The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-08-22

consequence Of the almost unanimous sup
port by the colored voters of the Republi-
can ticket? No one will question this.
Then ] say to the laboripg, toiipg men of
the state, look to your interests. Don't
misplace your confidence. Support not the
hand which seeks to strike down power
full division of the laboring men Of the
the state. Capital feeds labor, and labor
supports and reproduces capital. In the
eernal constitution of things, under Provi-
dence, man must live ''by the sweat of
his brow, 'if he lives honestly. To pro-
scribe ninety thousand laborers, because
they seek to exercise, modestly, their ac-
credited right of Suffrage, is blow at
labor itself.
A. | charge, with distinctness and
emphasis, that this canvass, as it is inau
gurated and proposed to be carried on, is
deliberate effort on the part of the Demo-
ic-Conservativc party to renew the
striles, re animate the feuds, reinstate the
hostlities of the past against the federal
government. Their ticket is a Confede-
rate States war-element ticket. Two of the
gallant men at its head, high, toned, brave,
chivalrous and heroic, fell at the head Of
their respective commands. They are
eiuOy OlANCg nClOlCs Dut WHtIC arc Tile
thousands who left the same fields of glory,
crippled, wounded, homeless, almost help
less ? Where are the widows and orphans
of those who were left "dead on the field
of glory? When and where the gallant
Kemper fell, in the noble discharge of his
duties, the flag Of the Confederacy fell, to
droop, in an extended, agonizing, enfeebled
struggle and then go down forever. Will
these chivalrous gentlemen renew the same
struggle in another form for purposes ger
main to those which once animated the
patriots heart and nerved the soldiers
arm? They will anwer ''noln Why
then rest their claims and base their merits
on those wounds under that flag? A war
honorably ended should be forgotten in all
those incidents which are calculated to
arouse the passions or cloud the Judge
ment
These gentlemen, along with the entire
Democratic party, accepted the situation.
Every law and amendment to the federal
constitution has been adopted, ratified and
sanctioned by the Democratic Conservative
party. To observe law in its letter, and
outrage and violate it in its spirit, is to
act IN bad faah. If the people Of Vir-
ginia intend to act in good faith, they
should, IN my opinion, sustain and elect
the Republican ticket, nominated at Lynch
burg. | draw no comparisons as between
the rival candidates. | make no curious
enquiries as to the liberties or powers of the |
people. Liberty is one thing, popular power
quite another. The majesty of the peo-
pie arises from, abides in and is indicated
through the po,oer Of the people. The true
source Of power is one thing, the exer-
else of that power quite another thing. The
people of Virginia are about to dispose
Of this power and vest it in their represen-
tatives Will they entrust it in the hands
of that party which is in full accord with
the federal government, or place it in the
hands Of that party which resisted it in
war for four years, and has ever since,
when opportunity offered, resisted, threat
ene1 and sought to cripple and weaken it |
AS one of the most humble of the people,
under stern sense of duty to Virginia,
and to the whole country, shall add my |
feeble aid to the election of the Bepubli- |
can ticket, now before the people.
| must add that, in my opinion, the |
success of the Republican ticket in Vir-
gfnia next November is far more impor-
tant to the success of General Grants
than the Republican, out.
side of the state now think.
In what | have written to you LIDO not
mean to promise an active and continued |
of the state on the stump. AS
you know, my professional engagements in
a very heavy litigation at Yorktown must
necessarily occupy much Of my time be-
tween this and November. But this / will |
promise to address as many meetings as |
can, withouta positive neglect of my pro-
fessional engagements.
Very respectfully,
JOHN III. GILMER.