The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-10-30
Jusficc to tho Mount Vernon Regents

TheFeport Of the Mount Vernon Ladies
Association for 1881 makes lucid matter
connected with the recent Yorktown Cen
fennial celebration which was previously
misunderstood. Our respected contempt
rary the Star, for instance, erred lamcnta-
bly, In It's report OF the VISIT Of the foreign
guests TO Mount Vernon on the 18th in
slant in intimating that the absence OF the
ladies Of the association was due to wiiful
neglect. In its report the Star says, refer
ring 10 the reception at Mount Vernon
"The regent and vice-regents neither came
TO receive them (the foreign guests, rs was
suggested last spring that they should, or
gave any direction in regard to their re-
.ception." 1t is with no desire to carp at
statements that are due most probably to
misconception or ignorance Of the truth
that we refer to this subject; but as a mat
ter OF justice to the regent and vice-regents
the simple facts OF the case should be made
known.
The regent and vice-regents were invited
last spring, through letter from Senator
Johnston, chairman Of the Yorktown Cen
fennial Commission, TO attend the York
town celebration. This invitation was sup
plcmented by letter from Governor Ilol-
>1iday, of Virginia, urging the ladies to ac-
cept the invitation. Moreover, the Board
OF Visitors for Virginia gave their opinion
that the council liad the legal right to ap-
propriate the sum necessary to defray the
expenses OF the trip to Yorktown from the
funds Of the association. In fact, all eX-
cept those most interested, the majority OF
the ladies themselves, were OF the opinion
that the funds OF the association could pro-
pcrly be used for the purpose OF charter
ing boat 10 take the regent and the vice
regents TO Yorktown. At subsequent
session of the council, however, it was
found that the scruples OF many Of the
ladies to divert the funds Of the association
from the purposes for which they were
originally raised could not be overcome,
and therefore was 1t that, as the Centennial
Commission failed to provide a boat, and
the expenses. had the ladies gone, would
necessarily have been born by themselves,
the hope that they entertained that some
plan might have been arrange. - - which
they could attend the celebration at the
Scene OF the surrender OF CornwalliS was
not realized. Involved in this non-realiza-
tion OF their hopes was the absence, rs
noted by the Star, OF the regent and
yice-regcnts at Mount Vernon on the occa-
sion OF the visit Of the French and German
guests; and why the ladies were absent
may best be understood 10y reading what
one OF the yice-regents, q lady from one o.
the New England States, says In private
letter on the subject. "rhe same ina
bility," says this lady, "to spend the asso
citation money which forbade us TO tax
ourselves 10 Yorktown would oblige al
the yice-regcnts to pay the expenses Of th
Journey to Mount Vernon Qt costs me a
least S6s), and the uncertainty OF their sta
would make the appointment Of q particu
lar day Of reception difficult, as the objec
is 10 have them come" With this explana
fion, It win be easily understood why IN
ladies OF the association We're not at York
town, and why they were not at Noun
Vernon on the occasion OF the visit OF III
foreign guests Washington Post.