The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-07-01
seryatiye party teiag ecsal,rried OVER to and

| DOGlClOn
iairly and impartiaIIy Judge him by his ac-
ton, and will support bis measures Just as
| far "a they accord with our principles anu
tend to promote the peace and welfare of the
whole country. The plain and known mean.
inc is that we want peaceful. beneficial, ana
| cordial relations with the Federal executive
head as far rs we can rightly and honorably
have them; that we will cbeerfully support
his action as far rs squares with our an
nounced principles; and it is clearly implied
that we will not support but will oppose
| Whatever action Of his violates our princi-
| Piles.
II is true there are inside of the Conserva-
tive party two opposing extreme classes
both insignificant in numbers, who Wrangle
over the design and effect of that third reso-
luton. The one class insist that it meant
nothing: that it was s mere device to eaten
| votes and to mollify, during the late canvass,
| the Federal Observation-Disclosures opposl-
| ton all were trying to 'eep down--thus In
effect imputing fraud TO the party. But
| the opposite class seem to ME TO treat the
, resolution as if it converted all Conserva-
tiyes into partisans Of General Grant, and
pledged them to support his administration
generally, if not blindIy and in advance, just
as if the party were disorganiZed and its
members marched over, disbanded, and
consolidated with the ranks of Grants origi-
nal supporters. The one class seem to in
sist that we shall continually keep up fire
all along our lines on Grant; the other that
our lines shall face about and fire all the
time on Grants opponents. The one would
have Us indscriminately support, the other
indiscrimiIately to oppose and condemn all
his measures and actions-good aud bad,
right and wrong.
Notwithstanding the clamCr of these two
small classes, the great body Of the party
know, and act upon the knowledge, that the
third resolution binds Us as party TO stand
for Grants good measures and against his
bad ones, to support him whenever right
and TO oppose him whenever wrong. That
is the construction / gave it and maintained
throughout the late canvass denying that
there was any fraud or deception III it,.
insisting that it was deliberate declaration
of the party, made in good faith and bind
ing in honor; and on my recommendation,
when no election contest was pending, it
was rciffirmed by the Legislature, the Con-
Servatives voting for it almost or quite unanl-
mously.
These details serve to show how consis-
tentiy the Conservative party has pledged
itself to maintain, and how consistently |
have stood pledged to aid in maintaining its
independent party organization: and they
show clearly and precisely what sort Of reIa-
tons towards the Federal executive is au-
thorized and epj0incd by the organized ac-
ton of the party ITSELF They show that the
party could not 90 over and fuse itself in the
following of any man or any other party,
without first violating its pledges, breaking
I'D its platform, abandoning its organization,
and committing political felo-de.se. Ger
tanly no human being has, with my knowl-
edge, sought to procure or promote such
pcriiIy on the part of any candidate or re-
preventative OF the party as through him to
= carry over" the party and convert it into
the partisan or personal following Of any
man.
such havc been the relations Of the Con-
sentative party, and such have been my own
relations as representative of that party 10
the Federal executive. My futilment of
those relations in the past is ScandalouS in
the eyes of one of the extreme classes before
characterized. What is the scandal! Was
it scandal that the convention of the Con-
scrvativc party in August LAST determined. as
part of its PLATFORM, TO cultivate with Gene
raj Grant the best relations consistent with
its principles? Was it Il scandal that the
Conservative Legislature in January last de-
libcratcIy rcallirmed the same policy in rcSo-
buttons transmitted to General Grant? And
after this policy coGciiatlOn had been thus
affirmed, ratified, settled, first 10y the con-
yentional ana afterwards by the legislative
representatives of the whole party, was it a
scandal that did not rcpuGiate the pledges
of the patty and did not a:sail all General
Grants measures with undi-tiDguiSblnS tie.
nunci:ltion: Is it a scandal TO have prac
ticcd towards General Grant precisely the
sort and degree Of concl.i2tiOn sanctioned
and prescribed by the tHjcc-alfirmed plat
form OF the party? After the party had of
its own free will put itSaa in this attitude
towards General Grant. and after desire
courteoDsly and spontaneously expressed
and conveyed to me that | should call and
make his acquaintance, was 1t for me to re-
verse the policy Of the party, rudely to turn
my back on such courtesy, and by my az
ton to toment enlargement and antagC.
niSm in place Of the Cancellation Which
the Platform erjoined: Let it not be sup.
posed | have any apology to make, any pail
node 10 sing, for baying made that call. |
went because, under my convictions of duty
and proprety, made up my mind TO GO.
I
shall 90 again. / went when such an ac-
acknowledgement of Il courtesy was in logical
fulflIment of the declared policy Of the Con.
sentative party-when it did neither more
nor less than vindicate the sincerity and
consistency of the party itself. l went
when the fate of our own social
system was trembling IN doubtful
balance; when my going might add,
aud did add, some weight, however
slight, to the southern scale when my going
strengthened the remonstrance Of the Gene
raj Assembly against the passage of na-
tional ciyi.rghts law. | went and had q
manly, square talk with the President, and,
while | shall not so violate propriety as to al
Jude to its particulars, yet 1 regret every
word of it could not have been taken down
and published, for although l say IT. its
publication would have done credit to him
and to me, and no discredit and no harm TO
any part of the country or the people.
Extreme partisan Journals at the North
charge that the Conservative party has gone
back on the Federal administration and be-
trayed it. Extreme men here charge that
the Conservative party has surrendered to
Grant. Neither charge has any shadow of
foundation in truth. The party stands to-
day precisely where it stood on the It'll of
August and on the 1st of January last. Ger
tainly l may challenge evidence to show that
in any action of mine l have stopped short,
or gone an inch beyond the station estab-
lished by the supreme will of the party.
Some urge me to 60 further, Others to turn
back. Shall stand where am. l am not
vet so cid that shall stretch forth my hands
and another shall grid me and carry me
whether would not.