The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-07-01

ten By Governor kEMPER to Colonel MosBY
which have been under discussion in the
public prints for some time past, together
with an explanation from the Governor set
ting forth his views in detail and at consdc
rabie lergth. The letter is written in the
bold and manly style for which General
KgMpgR is noted, and will be read with
great interest
Richmond, VA, Goth June, 1874.
To The Editors Of the Dispatch:
No little discussion having appeared in the
newspapers over the supposed contents oil
certain private letters written by myself. |
have gone to much trouble to procure the
originals, and now place them at your dis
posal.
| rarely have the time and never the in
clnation to engage in such discussions. Nor
do | conccde that it Is incumbent on pub
lie official to notice assault upon himself
through the press, especially when they
are unaccompanied with proof, relate to
private correspondence, and emanate from
those who never had any connection with
the matters they seek to make public. 1t is
therefore with reluctance that, under the
exceptional circumstances OF this case, yield
10 what seems TO lie the wish of my friends
ard the public in giving publicity to ali l
know in Tue premises.
| have nothing to recant in connection
with these Or any Other letters of mine
public or private. To-day stand, rs have
consistently stood from the beginning, to the
clear meaning of these letters fairly con-
strued. They were rapidly dashed off un-
der tie pressure of constant and onerous
engagements; they were written with the
un9uarded confidence and abandon with
which one gentleman addresses his private
letters 10 others who are his warm sup
porlcrs, and were dispatched without copies
being retained.
These particular letters were thus written
in view of the "prolfcr Of reconciliation y
held out in the third resolution of the Con-
Scrvativc platform. The first letter was part
Of the effort then being made, and in good
faith and fairly made, by thousands of cad
iGg Conservatives TO avert or neutraiZe the
opposition of the Federal Administration to
our State ticket in the late canvass. 1t was
written with special reference to II then inn
pcudng evil which threatened Virginia with
the horrors of South Carolina, and endan-
gercd our civilization. This is treated as the
most appalling of our then impending evils;
the third term is assumed and implied to be
another evil; the two evils are cOntrastcd,
the one with the other, and it is declared in
effect that in choice between the two the
third and even the seventh term were the
les and the better of the two evils for Us. 1t
is position ! repeatedly declared IN better
and more explicit terms before the people in
the lite canvass, and one which 1 re-ayoW
TO day.
Those who have been my daily associates
we'll know that from the time the suggestion
Ut e third term was lirst seriously presented
| have habilually and pontedy opposed it
Us proposition considered by itself. When
my own name has been more than ores pro-
posed in connection with the scheme OK plan
of a third-term ticket / have in every in
stance promptly repealed the proposal, re-
lusing to be counted in any calculation or TO
make myself Il party to any political move
mcnt not sanctioned by the organized action
OF the Conservative party. Ihdce nerc% sup
ported and 1riH not support, any candidate
for any office ,rh0 runs contrary to the dec9-
sion or against the reJtLar nominee 81 The
party. My views, US often and uniformly
EXPRESSED, will now be rastated
a third term violates one of those tradi-
tiouS and XampleS-unWritte ten laws--which
in free country constitute some Of It's best
bulwarhs of liberty. In the language Of Mr..
Jefferson: :" If some ternH lation to the SER
VICES of the Chief Magistrate be not fixed by
the Constitution, or supplied by practice, his
office, noninully for years, will in fact become
for lite; and history shows how easily that
dcgeuerates into an iEhcritancc." Lt'was the
proclaimed idea Of the great statesmen Of
Virginia, who mainly founded the American
Government. that ANY departure from the
rule which limited the incumbent to two
terms would be attended with stupcndOuS
peril TO all the institutions and liberties of
the country. And the opinion has
been ever since held by the most
trusted statesmen of all sections, that
the usage, as settled by the examples of
Washington and Jefferson, is hardly less
strong in moral obligation and authoritative
force than a constitutional Inhibition. ] do
not believe the country can remnn IN Its
present abnormal condition. We are going
to have either popular sef.government or
central imperialism. intend TO stand Tor
the liberty side as long as a fragment of it
remains. am opposed to Il third term for
the reason that, notwithstanding the past, l
have faith in the cause of constitutional free
government. But l oppose some other evils
still more. One of the crueleSt calamities
which could befall all classes and colOrs at
the South would be the social intermiXiDg
of the races to result from the enforcement
of the civil.rights fanaticism and barbarism,
and it is hard TO conceive what greater evil
than that could be involved in any possible
revolution of the Government.
If the future should bring forward car
didate impersonating the third term princi-
pie; if he should cut loose from old party
trammels and take bis stand on our safe Con-
sentative ground-ground Of universal re-
couciliation and peace under the Constitu-
tion-and if so standing he should be op.
posed by any champion of the civil-rights
iniuuity, then in q contest between the two
the Conservative party ought, III my opin-
ion, TO go decidedly, but as an organized
party and not otherwise, for the third
termer-yet with protest on their lips
against the third-term principle and in spite
of that principle.
Having to touch this subject, it is but fair
to 60 through with it, and to develop all l
know as bearing upon it in any of its rela-
tons.
Early in December last, desire, sponta-
neously expressed, that would call and see
the President, was conveyed to me orally
from the best source. / duly appreciated
the courtesy, and felt an inclination to ac-
ccpt it. A very few days afterward came
to Richmond, advised with humber of able
and leading Conservatives as to my duty in
the premises, and as the result of such con-
ference then made up my mind and then
fixed and announced to many friends my de-
torp,ipot RI mako that call
On the 31st of December returned to
Richmond, and after my arrival on that day,
finished writing my inaugural message to be