Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1874-07-01

| II is true there are inside of the Consnrva
five party two opposing extreme classes, both
| insignificant in numbers, who Wrang'a over the
design and effect of that third res',lu ',n. Ihc
one class insist that it meant uothn"; tGat 1t
! was a ueIe d.ycc 10 catch votes anu - mol-
| fy, during the late canvas, the Federal admin
| istration--whose opposition all were trying to
keep down--thus in effect imputlng fraud to
the party But the opposite class seem To nc
to treat the resolution as If 1t converted all
Conservatives into partiSan$ Of General Grant
and pledged them To support his administration
generally. if not budly and in advance, just
as if the par were diSorgaLiz,d and its mcm-
ber- marched over, di>Iandcd aud cJusoiIdatcd
with the ranks IF Grants original supporters.
The one class seem to insist that wc shall
continually keep upa fire all along our llnrs
on Grant; the other that our lines shall face
about and fire all the time on Grant : oppu-
penls. The one would have us lndlScrlmln:.tciy
support the others indlScrltuluacy to oppose
and condcmD all his measures and aclluuS-
coed aud bad. right aud wrong.
Notwithstanding the clamor Of these two
small classes. the great body Of the party
know, and act upon the knowledge, that
the third resolution binds us as Il party
to stand for Grants good measures and
against his bad Ones to support HIM Whcn-
ever right and to oppose him whenever
wrong. That is the construction gave II and
maintained throughout the lare cauvaSs-dcny
ing that there was any fraud or deception in II
insisting that ii was a deliberate declaration
of the party, made in good faith and binding IN
honor; and on my recommendation, When no
election contest was pending, il was re affirmed
by the Legislature, the Conservatives voting
for it almost or quite unanimously.
These details serve to show how consistently the
Conservative party has pledged itself TO nalntan
and how consistently have stood pledged to aid IN
maintaining its independent party organizations anu
they show clearly aud precisely what sort OF rela.
lions towards the Federal executive is authorized
and njoned by the organized action OF the party
itself. They show that the party could not 20 over
and fuse itself in the following of any man or any
other party, without first violating its pledges,
breaking up its platform, abandoning its organiza-
ton and committing political telodc Sc. Certainly
no human being has, with my knowledge, sought TO
procure or promote such perfdv Oh the part OF any
candidate or representative of the party, through
him to "carry over " the party and convert it into
the partisan or personal following of any man.
Such have been the relations of the Conservative
party and such have been my own relations as
representative of the party to the Federal Execu
tive. My fulhllment of those relations in the past
is scandalous in the eyes OF one OF the extreme
classes before characterized. What is the scandall
Was it a scandal that tho convention of the Con-
scryatve party in August last determined, as part
of its platform, 10 cultivate with General Grant the
best relatlo Is consistent with its principles! Was
il a scandal that the Conservative Legislature in
January last deliberately rcallrmed the same policy
in resolutions transmitted 10 General Grant! And
after this policy Of Cancellation had been thus af-
frmed, ratified, settled, first by the conventional
and afterwards by the legislative representatives of
the whole party, was it a scandal that | did not
repudiatr tho pledges of the party and did not assa
all General Grants measures with undistinguish-
Ing denuaciat:on? Is 1t a scandal TO nave pfac-
ticed towards General Grant precisely the sort and
degree of Cancellation sanctioned and prescribed
by inc twicc-a fllrmed platform Of the party? After
the party had of its own free will put itself in this
attitude towards General Grant, and after q desire,
courtcously and spontaneously exposed and con-
viewed TO me that | should call and make his acqain-
lance, wos il for me TO reverse the policy OF the
party rudely TO turn my back on such courtesy
and by nv action to fomcnt estrangcment and
antagonism in place OF the Cancellation which the
platform enioned! Let it not be supposed have
any apology to make, any palinode TO sing, for hav
ing made that CALL went because under my con-
vic, ions of duty and propriety made up my mind
to 90 Under circumstances TO justify 1t again,
shall 90 again. went when such an acknowledge
ment OF courtesy was in logical tulilimcnt OF the
declared policy Of the Conservative party-whcn It
did neither more nor less than vindcaLe the sin.
ccrty and consistency OF the party itself. went
when the fate of our own social system was trcm-
bling in doubtful balance; when my going might
add and did add, some weight, however slight. 10
the Southern scale; when my going strengthened
the renonstrance of the General Assembly against
the passage Of a national civil rights law. | went
and had manly, square talk with the President,
| and while shall not so violate propricty 10
allude to lis particulars, yet regret every word of
it could not have been taken down and published,
for (although say IT'D It's publication would have
done credit 10 him and TO me. and no diScrcdlt aud
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 betrayed it. Extreme
men here charge that the Conservative party mas
| surrendered to Grant. Neither charge has any
| shadow of foundation in truth. The party stands
to- dav precisely where il stood on the 1;h of Aug
| ust and on the 1st of January last. Certainly,
may chanlengc evidence to show that IN any action
of mine have stopped short, or gone an inch be-
yond, the station established by the sulacnc will
of the party. Some urge me TO 60 furthcr others
| to turn back. shall stand where am. | am not
vet so old that shall stretch forth my hands and
another shall grid me and carry me whittier |
would not.
Asto the Federal Executive head, I shall render
him, not faclious hostility, but a fair and unpre-
| iudiccd Judgment. For the sake Of ourselves and
| The whole country shall rejoice if he so emulate
the example Of Washington # he so aid in rcst"r-
ing the landmarks OF the Constitution, lately over
threwn BY the violence Of arms if he so respect
the right of the States and the people to sell govern
| meut, as to command our united and hearty sup
port of the whole Of his future administrations SO
far as his influence has saved Us from the degrade
ton Of test-oath and civil rights laws; so far as m
has abstained from exercising the centra,izng aud
dangerous powers of the enforcement act, he Is
entitled to our gratitude and support. But en-
phaticaly do not endorse great part OF his policy
| in respect to national currency; and ii he adopts,
as rule of his administration, such intcrlneddtlng
In local affairs rs that resored to at Petersburg by
the Attorney General Of the United States, then he
will established between rs and hImscH gulf as
! impossible as that which separates good from evil
| III another life. JAMES l.. hEMfER
RICHMOND, VA,
! June 2Sth, 1874.
| Col. JOHN s. MosBr: Dear Slr,-I respectfully
request lha. you deliver 10 my friend, Mr.. \. b.
Meade, the bearer Of this, all letters heretofore
addressed by me to yourself, retaining copies if You
choose. Orif sou prefer to keep the original |
| request that at the least Mr.. Meade be allowed to
take copies of them
VERY truly yours,