The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-08-13
Central Committed. We have no doubt
that that journal vii, stand sby the commit :
tee in the end. We areeontens to await the 9
Mr.. Massey Not Misrepresented.
! WaRM SPRINGS, August IL, 1878

event. -. ---....-------.--.--..---
Mr.. Massey Not Misrepresented.
YARN SPRINGS, August II. 1873
TO James A. Coaoardin, Esq:
Dear sill, I'VE read, and have since care.
fulIy rereall your report In the Dsspatca OF
the ooti, ofy,yuty OF Mr. Massey's Readius
ora, aneech delivered In the courthouse OF
this county on the Thursday preceding
and we have since seen and read an edlto'
rial In the Wing pronouncing. on the au.
thority OF Mr. Massey, your report as
wiliul misrepresentation"
" ON the occasion referred TO we listened
with particular attention TO the speeeu Y,
Mr.. Massey Zone OF us never having nealu
him before,, with the view OF understand
ing distinctly his views and line OF arau-
ment on the debt question, ana at your
request" we do not hesitate to pear tesll .
mopy to the fact that your summary Oh
what he said was entirely correct.
We did not understand you to report
what is charged in the Wing, that Mr. Mas
sey said "the United States. should assume
the fState> debt, and that we should cast IL
off entirelv," though that was the real ana
g,ecessaru import OF his speech. But we
understood YOU to say, precisely What the
sneaker did say. that the Federal Govern
mrnt was rendered liable for the debt by us
destruction OF our resources OF taxation ana
revenue, and, furthermore, that the state OF
Virginia was not legally" responsible ior
the debt, because there was no process by
which it could be enforced, and was less
" n,orallp" than legally bound therefor.
Leeal1 and "moral obligations were
the very words he used; and to enforce tnls
view of the question Mr..
Massey resorted to several pueriie lllustra'
tions. and among them the two following,
which we distinctly remember and noted al
the time. Said be TO bis audience "Sup'
pose one of you were to borrow from
your neigbbor $1,000 and give your oond
for the same, and with that money you were
10 proceed to improve your fhrm, bullu
mill, or start shoe-store; and suppose
when YOU bad done this, and are IN grow
ing state OF prosperity, your credltor' from
malice or other cause, should take a matcn
and set fire to and burn up your barn ana
mill and store, would you aot consider
Yourself released from the Obligation OF
your bond, and would not the creditor De
morally bound to set you up IN business
againt" ,.u.,
This was one OF his illogical illustrations,
almost word for word, by which Dir. Mas.
sew sought TO enforce his absurd theory, and
smother was the following: II the Federal
Government bad the right to take from us
West Virginia and our slaves 1t had the
right to appropriate as much more OF our
territory and property rs 1t might nave
chosen. Suppose, then, the line bad been
SO drawn as to leave only 10 "Virginia
few counties on the seasbore, would that have
"old Virginia" still and have
made us responsible for the debts OF " old
Virginia.? Certainly not, said the orator !;
but it would have eXonerated us from all OF
our legal and moral obligations as regards
the State debt, Just as the existing division
between Virginia and West Virginia does
do, This is not Virginia." felloW-cltl"
zens, declared Mr.. Massey, but is Military
District No. l." under Federal usurpatlon
We are sure we would not Intentionally
msinterpret or msrepresent the views ana
declarations OF Mr.. Massey any more than
we would those Of yourself or any other
gentleman concurring with US 10 sentiment
and feelings; but unless, as Tallyrand SAID,
language was made to conceal ideas, or Mr..
Massey was very unfortunate in the choice
of his vocabulary, we are perfectly confident
that be has not been mlsinterpreted or mis-
represented in his Bath speech on readlust-
ment. He not only made these distinct
declarations in bis speech, but he lterated
and reiterated them before and afterwards
in his social conversations with gentle
men; and while he would not commit
himself to any amount OF percentage OF in
terest or principal which he was willing to
assume OF the debt, he closed his speech
with the distinct declaration, enforced by
argument, that all of the bonds OF the State
held at home or abroad should be "scaled
as land and negroes and other property
have been scaled by the results OF the war"
These were Mr.. Massey'S declarations as
they were understood both by bis friends
and opponents, and we are surprised at the
attempt to contradict them.
Very respectfully, K. Il. Cox,
of King and Queen;
r. II. GLASS.
The above letter, from Dr.. r. Fl. Cox and
Major R. H. GLASS, confirms the correct
ness OF the report Of 4 part OF Parson MAS
sEY's speech which he has quoted in the
Wing as declaring to have been "misrepre-
sented." These two gentlemen's word is
good wherever they are known. DR.. Cox,
who represents King and Queen in the
Legislature, is respected for his clear intel
lect, good judgment, and integrity. Major
GLASS has the fame of a gentleman and the
high reputation Of an able, consistent, and
firm editor. Their letter is concise and
complete, and it does precisely what is just
and proper.
1t was not matter OF great Importance
what Mr.. MASSEY thought or said, but what
was important was the object he endeayored
to accomplish by his ricketty discourse on
the public debt. In the Wing he disclaimed
having referred the public debt OF Virginia
to the Federal Government. We never re-
ported him as referring the debt to that
but we did report him as say
ing what these worthy gentlemen correctly
say he did say.
And what was his object in saying what
he did? Not to press claim upon the
Fed eral Government; for his disclaimer,
which is true, shows that that was not ms
Then what was it? Exactly.
This is the point, and the reader has in the
answer the key to the matter. Mr.. MASSEY
is engaged in regular effort to inject into
the minds Of Virginians sense OF injury
from any measure that regards them as lla'
BILE for the public debt. He said that they
were neither legally nor morally bound to
nav it. Yet he knew there was no way to
compel the Federal Government to pay it.
and was too smart to say that there was
But his object was nevertheless accom-
plished-that OF firing the popular mine
,u;th tho sansn of wrong. and the feeling