The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-05-20
Greni,tg State Sla,,rmaL
COL. JOHN $. MosBy.

We give place to the following letter G
of Col. Mosby, as showing the drift G
popular sentiment on the subject of tn
Cincinnati movement, deeming the position
of the Colonel far more sensible than tina
of others who would jump out of the fry
ing-pan into the fire, simply in the hope o
bettering their condition
WARRENToN, May l3, 1872.
My Dear SIR II have received youl
favor inquiring my position in the Pres
dental contest. Of course, if Democrat
is nominated 1 shall support his election
with oil my heart but if it is reduced to
a question of choice between General
Grant and Greeley | shall support the for.
mer. My own views of policy were. after
the failure of the Cincinnati Convention, to
nominate man acceptable to Democrats !;
that the South should hold from the con.
test and not commit itself to either
until the Philadelphia Convention had
nominated its candidate and declared
platform of principles. For if the
whole South were committed in advance
against the election of General Grant, what
motives could he or his party have to try
to conciliate us? Now, why should the
South array itself on the side of Greeley.
her unrepentant, lifelong enemy, against
General Grant? am no apologist for the
oppression We have endured from the Fed
eral government but will the partisans of
Greeley point to one act that was odious to
us that he has not justified and approved +?
Nay, more. The tyranical acts of Con.
gressional legislation were an expression of
Northern sentiment of hostility to the
South for which Horace Greeley, more
than any other man, is responsible
General Grant has been the instrument
OF executing many laws obnoxious
to us, which were enacted under the
pressure of a public opinion, created by
Greeley, which no man could resist. The
pen was mightier than the sword. Now,
what is offered to the Southern people by
the nominee of the Cincinnati Convention
as consideration for their votes I? Am
nesty--which simply means the relief of a
lew thousand men from the disability inn
posed by the fourteenth amendment. But
the President has no control over this-it
requires two-thirds vote of Congress to
effect it. If the Southern vote is to be
bartered for such a paltry consideration as
this, why not bargain directly with those
who have the ability to pay what they
promise Does any man doubt that the
party in power would gladly grant uni
1erSal amnesty to secure the electoral
vote of Virginia alone? If so, how is
here less of dishonor in coalition with
ireeley on such condition as this than with
he party who can give you noo all you
lsk? The only difference that can see is,
hat in the one case you bargain with set
# political bankrupts and adventurers
whose pledges will be redeemed about as
Don as the Confederate debt--and there
ore they will be profuse in promises in
he other you may at least expect to receive
ne small pittance required. Tell me one
lngle reason why Southern man should
refer Greeley to Grant. They say that !
ireeley is honest-then so much the worse. ]
he is honestly opposed to all hold dear. {
hey say he has abused carpefsbaggers-
'hich, by the by, are only the natural '
roduct OF institutions which he planted
moDg us; but as he is indebted to this
ASS (who assumed at Cincinnati to re- n
resent the South for his nomination. n
lrely HONEST Horace won't, if elected, 90
1ck on his friends. They say, too, that he n
the friend of amnesty, and vet he ad- II
ocated the impeachment of johnson for
lrdoning rebels. On his recent election d
ring tour through the South, when he
oked on the land where he chad made n
'litude and called it peace" his heart was "
T moment touched with sentiment of u
ty for the Southern people, as well as ',
,sire for Southern votes, and he was u
mpted to say few kind words for which
} was swift to make attonement, when on m
$ return to New York he retailed to J
ping crowd of his admirers the fabulous
ories of ku-Klux horrors, and applauded
6 yigor of the administration in suspend ee !.
g the habeds corpus in South Carolina and o'
forcing the Ku-Klux laws. &C
The men who, as old Isaiah tells us, &C.
oked their breakfast with one end of a / 1,
ck of wood and made an image of the VI
her, which they worshipped, were not 81
ore unreasonmg idolaters than those who va
e now prostrating themselves before va
brace Greeley. In both cases the virtues y, Se
the idol exist only in the imagination of 81
e worshippers. don't choose to bow at co
ch shrine, and am not led captive by nc
ch entertainments, and if we are compel IN
to go through the ceremony of choosing III
master, to me there is less of humiliation al
accepting the soldier to whom Lee sur ar
ldered his sword, than the fanatic whose vi
lchings have been ''the Iliad of all our ia
,es." u
am, very truly yours,
- JOHNS. MosBY.
(0,,f n RoboooL l.,