Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-11-11
A TRIBUTE TO FITZ LEE.
The Manner or Man Tie Is and How lie Con.
Quoted His Canvass.

A TRIBUTE to HTZ LEE.
The Manner or Man Tie Is and How lie Con.
Quoted His Canvass.
We find the following in the Religious
Herald of this city. 1t carries its own
comment. Let the malignants read and
digest;
The Herald has steered so clear Of poll
tics and of partisan bias that, during the
excitingpolitical canvass just closed, 10
one has been able to tell from anything
that has appeared in the paper whom
we preferred for the high Office of Gov
ernor Of the Commonwealth. We shall
not depart now-slthough the canvass
sover and the election is decide1-from
the rule we have laid down, not to
allow partisan politics to enter the
columns Of the Religious Herald.
But there are several things which
we do feel called on to say for the
especial benefit Of some Of our northern
contemporaries, which have insisted
that they have "told the truth about
the South =" in endorsing the charges of
Senator Sherman and Governor Fora
ker. of Ohio, to the effect that we are a
set of ballot-box suffers and negro in
timidators, who carry elections by
fraud or the shotgun, and that we have
killed more negroes for political pur-
poses than the number Of men who fell
on both sides at the battle Of Gettys-
burg.
/. Although the past canvass has
been one Of the most exciting ever had
in Virginia, there has been no riot and
no bloodshed, except that an indie
pendent" candidate and several friends,
at Wytheville, waylaid, shot, and dam
gerously wounded a Democratic editor;
some Republican negroes shot a white
Democrat at Williamsburg; and
white Republican shot and badly
wounded white Democrat and a col
ored Democrat in Halifax county. $50
far as we can recall, these are the only
cases of bloodshed, and there has been
no riotl.
2. There has been nothing approach
ing intimidation, except that colored
Republicans have regularly used every
form of intimidation towards their own
race who wanted to vote the Demo-
cratic ticket. We have been credibly
informed of cases where colored pastors
have not only used all Of their inlu-
ence to induce their members to vote
right" but have threatened to turn
them out Of the church if they
dared to vote the Democratic ticket.
Senator Sherman and Governor For
aker, Of Ohio, had made themselves
especially obnoxious to the Democrats
Of Virginia by charging them with in
timidation Of the negroes, massacres of
colored voters, ballot-box stufing,
cheating, frau. and every method pos
sible to defeat the will Of the people
and make "solid South" And yet
these men came to Virginia, went where
they pleased, spoke when and where
and what they chose, and were in no
way hindered, or moleSted, or NAL
treated.
3. Our new Governor, General Fitz-
hugh Lee, is one of the most conserva-
tive, national, broad-minded, patriotic
men in America. He was as gallant a
Confederate soldier as ever drew blade
to defend the land Of his birth and
the cause he loved with knightly devO-
ton and conscientiously and honestly
believed to be the cause Of truth.
But when at Appomattox he sur
rendered his stainless sword to
overwhelming numbers and re-
Sources" he became at once loyal
citizen of the United States, and since
then while he has never crlnged or
crawled in the dirt, and has always
been manly in his utterances) he has
not only observed strictly the terms Of
his parole, but has always raised his
voice for fraternity and goodwill be-
tween all sections. In 1876 he went
TO the Bunker-Hlll celebration at Bos
ton, and made a speech in favor Of har-
mony and union of hearts, as well
as a union in name, between all sec
tions-a speech which elected the
heartiest applause of the vast crowd
who heard him and Of the whole coun-
try. At the Yorktown Centennial
he commanded the Virginia troops,
and was greeted with enthusiastic
cheering unequalled by that accorded
to the President Of the United States or
any other official present. On visit
to New York several years ago, and at
West Point last year, where he went as
one of the Visitors to the Military
Academy, he was cordially received
and enthusiastically greeted by "men
who wore the blue" But when he
rode up Pennsylvania avenue at the
head Of southern troops at President
Cleyeland's inaugural, and when he
rode beside General Hancock as one of
his aids at the funeral Of General Grant
in New York.. he was accorded by
all parties an ovation such rs no
one else received, because he was
regarded as representative of the
e. solid South" wheeling into line, and
keeping step to the music of the
Union." Indeed. he has been uniyer-
sally regarded as leader Of peace
and goodwill " between all sections of
our common country. And he has done
nothing in the recent canvass inconsist-
ent with this record. He has worn
citizens clothes, and not rebel uni
form." He has not ridden through |
the country on the saddle Of his un-
Gle though we presume he would
have considered it no harm if he had
Glanced to ride on the saddle Of r.
Z. Lee, and certainly We of the South
do not believe that this saddle is
- treason stained" or that the great
chieftain who rode it in series Of bat
ties which have illustrated bright pages
of American history was other than a
pure patriot. lie did not carry in his
m