Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1874-07-09

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platform, abandAsirg its organization
and committing political fe5o de Sc.
Certainly no human being has, with my
knowledge sought to procure or pro,
mote such pertidy Oh the part of any
candidate or representative of the party
as through him to "calrv over" the
party and convert it into the partisan or
personal following Of any man.
Such have been TIE reiasions of the
Conservative party, and such have
been ray own relations as a represen
| tatsye OF the party to the Federal Ex
ecutive. My fulilment ct those re
lations in the past is scandalous in the
eyes of one Of the extreme classes be.
fore characterized. What is the
scandal? Was it scandal that the
convention of the Conservative party
in August last determined, as part of its
platform, to cultivate with General
Grant the best relations consistent with
its principles? Was it a scandal that
the Conservative Legislature in January
last deliberately reatfirmed the same
policy in resolutions transmitted to
General Grant? And after this policy
of conciliation had been thus affirmed,
ratified, settled, first by the conventional
and afterwards by the Legislative re-
representatives. Of the whole party, was it
a scandal that / did not repudiate the
pledges Of the party and did not ass2il
all General Grants measures with an
Distinguishing denunciation? Is it a
scandal to have practiced towards
General Grant precisely the sort and
degree Of Cancellation sanctioned and
prescribed by the twice affirmed plat
form of the party? After the party had
Of its own free will put ITSELF in this
attitude towards General Grant, and
! after desire courteously and spon--
taneously expressed and conveyed to me
that should call and make his &C
quaintance, was it for me to reverse
the policy Of the party, rudely to turu.
my back on such courtesy, and by my
action to foment enlargement and
antagonism in place of the Cancellation
which the platform en- joyed? Let it not
be supposed have any apology to
make, any palinode to sing, for having
made that call. went because, under
my convictions of duty and proprie1y,
/ made up my mind to 60. Under
circumstances to justify it again, | shall
go again. | went when such an &C
acknowledgement Of a courtesy was in
logical fultilnent OF the declared policy
of the Conservative party-when it did
neither more nor less than vindicate
the sincerity and consistency of the
party Itself. / went when the. fate of
our own social system was trembling
in doubtful balance; when my going
might add, and lid add, some weight,
however, slight, to the Southern scale;
when my going strengthened the re-
monstrance of the General Assembly
against the passage of national civil
rights law. | went and had Il manly,
square talk with the President, and.
while shall not so violate propriety as
10 allude to its particulars, yet | 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
harm TO any part Of the country or the
people.
Extreme partisan journals at the
North charge that the Conservative
party has gone back Oh the Federal
administration and betrayed it. Elk
IRENE men here charge that. the Con
servative party has surrendered to
Grant. Neither charge has any shadow
of foundation in truth The party
stands to day precisely where 1t stood
on the 18th of August and on the lst of
January last. Certainly, | may chal
lenge evidence to show that in any
action of mine have stopped short, or
gone an inch beyond, the station es
tablished by the supreme will Of the
party. Some urge me to go further,
others to turn back. | shall stand
whore | am. am not yet so old that
| shall stretch forth my hands and
another shall grid me and carry me
whittier | would not. 49,.
As to the Federal Executive head, l
shall render hlm5 not factions hostility
but fair and appropriated Judgment.
For the sake of ourselves and the
i whole country l shall rejoice if he so
emulate the example Of Washington; if
he so aid in restoring the landmarks of
the Constitution, lately overthrow by
the violence Of arms; if he so respect
the right Of the States and the people
to self government, as to command our
united and hearty support Of the whole
Of his future administration So far
as his influence has saved us from the
degration Of test oath and civil rights
laws; SO far as he has abstained from
exercising the centralizing and danger
Gus powers of the enforcement act, he
is entitled to our gratitude and support
But emphatically do not endorse
great part OF his policy in respect to a
National currency; and if he adopts, as
a rule Of his administration, such
intermeddling in local affairs as that
just resorted to, at Petersburg, by the
Attorney General of the United States,
then he will establish, between us and
himself, gulf as impossible as that
which separates good from evil in
another lite. JAMES L. KEMpER
RICHMOND, Va, 7
June 28th, 1874.
Col. John s. 4Nosdy: Dear Sir-I
respectfully request that you deliver to
my friend, Mr.. N. B. Meade, the bearer
OF this, all letters heretofore addressed
by me to yourself, retaining copies if
you choose. Or if you prefer to keep
the originals ] request that at the least
Mr.. Meade be allowed to take COPIES