The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-02-08
Another Note from the yietin OF the
RrcuaoSp, February 0, 1882.

again ask the privilege OF speaking
through your columns with the hope Oh
reaching some Of my Readiuster friends.
The lYhig Is laboring zealousiy TO make
its readers believe that and those who ap-
nroye nv position have left the Readitister
narty. In that be true the party has LOST
four tifths OF It's numbers and nine tcnths Of
It's intellectual and moral power. l have
not the slightest doubt that ut least those
proportions of the party believe my course
10 be right. Many OF the best and truest
members Of the Legislature believe the
"ca,ic,ls rule" wrong. They wish II had
never been agreed TO. Their only trouble
is that. having once agreed to that wrong,
they are I'm some way bound TO persist in II.
They fear that to recede from their wrong
position and take right one will enddnger
The pdrfy. They admit the principle am
coniending for l. right, yet insist that
must recedc from II To save the party. The
argument amounts 10 this eff the cauclls
changes from ,rrOHJ 10 right il viii
destroy the Resdjuster party; but II
7 viii change from right 10 ,rrO,,q
II ,riR Sdre IT, No party ought
TO live. and none could long survive,
whose life depended upon adherence to
Stlen UD1taSOllfDff anu
rules-so radically wrong in theory and so
dangerous in practice. The Readluster
party stands on ground too firm to be thus
easily overturned or destroyed by the I'M
wise ruling of few OF IFS members, die
tated to them by pseudo leader. The
thronc-the caucus aud the unseen hand
which controls it--may and will tottcr; hut
the peoplc-the power behind the throne
will plant themselves still more firmly
upon the principles which hold them To-
gether. The spirit Of liberty and liberalism
was not born To die so soon or so igno-
The Reidiusler party never
imagined that liberalism meant absolute
rule for General Malone and his minions
and complete udSSdldge for everybody else.
They never supposed the banner Of libe-
ralism was being used ~ blind To enable
designing men TO rob them OF their
cherished rights. their independence. and
their manhood, that they might secure for
themselves the qualification OF their vault
ing ambition: and when they fully realize
the fact that such has been the case their
will be deep, loud, and lasting.
The Win, its owner. and his minions
have abandoned the fundamental princl-
pies OF the ReadjuStcr party. | and my
friends stand firmly 10y them. Those who
are more SOLICITORS for soft places orthem-
selves and friends than they are for The
welfare of the party and the state may FOL
low the dispensers OF patronage and "bend
the supple hinges OF the knee that thrift
may follow fawning,' but four fifth, OF the
party will refuse 10 sell themselves for
gain, and stand to their principles.
The Wings statement Of my election TO
the authorship i erroneous. II says:
;. He accepted the authorship, and then
took the ten clerks. &c. although
he well knew he was made Auditor under
Inc resolution OF Niche. Of Albemarle,
that these clerks should be- for
he HeadiuSter party, and not for Massey
4 Co. :"
The caucus OF 1S79-'S0 adopted a regr-
alton somewhat like the one adopted by
he present caucus, with reference TO clerk
ships, but much less stringent. | did not
approve OF il, or consent 10 accept office
lnder if. and Mr.. Niche offered the fol-
owing resolution:
"ReSOlrcd. That ii Hon. John +. Mas
ey will accept the office Of Auditor OF
Public Accounts. ii shall be charged to no
district hut TO the state at
md eminent fitness and ability
| think these are the very words OF the
resolution.
This resolution was unanimously adopt
d.. The simple statement OF the facts is
efficient to meet all the Wing has said, OF
nay say, about that matter.
The Wing says: "The editor OF the
Wing. il is true. has accepted office--the
ecretaryship OF the commonwealth. But
ne never sought thc place. IL came to him
Insought."
This is about a. satisfactory IL Aaron's
apology for making the golden calf. "The
people" said he TO Moses, care -ct on
And ] said unto them, who
'oeyer hath any gold. let him break It OF.
SO they gave it me; then | east il in the
ire, and there came oft this calf."
The Wing further says: The son Of
he editor OF the Wing i, indeed a boy-iOr
girls and men are not usually made pages
n our Legislature! But he gets only a
pages pay. n any other boy who is page
does; and the place was rot for him when
his father asked nothing and expected
nothing!" Another cdlf story This is
not even respectable dodge.
| have not a word 10 say against the
,dtor Of the Wing being Secretary OF the
Commonwealth and his son being page at
he same time. There j. no improperly in
L. | called his attention TO it 10 show his
Inconsistency in complaining OF my ap-
son to a clerkship while he said
nothing about the fact that he and his son,
and General MohOHe and his son. were all
in office at the same time. But SAYS the
IIhiq OF his son. "he gets Ouly pages
BAY, as any other boy who is page does"
Is that so? And did il never occur to the
Iyhiq that my son gets only Clerks pay. as
any other man who is Il clerk does: What
This grO>, Inconsistency j. not the worst
feature in the Uhiq'S case. Ii Published
to the world the erroneous statement that
| had several Of my family in office, and
was opposed TO allowing the caucus TO ap-
point my clerks on Hdt account i; and when
il was assured that both its statement and
deduction were untrue. il had not the mag
nanimity TO correct them; but still sought
to keep the truth from it, readers, and, 10y
IT. eyasions and inuendoes, TO perpetuate
the injustice which il had done me by Its
which ] once hoped had
been ignOr0Rtiy made.
There are other things to which | wish
to call the attention OF my Readiuster
friends. but will not further trcspass upon
your kindness NOW.
Very respectfully,
JcHN L. MASSEY.