The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-02-01

| To John 4. MASSEY:
Sir,-IIaving received notice from you
! that you intend 10 contest my right to
seat IN the Forty-eighth Congress OF the
United States, reply TO that notice as fol-
lows:
To the Sgficiency Of the Notice.
claim and insist that the said notice is
insufficient IN law. The staute requires
you in your notice OF contest TO "specify
particularly the grounds" on which you
rely in your contest. Besides being false,
the paper served upon me could not be
made more vague and general in its allie
cations. | therefore except to the sutli-
cheney OF the same. and to each part there
Of, and shall pray judgment on this my ex-
oeption before the House Of Representa-
tiyes proceeds to consider this contest
upon its merits.
And not waving the above exception,
but expressly insisting upon the same, l
now answer your said notice.
On the Merits.
1. | deny your statement that at the elec-
ton held November !, 1882, in the State OF
Virginia, you were "the candidate OF the
Democratic party"
deny your allegation because II you had
been the candidate Of any party you might
have claimed and expected the unanimous
support Of such party, and would not
have claimed or expected support from the
party or parties, or members OF the party
or parties, opposed to it; and because in
thai event the strength Of that party would
have been n fair index Of your strength,
and rice UerSa. But you were the candi-
date Of no party.
You were confessedly not the candidate
Of the Coalition party, being, as You adj
nit, the candidate thereof. You were not
the Straightout Republican candidate, one
John NJ. Dawson being the nominee OF
that faction; and you were not the candi-
date of the Democratic party. as / will
prove.
Then follow a number OF extracts from
the Dispatch. running from March :, 1870,
down to the time when Mr.. Massey left the
Readiusters, shOwing-as Mr.. Wise con-
tends-that he WAS not considered Demo-
crat and did not claim to be one. Then Mr..
Wise says:
| will show that. although tolerated by
the representative bodies and organs OF
that party, as paying you the price OF
bargain between yourself and certain men,
bers OF that party, YOU never were rccog-
and that while you were given the benefit
of their whole party machin,ry, and your
name was put upon their tickets. support
of you was never officially in any way made
a test OF party allegiance, aud many true
and staunch members OF that party scorned
and refused to support you.
HIS HISTORY.
In an examination of Mr.. MaSsey's po-
litical history, Mr.. Wise goes into Mr.. Mas
sey's aspirations for the office Of Governor,
then OF his desire to be United States sem
ator, and filesthe statement Of Edmond Parr,
a member Of the Legislature, who declared
that Mr.. Massey tried TO bribe him; also,
corroborative statement OF Mr.. Amos Dick
crson, and then follows a notice of the Big
Four revolt. and a great many extracts
from newspapers, to show how MaSsey'S
candidacy for Congress was brought about.
Mr.. WISE asserts that Mr.. Massey. " after
falling to do more than secure negative
support OF the Democratic party without
recognition. sought TO gain support from
all good men OF all political parties.
RESULTS.
After an exhibit Of figures, Mr.. Wise
| says:
call your attention to the fact disclosed
| by the foregoing returns, that although
| John NJ. Dawson, the Republican candi-
date for congressman at large, received 2B
more votes than all the Republican dis
trct candidates combined, and although
| | received 1888 votes more than the COM
bined vote OF the Coalition district candi-
dates, you, on the other hand. were so un-
popular that yours vote was so less than
Ia - farn- rtf ffksf
Democratic and Independent district cam
/ didates who supported you.
And charge that you did not receive as
many votes as the combined votes OF said
district candidates, because you were not
the Democratic nominee, and at least $40
Democrats in Virginia, who voted for the
| district nominees and candidates, believed
YOU had no claim upon them, and had not
| forgotten so soon their former abuse OF and
contempt for you, or did not believe in
your newborn professions OF Democracy.
COLLECTORS, &C.
Each and every material charge of Mr..
Massey as TO frauds committed by the Re-
adiusters Is denied, and Mr.. Massey's in
auguratiOn OF the system OF special col
lectors commented upon. lie alleges that
every receipt issued by Smelling was paid
for before election; that Smelling "faith-
fully reported every receipt issued; that
he paid the money so received into the
Treasury" The charge about blank re-
ceipts is denied, and Judge George l..
Christian is spoken OF as "a partisan OF
yours" MaSsey'sl.
JUDGE HUGHEs's INSTRUCTIONS.
As to these he says:
forth in your notice are correct. Your
opinion that they were designed to intimi-
date the State officers of election Is the pre-
iudice OF an evil imagination. Your state
ment that they did so in fact is false. Your
legal opinion as TO their correctness is
worthless. | deny and call upon YOU TO
prove that said instructions "were made
the excuse for unjustitable interference,
whereby in some instances many citizens
who desired to vote for you were disiran-
chised.'
ELECTI0S-DAY IN RICHMOND.
Mr.. Wise states that he was not in Rich
mond at the hour when the Clay and Mon
roe Ward judges were arrested and brought
up. but as to what occurred subsequently
i'm the United States Courtroom he says:
| listened TO what passed between Mr..
Peasants and Judge Christian, and Chris
tian stated that he would recede from his
first instructions to the Judges and give his
second, because NJ. PleGsants said II the
iudges refused the Smelling receipts he
would arrest them. Mr.. Peasants said he
made no threats. thereupon advanced
and said: 81 will relieve Mr.. Pleasants OF
all embarrassment on that score. AS Dis
trict Attorney i will swear out warrants
against every man of them who refuses the
Smelling receipts" and as / turned away /
said, soto roce, "And, by God, / will
hnue Indre Christian arrested for his inter