Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1874-07-07
Eia0 IzaesCF fully IRyfstEg tled-
GiVsi tsEsAt, ;iati What Gov.
EAcsGpcr says oss tEsaa sab
.j+Ct,
lis Opinion OF the PRESIDENT;
Message.

We publish this morning the letters
written by Governor Kemper To CoI.
Musby, which have been Under discus
sion IN the pubic prints for some time
past, together with an explanation
from the Governor setting forth his
views in detail and at considerable
length. The letter is written in the
bold aud manly style Tor which Gen.
with great interest = Rich. Dis.
RICHMOND, VA !
June 30th, 1874.
To the Editors of tie Dispatch:
No little discussion having appeared
In the newspapers over the supposed
contents of certain private letters writ
ten by myself, | have gone to much
trouble to procure the originals, and
now place them at your disposal
] rarely have the time and never the
inclination to engage in such discus
siOns. Nor do | concede that it is in
cumbent on public official to notice
assault upon himself through the
press, especially when they are unac-
companied with proof, relate to private
correspondence, and emauate from
with the matters they seek to make
public 1t is therefore with reluctance
that, under the exceptional circum-
stances of this case, L yield to what
seems to be the wish of my friends and
the public in giving publicity to all ]
know in the premises.
| have nothing to recant in connec-
ton with these or any other letters of
mi Ia l1fa H., 4 z
stand. as l have constantly stood from
the beginning, to the clear meaning of
these letters fairly construed. They
were rapidly dashed off under the
pressure of constant and onerous en-
gaoements; they were written with
the ungarded confidence and abandon
with which one gentleman addresses
his private letters TO others who are
warm supporters, and were dispatched
without copies being retained.
These particular letters were thus
written i'll view of the "proffer of re-
conciliati0n" held out in the third
resolution of the Conservative plat
form. The first letter was part of the
effort then being made, and in good
faith aud fairly made, by thousands
of leading Conservatives to avert or
neutralize The opposition of the Fede-
raj Administration to our State ticket
in the late canvass. 1t was written
with special reference to a then i'm |
pending evil which threatened Vir-
ginia with the horrors of South Caro- |
lima, and endangered 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 com
trasted, the one with the other, and it |
is declared in effect that in cho;c9 |
between the two the third aud even /
the seventh term were the less and /
the better of the two evils for US. 1t is
a position / repeatedly declared in bet
ter and more explicit terms before the
people IL the late canvass, aud on,
which l re-nvow to-day,
Those who have been my daily as
sociates well know that from the time
the suggestion of third term was first
presented / have habitualIy
and pcintedly opposed 1t as a PROPOSE
tion in itself. When my own name
has been more than once proposed in
with the scheme or plan of
A third term ticket have in every in
stance promptly repelled the PROPOSAL,
to be counted in any calcula-
ion or to make myself a party TO any