Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1874-07-09
THE E7M sssscsBY LETTERS.
10 the Editor Of the Wig.

RICHMOND, VA, Goth June. 1874
No little discussion having appeared in
the newspapers over the supposed con-
tents of certain private letters written
by myself. have gone to much trouble
10 procure the originals, and now place
them at your disposal
l rarely have the time and never the
inclination 20 engage in such discuss
ions. Nor DO concede that it is in J.
cumbent on a public official to notice
assaults upon himself through the press j;
especially when they are unaccompa-
MED with proof, relate to private cor
respondence, 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 to what seems to be
the wish of my friends and the public,
in giving publicity to all I know in the
premises.
have nothing to rccant in connect
ion with these or any other letters of
nine-public or private To-day
stand, as | have consistently stood from
the beginning, to the clear meaning of
these letters fairly construed. IHaey
were rapidly dashed off under the press
ure of constant and onerous engage
ments; they were written with the I'M
garded confidence and abandon with
which one gentleman addresses his pr
volt, lott.,rv RI ut boro ,,bo QUO l,
supporters, and were dispatched with
out copies being retained.
These particular letters were thus
written in view of the 'sproffer of rec
orciliation' held out in the third reso
luton Of the Conservative platform.
The first letter was part of the effort
then being made, and in good faith and
fairly made, by thousands of leading
Conservatives to avert or neulralize the
opposition of the Federal administra-
ton to our State ticket in the late can
vass 1t was written with special ref
erence to then impending evil which
threatened Virginia with the horrors
of South Carolina, and endangered our
civilization. This is treated az the
most appalling of our then impending
evils the third term is assumed and
impliedito be another evils. the two
evils are contrasted, 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
Tess and the better of the two evils for
US. II is a position l repeatedly dec
Jared iw better and more explicit terms
before the people iii the late canvass,
and one which | re~lvow to-day.
Those who have been my daily asso-
ciates well know that from the time
the suggestion Of third term was frs,
seriously presented. have habitualiy
and pointedly opposed it as PROPOSE
ton considered by itself. When my
own name has been more than once
proposed in connection with the scheme
or plan of third term ticket | have
in every instance promptly repealed the
proposal, refusing to be counted in any
political movement, not sanctioned by
the organized action of the Conserva
tive party. | have never supported
and will not support aay candidate fol-
any Office who runs contrary to the
decision OF against the regular nominee.
of The party. My views, as often and
uniformly expressed, will now be re-
stated:
A third term violates one of those
traditions and examples-unwritten
laws-which in free country consti
tute some Of its best bulwarks ofliberty.
In the language Of Mr.. Jefferson, iii
some termination to the services of the
Chief Magistrate be not fixed by the
constitution, or supplied by practice,
his office, nominally for years, will in
fact become for life; and history shows
how easily that degenerates into an
inheritance" 1t was the proclaimed
idea of the great statesmen OF Virginia,
who mainly founded the American gov
eminent, that any departure from the
rule which limited the incumbent to
two terms would be attended With
stupendous peril to all the institutions
and liberties Of the country. A.d the
Of inion has been ever since held by the
most trusted statesmen of all sections,
chat the usage, as settled by the exam
Al. IF IA a..1 r..