The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-01-23
ALetter from General Ear1y.
nrvr,.1reE AND THE "CoMAITTEE OF NINE
EXCHANGE HOTEL,

EXCHANGE HOTEL,
RICHMOND, January %, 1874.
To the Editors Of the Dispatch
feel no interest whatever in the contro-
yersy now going on in regard to the ques'
ton as to who vas the originator OF the
i" Committee-of-N inc" movement except
40 far as the name Of General Lee is sought
to be connected with it. AS notwithstand-
ing the disclaimer by the Hon. A. Il. ID.
Stuart (Whose name was more prominently
identified, in the public estimation at
the time, with that movement than
that of any other many OF all knowledge
of General Lees having had any
thing to do with its origin, or having ap-
proved it, you stillsay ct must be admitted,
too, that General Lee had suggested the idea
to some persons, though not to Dir. Stuart"
deem it not improper to state what know
on that subject. returned to Virginia the
1st of April, 1869, arriving in Lynchburg
on the ID. Ina very few days thereafter
went to Lexington for the purpose of pay
inc nv respects to General Lee and having
some conversation with him ABOUT WORK
which he had informed me he had in c0ntem.
plation-the preparation OF history OF the
campaigns OF the Army Of Northern Vlr-
einia-as he had called Oh me for all the IL
formation in my possession. AL that Time the
movement of the COMMITTEE Of Nine" was
generally considered failure, though its
Friends claimed that it had done ga great
deal of good" and that phrase was adopted
by it's opponents for the purpose of rdicul-
ING the movement. The Walker movement,
howeyer. was then looming into importance
as n supplement to, or rather substitute for,
the PROPOSITIONS of the COMMITTEE Of
Nine, I arrived in Lexington about the
10Th day of April, and in day or two
afterwards the Circuit Court for the
county began, and Colonel Baldwin
came to attend it. I feel very con-
tident that this was Colonel Baldwin's
first visit to Lexington after the "new
movement" bad been started; for directly
after his arrival be met with and became en-
gagged in an earnest discussion about the
Committee of Nine with a gentleman who
was in daily official and private intercourse
with General Lee, and saw that 1t was
the first time they had met after the CUES
ton had been mooted. 1t had before been
intimated that General Lee approved the
movement, and Governor Letcher bad writ
ten and published letter, in which be said
that the information was news to the people OF
Lexington, who were in constant intercourse
with General Lee. ] visited General Lee
several times on that occasion, and in our
conversations the political condition Of the
State was referred to, and he mentioned to
me the fact that it had been stated in some Of
the papers that he had suggested or approved
the movement of the Committee OF Nine,
but said that such was not the fact. BE said
that, in conversation with some one, and /
think it was probably Colonel Baldwin, be
had said that the negroes were freed without
any fault or agency of their own; that they
were amongst us, and we could not get rid
of them; that under these circumstances we
ought to do the best we could with them
| that in order to encourage them to become
ii;,;;,,austriops and useful members Of the CON-
munity he thought il would be wise to give
| them qualified suffrage, based on education
and property qualification; and be re-
marked this would permit only about one
out Of every ten to vote, which could do no
harm. He further said that be had DO idea
Of suggesting anything like universal snf.
i frage for them, for" said he, / never
Thought that all the white men were quail
lied to Vote and he added, "This is all ]
have ever suggested on that subject, and
my idea was that it should be voluntary
concession by the people of virginia tnem-
selves |; but never dreamed Of asking Con-
gress TO put even that, much less universal
negro suffrage, on u.s." This, if not the
exact language OF General Lee, is the sub.
stance of it, aud I think / have used almost
literally his own words. BY understanding
was that this suggestion had been made
some time in advance Of the Committee-of-
Nine movement, and had no reference to it
whatever. L will further stste that General
Lee was very anxious to have some
thing done to. relieve the people OF
military rule, and enable them to attend to
their private affairs In peace; but be stated
he was no politician, and said that he wished
Colonel Baldwin, myself, and some gentle
men in Lexington, and In attendance on the
court, would get together and talk the sub
ject over, aud see il we could not agree upon
something for the, relief Of our people. In
order to initiate some such conference, be
| said he would invite Colonel Baldwin, my.
sell, and two or three other gentlemen to
dinner next dry, which be did; but Colo,
mel Baldwin did not attend, because
q case OF his was on trial IN court
lat the time therefore nothing came Of IL.
had somewhat Of an animated though en-.
I4irely friendly controversy with Colonel
Baldwin, about the Committee Of Nine OF
thine, which number OF gsntsemen pre-.
sent will rec0.lect, aud when, every now md
then, my old friend DIR. Thomas j. Niche,
\ WIN WAS In the YanyfsDpElk would ObSGrye.