft, they suggested the spill
| ing of blood in our streets rather than submit
to the draft of the 'hirelng Lincoln" or ''the
Butcher Grant," they said they hoped every
soldier that went to fight for his country
would be shot, nay more, they said they
hoped Lee would take Washington and hang
Lincoln. cannot forget those things. wish
l could but if you had received the threats
that have, think you would not be quite IS
ready to clasp hand across the "bloody
chasm," unless you have discovered some
signs of rebel submission to the United States
government which have not been able to
| discover. ! believe the same rebel element
exists North and South that did in 1861, if
they had the courage to show it. l feel
that all the trouble they have in the once re-
bellious States is caused by the breaking out
Of the old rebellious spirit. l have no doubt
they feel badly to be whipped into the Union
by the ''mudsills, greasy mechanics and small
listed farmers of the North and West" as they
| used to terms US, not tit even to be the body
servant of a southern gentleman.
One would really suppose from the wonder
full uprising that you have discovered at North
Whtefield, that heavenly vision had ap-
peared there as in years gone by, when such
men as Hon. Jason NJ Carleton, your former
business partner, is obliged to leave the re.
publicans on account of its corruption. AL
low me to say, in conclusion, that if you
should again change your mind, there is OPP
portunity, for "whie the lamp holds out to
burn the vilest sinner may return"
Yours with respect,
| ANDREW LACY.