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

u
defeated IL By some silly motion, Mouoh
he had been advocating IL. That man. Il
seems to me, does nothing Jm DAMAGE.
/ belieue he brought on the secession. A
miserable .fellop."
Did you utter the above, in words or
substance, or anything equivalent, about
me ? If so what?
Your obedient servant,
HENRY A. WISE.
STAUNToN, August 4.
Ec- Gopanor II. Il. Wise $3.50
Sir--Yours of the I'd instant is lust
this moment to hand. Ihave been cheated
and misrepresented by man with whom
had no acquaintance, but who | took to
be a gentleman. He called at my office
before | was informed of my nomination
by the convention, and alluded to the
probability Of my becoming candidate !;
asked the place of my nativity what had
been my pursuits in life, and il / had been
in public life. answered that had been
in the convention of 81. He then spoke
of your course on the white basis aues-
ton; that you had made a speech OF six
or seven days, when you should have said
that you were an extreme man.
10 this responded, that after you had
delivered your speech we ascertained that
there was.a clear majority in favor of the
white basis, but that you were unwilling
that the question should be put in COM
mittee of the whole, until the west fur
nlshed the guarantees agreed on, and that
the final settlement Of the question was
thaIAhu In - Al.
versation expressed the belief that Won
had taken an active part in causing the
state to withdraw from the Union.
ibis is substantially if not literally what
passed. 1 regarded the conversation as
entirely confidential, and never for mo-
ment supposed that it was to be reported
or put into newspaper. am mortified
and indignant mortified that | suffered
myself to be approached by one who it is
now certain was acting as spy, and in
dignant that what | did say should be mis-
represented.
regret that this should have happened.
The idea that | had in any way been in
strumental in doing you injustice is pain
FIJI to me. Your obedient servant,
DAVID FULTz.
RICHMOND, VA, August 8, 1873.
Daoid FultS. Esq.
Sir-ln response to yours of yesterday, |
say at once that it satisfactorily clears YOU
from the imputations said by the "Inter-
viewer" of the Staunton indicator, to
have been cast by you on my course in
the convention of 81. / did not credit the
interviewer" but thought it Just to YOU
as well as to myself to afford you the op-
portunity of contradcting his statement.
"Inter0ieacers" are modern mperson-
alton of modern bad manners, and bad
morals. They are hirelings of merce.
nary press, who pander to vicious and
vulgar taste for garbage; delators of
the worst class; "male ba,cds," impudent,
without shame ignorant, without tact
Indifferent to truth or falsehood, so either
pays best the panderer or political party.
II you are inexperienced in public life, as
you say, the first warning for you to heed
la to avoid them, or, if they will come in,
to say, sect thee behind me, Satan" or.
to kick them out
But you yourself have stated incorrectly
two important facts as to my course in both
the convention of 1851, 10 amend the state
constitution, and of 1861, called the seces-
sion convention.
AS every living member of the conyen-
ton OF 1851 knows, there were but five
members OF the eastern part of the state
who advocated the equalization Of repre-
sentation in the state on the basis of white
voters. | was one of that five. The adj
Vocates of the mixed basis, as it was call
ed, claiming that representation should be |
based on white population and Mree.ftihs
Of Me SLAVES, or ON population and
taxation combined, were in SO large
a majority in the convention that |
many members from the west and from
the Valley proposed and advocated in eau |
Gus the breaking up of the convention and
returning to their homes. | was called |
into consultation with them, and seconded |
by Allen Caperton, William Smith, of |
Greenbrier; Hugh w. Shelley, of Augusta;
Charles j. Faulkner, and others, prevailed |
on them to remain, lay siege to the oues-
ton, prolong the session, by getting va
cation in order to obtain instructions from
several districts, and to ''fatigue the ma
jority into compliance with political
Justice and right. That course was
pursued for nearly or quite eighteen
months, and succeeded trium-
phantly in equalizing representation
Is'N'J '"iiy VII tIC DilSlS vi /
the numbers Of the voting popula-
ton. When candidate before the people
Of my district, opposed to any but the
mixed basis, it was urged against my cleo
ton that there would be no security against
laying taxes unequally upon the slave
property, If the west should obtain the ma
ority OF representation. Thomas r.
joynes and Alexander p. Upshur, the two
great champions of the mixed basis in the
of '29 and 80. were still alive.
md urged that they knew of no such ade-
luate security or guarantee. replied that
here was security in making the taxes on
ayes quadrate with the land tax
70 that the west could not tax the slaves
IF the cast, without equally, by given
alto, taxing the lands of the west and
East. This guarantee promised to urge.
md 1T was carried in convention without
ielaying the success of the white basis for
day. l closed the debate on the question,
aylng been silent during the whole session,
nd had to reply to every antagonist who