The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-10-02
s,.n.rs, Mehone and the Conservative

xsensro, Mahone and the Conservative
Party.
n II can be established by any sort OF
relsablc testimony that General MAHeSs
originated the Conservative party, or had q
hand ia originating II, We are perfectly
willing to publish The evidence OF the fact.
The Wkiq, whilst declaring that sech aud
such things !" all cenversant With tho times
know docs not rccite oae singie eorroo-
orssivc fact nor cali one single witness. We
have before Us, on the other hsrs, letter
from very disingu;shcd virgisian, who
says:
q Although I actively participated In -
che new moveme ut, from its beginning
IA the end, never heard that General sia-
hone ever had anythsng 10 do with v, or
even approved IT, While eve were Neing
denounced and s*used, be certainly re-
msiacd very quiet"
Uewho would write history must take a
surycy CT the whole field. II were nonsense
70 claim that WILLIAM l.. YXscEs was the
originator of tie late war between the
states in this county. He happened 10
live at a time and under circumstances
which afforded him an opportunity to dis
tsuculsh himself as an advocate OF priuci-
niles ana measures which bad already taken
deep root in the hearts and minds oil the
southern people. SO as tothe famous "new
movement 10 Virginia. We do rot pre-
tend 10 claim that the Committee OF Nine,
nor the Dispatch and the Wing, nor any
other person or paper. could have induced
the people OF Virginia 10 acquiesce IN the
new movement II there had not been
10 the circumstances which environed
them that which convinced them that
rs LUTHER said in the Diet Of Worms,
they ought to say, :" God help US,
we cannot do otherwise" And as 10
the statement that General MALONE Gem
bodied The moderate men OF the State both
Republican and Democratic, and initiated
the campaign which resulted in the witb-l
drawal Of the Bourbon ticket" 1t is al
stuff. The new movement took form and
shape ia the Exchang Hotel conference.
but that conference and all that followed In
consequence OF ii, naturally grew out OF
the election OF General GRANT. The cleo
ton took place in November, and the new
movement began in less than month after
wards. II Mr.. SEYMOUR had been elected,
there would have been no new movement
IN Virginia, hecsuse there would have
been no occasion for it. General
MALONE, and even Mr.. STCART aud bis
associates on the Committee OF Nine,
would have been powerless in the premises
II General GRANT had not been elected
President. 1t was, we repeat, the circum-
stances, and not the men, that made the
new movement even q possibility. The
Democratic platform OF 1868 contained the
following plank
"Secoad. Amnesty for all past political
offences, and the regulation of the elective
franchise in the States by their citizens"
Mr.. SEYMOUR, the candidate for President
on the Democratic ticket, bad declared in
his letter OF acceptance against the sex
IRENE measures Of the Republican party,
aud his associate on the ticket went much
further in bis depuncations OF them. But
the people decided in favor Of those sex
IRENE measures -; and there was 40 longer
any good reason for hoping that negro suf'
frage could be avoided.
No sooner was the election over than the
statesmen of Virginia saw ct once an abb
solute and indispensable necessity for
new departure here at home. They be-
gan to consult amongst themselves, and
but few weeks passed before the commu-
nica,ion appeared in the Dispatch and the
Whig TO which we alluded last Thursday.
The rest of the history OF the rehabilitation
OF Virginia we need not here repeat. But
everybody knows that il the men whose
names we gave the other day had opposed
the new movement, General MALONE would
have been as powerless to conduct it to sue
cess as be was TO secure for himself the
nomination for Governor nine years after.
wards.
or course wehave often beard that Gen.
eral MALONE controlled Republican Con-
yeption Of 1869, and that he had hand In
the nomination OF GILBERT G. WALKER,
JoHS #. LEWIS, and JAMES G. TAYLOR; but
we never heard that he took any part or
exercised any influence In the white mans
convention Of that year which induced
WIrHERs, WALxER, and MARYE to with
draw from the canvass; and il that Con.
vention had decided not to withdraw
winners, the &" True Republican move
ment would have been dead failure.
We repeat that we'desre only that the
truth shall prevail. We are as willing to
accore to General MAE0NE all the credit
that Is dueito him in this matter as to ac-
cord aR thatls due them to the Committee
OF Nine audlthe many, distinguished gentle
men who acted in concert with that COM
mittee. And now is the time, when so
many OF the actors are living, to set down
in history lthe;parf which each man played,
though we should not haze alluded TO the
subject II one Generals own Oh gan had not
set up for him the, extravassnt claims which
called forth enrlfirst article on this subject.
Now that il is mp for diseassion, let the
truth OF history be vindioased no matter
who Is burt OF who benefited.
-
&sr Paul and the 'Whipplpg-Post.
Mr PAUL Is oxlin ascard in regard to his
lox L., pA "a,