Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1888-04-07

Gen. Eehona in MS last illumination is
sued in response to Mr. John 5. Wise's sd
dress 10 the republicans OF the State in op-
position 10 Mshone's methods, says
zone cannot avoid 2 feeling OF acute SYM
pa,by for Capt. Wise in seeing him forced by
his conscientiocs convictions 20 declare war
AGAINST g system al party geVerapeUt OF
which. throughout is whole administration,
he has bseu q principal beneficiary. Ii thia
lystem had antagonized hlm-had oalfled
and sacrificed him-We might see how easily
he could turn upon ii and endeaTcr to de-
stroy i: but as il il, It is LETT 10 cur tender
mgeinatons TO conceive the aGoniZlng
.broes he must have undergone 10 have
reached .1e conviction, after eight yeats OF
cumuiatiye honcrs and emoluments, that he
must break with all his former associates
and associations and fight against the plan
Of party organization. against the unit rule,
and express the stern resolution thai these
must down at his bidding or he will so into
some other party
What becomes OF Capt. Wise's assertion.
that our party has become all officers and no
men? Can that assertion stand for : no.
ment before the fact that in six years. under
our present plan of organization, our voting
sud when within the last nine years We have
received popular majority in the State at
least five if not six times? On the cOntrGry, as
our leaders haze diminished By deSertion dlG
rer9lf or rank and .fle haze grolCn.
Captain Wise alleges that he has i@plored
me aud my friends to abandon the unit rule,
but the asst and only conversation he and L
4yer had or the suoiect was some time IN
January last when he casually suggested TO
me that il would relieve him of some en-
bsrrassment if the unit rule were not adopt.
ed this year with respect to our national
delegation. He confessed that the argu
ment ior the rule might be better than the
argument against it but as he had commit
Ted himself against il ia 1884, he Gid not
want to 20 back on his record. That record
as be now states it il, that no would not &C
to Chicago. although chosen delegste.at
laJge, because lie objected to being gagged"
5y the rule-confessing thst he wanted TO
&c 20 Chicago free to vote against Arthur
and the overwhelming will OF the repuoii
clas Of Virginia, free to do IS Be wiiled In
stead of as the party wiled. 50 much tor
importing"
Bat Captain Wise elso chsracterizes re-
cent circular letter issued by me to certain
persons as unfortunate" If had sent it
10 the Richmond Dispatch, instead of seek
ing 10 keep cur party affairs to ourselves, it
would have bsen all right, if not tortuuate.
fet 10 writing and circulating that letter,
originally written in answer to inquiries
from many correspondence l carefully alb
stained from doing so in ny official capacity
and exercised only NY pndoubted right IS
private citizen and republican 20 express Iov
opinion aud preference, and give my reasons
therefor. have nothing to regret even ID
the publication OF that letter, IS it reached
the press, not only without 70 consent, hut
bysdishonorable disregard Of ny confidence
and iajlnction No rational human heiog
can read tina tier without being fully COLI
SinCed h8i. ii ils allegations Of fact he irue,
'poi1ts out the only msEly course be Oh.
y self respecting couIse-tcr Virginia 20
9uoIlcaus to pufeue; and l unoeFta&e 10
prove before any tribunal, or umpire, that
81 these allegations ara true, evenincIudlng
nat which charges the authorship ot Ger
aln letter which appeared in the New orK
tribune to toe inspiration of Presidential
s;piran, and to the pen OF one OF his neuch-
ms1. But 1t happens that the very first copy
oi this unfortunate circula- was handed 10
Ospt. Wise by me in person, with the re-
quest that re would read it carefully and
ioiorm me what he thought oft. That was
Two months previous to Capt. Wise's pFocla'
nation in the Dispatch. and in that procie-
nation | have the first intimation Of hls
'leTa what he had been asked two months
2eiore 70 give his opinion and advice upon
dow was this?
might still further demonstrate he in
accuracy, inconsequeuce and iutility OF Capt.
@ses pr0nunciamento but il was only nee
i,afy to prick its glittering bubbles; and this
l have doue Even this would have beer
unnecessary, had not Capt. Wise SO long en-
;oyed prominence in the party which lends
us luConsiderate statements and sounding
plfases fictitious character that nay I'M
p0Se on the thoughtless."