Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-07-22

To Tie People Of the Eighth Virginia
District.

L
District.
The coursc which Gen. Hunton hos seen ut
to pursue during the last fow days 10 tho con-
troversy between him aud mo, makes 1t IN
! nerativo on me to acquaut his constituents with
the origin and present etate ef that unpleasant
affair:
10 the Baltimore Sun of tho 18th inst. there
appeared the following article. After citing thas
| there had been meeting at Alexandra inc
night before, which was addressed BY. General
Hupton and s. G. Neale, tho article con-
| tinues:
"After some discussion Of local political mat.
ters. Cen. Hunton read an article copied into
the Alexandria Gazette from the Washington
Sentinel, in which he was accused OF uniting
with ring against the Interests OF the people
of Washington, and it was stated to be derived
from Representatives Spring and Banning:
He explained that the occasion for this statement
was his vote in favor of bill for correction Of
assessments, which had been brought to him in
dorsed by Commissioner Bryan, Judge Wylle
and Columbus Alexander.
Ia the same article the General was stated
to have said that many Washingtonians, 10.
dignant at these misrepresentation, had offered
to come down 10 procession to show their ad,
miraion of his course"
Knowing that that statement contained u
gross misrepresentation of myself, being there
10 charged with having endorsed one OF the
most Infamous and outrageous ring measures, L
went down to Alexandria to make inquiries To-
to the correctness of that report, aud at the
Gazette office, l met VIM. F. Carne, esq, a
short hand writer and an old, experienced, con
scientious and reliable reporter and correspon'
dent of the Baltimore Sun. From him, upon
irauiry learned that be was tho author OF
the Sun article. 10 tho presence OF DR.. Snow
editor of the Washington Sentinel, and several
other gentlemen, he stated that, to the best Of
his knowledge and belief, be had reported MIR.
Hunton's speech correctly. The same state
meut he repeated to me, in presence Of the
same and several other gentlemen day before
yesterday, otter Mr.. Hunton's last had ap'
peared. learned also that MIR. Carne was q
personal and political friend Of Gen. Hunton.
Several other Alexandria gentlemen, who
heard Mr.. HuntoD, corrobOrated the correct.
ness Of MIR. Csrne's report, similar statement
having also been published in the Washington
Star.
then published my first card in tho Alex.
andlia Gs7atte, in which | denounced MIR.
Hunton' strtement as false, and proved from
tho Congressional Record of June l9, only
about three weeks before, from MIR. HuutoD' 5
own words. that he must have known that be
stated q falsehood when he said at that meet
ing that bad endorsed that ring bill.
Mr. Hunton, instead ct correcting 10 those
papers the wrong done me, sent me a letter
through Captain +. +. Sheppard, of War
rentoD, clerk under the radical District gov
eminent, and one of the many outside appoin.
tees whom he has quartered upon the tax
payers Of tho District, 10 which letter he says {:
What did say was 10 exact accordance
with the debate es quoted 10 your card from
the Congressional Record-in substance, that
the Hop. William NJ Springer made his
motion Cooking to detess of the billy at the
instance of Columbus Alexander aud others. y
The manner in which this letter was deiverCd;
the allegation 10 an editorial of the Alexandria
Gazette, reliable and respected paper, that
Hutton had made that statement on the even
ing before the primary election OF Alexandria.
so as to make correction almost impossible 10
that short time; the conviction that the Sun re-
port must be correct, SO it was logical impoS-
sibility,-whilst defending himself against the
charge Of being ring man, and attempting TO
prove that that bill, for which he had voted,
was 40 acceptable to tho Washing oniaus that
they would come down in large numbers to
show their admiration Tor bis course that
Hutton should have stated, as his three wit
nesscs, 10 his last card, assert, that that bill
did not receive the approval of Columbus AL.
cXa3der, Thomas B. Bryan, and Judge Wylle,
an assertion quite different from Hunton's own
statement, above Cited. Such q declaration
would have been entirely out OF the line OF his
argument, to wit, that that bill was not ring
measure, and that the Washing onianS would
come dowo 10 procession to show their ndmlra'
ton for his course, az all three OF those gentle.
men wero personally we'll known 10 Alexandria
as being opposed to the ring. If, however, he
would assure his hearers that those three gen
temen we're in favor of that bill, his defense
for having voted for that bill would have been
an excelle ut one. Under such circumstances l
believed 10 the correctness Of the statement OF
the reporter, who, though afterwards requested
by two of Hunton's friends to bring his report
more in harmony with Hunton's letter to me.
had manfuly refused to bedaub bis Journalistic
honor, as be told me in presence Of the editors
of the Gszette and the Washington Sentinel
only last Saturday.
Besides I knew General Hutton to be one Of
those Democrats who had been very friendly to
the ring. l also saw every ring paper 10 the
publican BOSS Shepherds OWN down, coming
OuC III ldfuI VI IL uulOu . 10 SlSCllou' tASiC
fore wrote second card, 10 which l adhered
to my first statement.
All this time l had no idea that Mr. Hunton
intended anything else but to "bulldose' me
into some retraction by which he could be en-
abled to appear with better grace before his
constituents for denomination. But if it be
true, as Mr.. Hunton says in his last card, that
he meant fight from the beginning-which for
His own sake | do not believe though he saws
so noW-the manner in which he communicated
that information to me was not merely cruel
but most cowardly towards innocent parties.--
Such Information should have been impaired
to me most privately. At any rate none of my
family, much less my wife, should have had
even the slightest linking of it. But what did
he do? He sent his friend, Capt. Sheppard
at 10 o'clock on Sunday night, after | had re
tired to bed, to my house. Finding my wife
sitting before the door the Captain Inquired
for me, telling her that be had on important
communication to deliver; that he must see
me; that his business was very urgent, ETC.
NJ. n,,;oklr told b;r, sb,t hod rotiro1.