The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-05-19
Menr The Other side
NE Editor Of the State durnaI.

yention. of a Conservative, as the
most available candidate for governor,
and your endorsement of such views in ar
editorial in your issue of the 9TH instant
headed Eating Humble Pie,o opens the
way for ''free discussion of the subject,
and as am opposed to the views express
ed ask that you give publication to what
may say in answer to the articles referred
to. ig Us
While we do not wish to feed the Grant
Conservatives on "IIumble Pie" we are
no less opposed to giving them "Plum.
Puddngv the moment they are seated al
our table. Let them eat of the substantials
first, and prove their willingness TO fare as
we do; then we will offer them the dainties
of our tables.
The large body of Republicans of the
state, agree with me in opposing the nomi-
nation of any other than an ayowed and
tried Republican, for many reasons.
We have in our party as good men in
every respect as there are in the Conserva-
tive. We have men who are equally inte-
rested pecuniarily; who are equal in desire
to see Virginia's resources developed; who
have as much brain and character and
who can secure a larger vote from among the
Conservatives than any recalcitrant Demo-
crat or Conservative.
THERE WOULD BE NO PRINCIPLE
IN NOMINATING A CONSERVATIVES.
Policy acould be the ruling notice, and in
my opinion losing one. l have been in
communication with Republicans in every
part Of the state recently, and with a
number Of "new converts" upon this sub
ject and the reasons given by the latter
for wishing Conservative nominated are !:
1--WE can't carry the state without it."
"We must respect the wishes of the ten
thousand Democrats who voted for General
Grant last fall" etc. saE
The answer to such reasoning is plain.
Democrats will no more vote Tor man
because he was once Democrat than the
Republicans did for Horace Greeley be-
cause he was once Republican. If we
can't elect Republican, we can't elect a
Democrat running on Republican plat
form.
The idea that ten or even five thousand
Democrats voted for General Grant last
fall is simply ridiculous. If one thousand
voted with us it is more than believe did,
and have reason to know as well as any
one in the state. :
There is but little, If any disposition
among the Republicans to take an outside
man for any place on the ticket. That
policy has been tried, time and again by
the Democratic party, since the formation
of the Republican party, and with the ex-
ception Of the instance Of Walker in Vir-
ginia, dsastrously failed even then,
Walker had to proclaim himself Repub-
lican to carry any strength from our party.
No party is erer successful sehich as not
true to itself and its o,on cause, and con-
fesses itself in doubt about its principles
when it takes an outside man for its candi-
date. The party which adopts such poll
cy dissolUes itself and loses its own tried
voters. in Virginia, our first aim should
be to consolidate and hold our own votes,
and our second to enlist from the
other side. We should do the
very reverse by going TO the enemy
or TO some non-commttal man for a candl-
date. We might possibly secure a few
thousand doubtful Conservative voters
but we should drive off, in disgust, ten
times as many veteran Republicans. Such
policy would be like going into an impor-
tant battle, with raw militia and sending
the main army of veterans to the rear.
1t would be like the act Of the dog in the
fable, which, in crossing stream with
meat in its mouth, let 60 the substance to
snatch at the shadow.
If we were to take up trimmer from
among the doubtful men, we should SUBJ
.ject ourselves to the scarcasm of another
fable. In the battle between the beasts
and the birds for supremacy, it is recorded
that the bat, which might be classed as
either beast or bird, flew from side to side,
as victory seemed to declare one way or
the other but it is not recorded that, ct
the close of the contest, the victorious
party made the bat their commander-in-
chief.
A growing victorious party must be true
to Itself, its cause, and its 0aon tried cham
pions, or it will decline instead OF strength
ening, and soon have no cause to build on,
no champion Of its principles, no identity Of
faith or organization, by which its friends
or the public can recognize it.
| am unwilling to acknowledge that /
have been, for the last seven years an ac-
tive worker in a party, the principles of
which are the pride and glory of the Amer
lean nation, which has up to this time failed
to enlist on its side men who are the peers
of the best members of the opposition. /,
together with hundred thousand mem
bers of my party, am unwilling to see
General Wickham, G. Y. Thomas, Robert
w. Hughes, Charles S. Mills, William @.
Rives, James II. Platt, John f. Lewis, j.
b. Stoyall, and host of others Icould
name, put aside to give place to the un-
tried, who have given no other evidence of
their Republicanism than to vote for Gene
raj Grant upon the ayowed principle that
he was the choice Of evils, OF because
they had failed to secure the con-
fidence of their own party. General
Wise remarked to me he would not
pay General Grant so poor a compliment
as to support him on such grounds. He
would rather not vote at all. can admire
such man more than one who felt obliged
to excuse himself for supporting the Re-
publican candidate.
We propose to find candidate from
among the Republicans of the state equal
in patriotism in character, in brain, and in
interest in affairs of the state to any in
the Conservative party, who will receive
the entire vote of the party proper of
majority of Grant Conservatives and of
enough Greeley Conservatives to elect him.
WaI-TIorse" and his co-workers can do
no more, and the Republicans Of Virginia
will be satisfied with nothing less. beg
you, Mr.. Editor, beware how you attempt
to induce Republicans to forsake those
who have stood by them in peril, for the
sake Of q policy as mistaken as it is danger
Gus. SCALAwAG.
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