Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-10-10
Gov. Kemper's Letter on the Centen.
niaI
The following letter from Gov. Kemper in
reference to the Centennial Exposition was
made public yesterday

mace puDllc yesterday
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA. !
GOVERNORS OFFICE
RICHMOND, October I, 1876
j. E. Reyton. esq:
SIR :-Accordlog to the promise made to
you some days ago, l respooe DOW to the very |
cordla! AID hAtterng invitation you then bore |
to me FROM the Centennial Commission.
10 behalf of the Commission you propose that
issue proclamation inviting the people Of
Virginia and their descendants and relatives 10 |
other States to meet me, 10 my vficial charac
ter, at reception to be held within the Cen
tenuial grounds on the 10Th lust, the anniver
sary of the British surrender at Yorktown.
You express the opinion that such a procla.
NATION, and the reception held 10 pursuance OF
IT, by the Governor of the oldest OF the orlgl'
nal thirteen States, would attract a vast con.
course, perhaps one or Two hundred thousand
persons, or more, to our national exhibition,
and would produce results OF enduring and
| patriotic interest to the entire country.
Duly ADD most respectfully appreclatiug the
| honor of this invitation, and anxious to decide
rightly every question connected whit, have
reserved the matter for bre period OF re-
fectiou.
beg you to be assured sir, that | am ever
ready to devote all my humble means aud
abilities to the task ofrestorlug peace and prop
agatng fraternal good will over our common
country, aud | have not failed to contribute the
utmost in my power to the success OF The Cen.
tenniai Exhibition and celebration.
You are aware that IN my last annual mes
sage to the Legislature OF this State l earnest
~ urged that BODY to make such appropriation
for the purpose as W, u;d convey an ofhcal re.
cogotion by Virginia ut the Centennial enter
prise, aud at the same time Insure full rxh
biton of our resources n connection with It.
That recommendation was thoroughly con-
sidered aud finally rejected 1t was thought
the State could not honestly atJrd an appro.
prlatiou even Tor such a purpose. This Com-
monweaith had been the Principal theatre of
the recent tour-years' war, and 10 the course OF
il, had been scourged, stripped, desolated, aud
trampled by more than million OF armed meD.
Our losses aud sufferngs very far exceeded
those of aoy other State Struggling ever
s!rce With adversely, borne dowo with heavy
public and private Indebtedness and unable
even yet to meet all the interest accrul0g upon
it, Virginia declined to incur the cost of taking
part in the Centennial because her poverty,
GOT ner will forbade the diversion Of any por-
ton Of her revenues to that object.
This adverse action Of the i gis!ature was 10
response to the question submitted tor Its de-
termination. L. cOnIravcne 1t DOW would To-
voive nat only a breach OF the faith 10 which
the submission vas made, but dsrespect to
wards the department whose judgment | In
voked.
II should acccde 10 your request; if the part
proposed 10 he borne by NE could avail any
thius; aud IF our cpmblGei efforts should sue
cred 10 draw ng 10 Philadelphia such con-
course o! FrglDiaos as you expect, then l
would be partly nsrumenta! 10 cauSlrg this
IMPOVERISHED people tn spend. 10 connection
with The Centennial, and beyond their State, a
very large sum OF moue!; whereas the same
people. through their law making power, have
Jus, declared tneir Inability to contribute even
d small SUN to hat Jet. would be assum
ing to, or 10 JUN others 10 doing, on great
scale 10 one form what | have been authora
lively forbidden 10 do Oh small scale in anoth
cr form. would be assisting IN the Indirect
application from the State OF some millions OF
dollars to az or ct substantially the same, or
cognato to the Same, for which the Legislature
refused Direct appropriation OF few
thousands.
Nor, in my opinion. is it right in itself that
| should exert any supposed official Influence
10 stimulating the people of Virginia to 10
crease the contributions they are now making
with literal hand 10 this direction. They are
doubtless III wlshers Of yourself and your as
socate siors 10 the Centennial enterprise !;
but whatever might induce them to incur the
ex raordlnary expenditure DOW proposed would
serve but 10 diminish uuduly the reduced
means they have 10 order to augment your
comparative abundance. Those really able to
visit the exhibition have & ;oe, or vii! 60, and
their going Is very properly determined with
out regard to any movements OF moe. None
others, 10 Justice to them selves can 90; AID l
would not, it could, attract 10 Puiladepha
those who 10 view Of their necessities at hJm,,
ought not TO g. al all.
Moreover, while such proclamation as you
suggest seems to be warranted by usage III
som" of the States, it would be no;atls in Vr
giola as cxtra-nf6 .iaI and without authority,
aud il would con.ravene rules snd limitations
which here for q hundred years have been he'd
iuViolablo.
10 declining to participate. officially 10
The Centennial exercises | am content to
know that neither my presence DOR absence
affects any interstate, or lnter-sectlooa!, or
political relations or Interests. NeVer,he.
less, | hold myself free 10 change any
of my conclusions whenever it becomes
proper to do So You and others 10
form me il is proposed that the chief
executive officers of all the States aud Terrific
rics shall meet together in Philadelph before
the close OF the Centennial, and that such rep
reseuativas Of all the States, other thao Vir-
pioia, are expected to b. present. In that i'm
probable eveal, would not be willing that ex,
ceptIona absence 90 the part OF v rgiuia should
cause her to be misunderstood or should mar
the completeness of such au occasion.
Let DO man do Virginia the wrong TO sup
pose that she measures the value Of the Cen
tcnuiaI or estimates current events by any selfish
or merely material standard l. is true that,
passing through period of embarrassment,
she recogn As the Obligation as one of para
wouut Importance 10 eUtorce the sternest
ecoooDy 10 order to pay her debt aud viudcate
her pl GIFTED faith; yet Virginia is no step be-
hiud her foremost sisters 10 advancing the gro
gress, the peace, and the liberties OF Uolon
now constiturionaly indissouble. With re-
gretful composure, without abatog her kDowo
| sI.irit Of she hehnlns th., IL inDlu