The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-03-21
. Goxern,,o,r Ka,nper.

. q
Rumor with her hundred false tongHes
has been quite busy with Geyernar HEN.
prr's visit to General GaANr. Even the In
iclligent and very falr editor Of The VIE
chester. Times, now In part representing tpe
county Of Frederick IN the Legislature
seems to regard the statements of this aou'. :.
|ful authority as reliable. lie con l.si =
unfortunate that General KEMrsR went 70
see General grant, and attributes SOME
thing in the veto message Qrom wn'cn ne
,,,sSen,a, 70 this visit to the White House.
we are not the spokesman of Governor
Krxrsr but we are the advocate Of justice
and "a we know the falsity of the rumors
about his visit TO the President, and as we
know the improper use that is made Of those
rumors, we take occasion to say word
about them. We mean not to intimate that
Mr.. HUNTER would designedly use these
improperly. We have said that he is a fair
man; and he acquits General KgMpER OF
questionable or improper motives. But,
then, MIR. HUNTERS apparent acquiescenee
lin the truth of the rumors by pronouncing
the visit to the White House unfortunate
does Governor KEMrsa great injustice.
First, we say that Governor KENrER being
| in Washington on other business the visit
was proper. It was visit of courtesy, such
as has been generally paid the President by
Governors of the States wien in the Fede'
raj city. True, every body, has his right to
think what he pleaSe5 Of 1t and to express
bis opinions about IT.; but we can see no
Improperly in it. On the contrary, we dis
cover in it exactly that manifestation of re-
spect for the Chief Magistrate of the nation
which should be made by Governor OF a
State whenever suitable opportunity pre-
seDts itself.
The visit itself being proper, what saio
Governor KEMpER in the interview with
General GRANT that committed him or his
State in the slightest degree to the policy OF
General GRANTS administration or to third
term for the General? Why noh'ng-a6So-
lutely nothing.
Itis great stretch of fancy to suppose
that the brief conversation which then took
| place could have bound Governor KEMPER
to views which colored the veto.message.
And we say with entire confidence in the
truth of what we say, that the conversation
between President GRANT and Governor
KEMpER did not in the slightest degree in
volre either in pledges as to the future.
This we knew some time before the appear
ance of the yeto-message.) General GRANTS
conversation was kind; General KEMrEE's
respectful. Governor KEMPER represented
Virginia as standing upon the solid founda-
tions of the Constitution ard State and pop
uIar rights and the honest and impartial ad-
minis,ration Of the Government. There was
perfect courtesy, perfect independence on
both sides.
No man who knows Governor KEMPER
could believe that he maintained any other
conduct at this interview than that of honor
and independence. He entered into no ar.
rangement; he compromised no principle
he espoused no new scheme or plan; and
he-so far as concerned Virginia and the
Conservative party-remained after the visit,
as before, uncommitted to anything but
honor, truth, and justice.
Now, the attempt to infer from such visit
and such conversation anything damaging
to Governor kEMPER springs more from the
wish that he had Numbered than from the
belief that be did. 1t springs from the pur-
pose TO ipjure him. And as the truth does
not help on this purpose, Misrepresentation
must do the work.
j.. There is no truth whatever in any state
ment that involves Governor KEMPER In any
plan wanting in faith to Virginia or to the
Conservative party, and what took place at
the White House had no more to do with
the spirit and tenor of the veto-message than
last years clouds. We know. that the editor
Of the Times meant TO do the Governor no
wrong in connecting the message with the
interview. He only lapsed into the impress
sion made by rumors which we assert are as
false as ever rumors were.