The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-01-28
!.
Ilhu,oIll lspann
: .-.,s,,a JANUARY %, 1878 1878
...h j .1>x,,n Caucnses.

.r.,,ss, 4 = JASJJ AIsT Ss,si
5ss3; The Two Caucnses
rhe can did article which we iast week y
snssd from The Petersburg Post the
aiSssf advocate Of reimbursement IN the
ss.ts nnd which paper would be aiconsist-
ens ana safe guide for the party that now
seems TO be distressingiy in want of u CHIEF.
swas conclusive Of the question Of the legit-
ssrnacy 81 the GenerahLEE caucus. That
. article. amongst other things, said:
4 ssThe souesenberry caucus was the ir-
regular. 4 Sijsorganiztng, and bogus eau
!; Gus from the very beginning. tbs per-
s fectiy true. rs claimed by the leaders OF that
CAUCUS, thar the Conservatives OF eacn mouse
( had q perfect right to choose their own as
sociates and determine who should com.
ppse their rzeetings. In the election OF
Sneaker Allen and the other officers OF the
/; House they had right TO admit sIDdepend-
i ents. Republicans, or negroes. But tney
had no shadow OF right to Introduce their
select company into Joint caucus OF the
5 two houses, and to dictate to ssach. aolnt
J caucus who should compose caucus OF
the Conservative party OF the State, ana
4 WHO SuOUtu EeteCb EOEiCciN Va NV SohAe-
monwealth This is what the House
conomistee wantonly assumed'to do, and in
& which they have most properly and most
sigrally been defeated. II 1t were not q
premeditated but only M, unintantional
error on their part, those composing that
caucus were given ample opportunity to
I correct the error and retrace their steps be-
fore the disaster came. We repeatedly adj
vised them to do So"
@ The Post then went on tosrecitc the his
tory OF the action OF the two caucuses last
week: how the General-LEE caucus passed
the following resolution
Sc Rssolyed, That this caucus do now invite
the regular Conservative members OF the
caucus over which Senator Quesenberry
! presides to assemble with us to take into
consideration and finally determine the
question of admitting Independents into a
'ioint caucus, and that we do hereby pledge
j ourselves TO abide the action OF the major
ity."
And how, after waiting long time for
response, the General-LEE caucus received
nothing for their pains but the suhjoined
resolution:
..Resotred, 5u the joint caucus OF the Con-
5sertatire members Of The General ASSEM-
-biu, IN dns,cer TO the communication OF Ger
!. tam Conservatives 1rho haze not get parta-
cipated In the joint caucus, That no prohi,
bftion or restriction has ever been placed
sbythis body upon the entrance and parti-
cipasion in its deliberations of any Con-
sentative member OF either house.. and that
the doors are now, rs they have always
been, open to SUCH"
The Post commented upon this last reso-
luton as follows: q.
- or course such IN insulting invitation as
this was very properly and Indignantly re-
iectetl by the Lee caucus, and at that point
all efforts at reconciliation and joint nomi-
nations Terminated. The House caucus, as.
sisted by all the Independents, was in clear
a,inOritu, and Mr.. Quesenberry, who was
its president, and those who followed him,
did themselves great honor when they re-
tired from it's deliberations and united them
selves with the majority Of the party. The
Lee caucus was the regular and properly
organized caucus. and was composed OF n
decided majority OF the Conservative MEM
bers.o ,,Essr
1t will be impossible to break the force OF
this argument. The General-LEE caucus
either comprised majority of the regu-
ArlY-elected Conservatives, or it did not
II it did, it was entitled by reason OF its
numbers and the universal rule that the
majority has the right to control, to pre-
scribe the conditions upon which the eau
Gus should be organized, and to say whether
any other persons than those regularly
elected as Conservatives should be admitted
into its councils. Otherwise a factious mi
nority Of regular Conservatives might Mt
any time convert their minority into ma
iority by permitting independents, Radi-
Gals, and colored members, to participate in
their meetings and be counted as legiti-
mate members OF their caucus. 1t
must therefore necessarily rest with
the majority OF the egularIy-elected
Conservatives to decide these preliminary
questions. 1t were farce to ask Independ-
ents and Republicans to. come into caucus
and then by their votes decide whether
they shall come into allow them to be
counted as Conservatives and then to ask
them whether they will be so counted-to
let them vote upon the question Of their adj
mission and then claim that their admission
was Just to the Conservative party. II, on
the other hand, the LACY caucus constituted
majority OF. the regularly-elected Conser-
yatiYes, fhow absurd this supposition now
appears then they had not even shadow
Of excuse for not going into the caucus OF
the true andregular Conservatives and TAX
ing control Of it in virtue Of their numbers.
The members sof sthes %General-LEE caucus
pledged themselves to 'sabide the action of
the majority" OF the regular Conservative
members Of the two caucuses. What could
be fairer than that? The veterans BococK,
TALIAFERRo, and CoGHILL, held out the
olive branch. Their caucus was presided
over by q sLEE-RoBERT E. LEES son.
What possible excuse, then, can be offered
for the conduct Of the LACY caucus in re-
fusing to take part with the General-LEE
caucus, No test was required other than
that the participants should be Irregular
Conservatives. ~
The people of Virginia will understand
this matter. They will hold their servants
IS Il