Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-09-30
MR.. WEISIGER'SREPLY
MANCHEsTERs POSTMASTER RE-
JOINS BREEzILY TO MIR. RUSSELL.
OTHER NEWS From SOUTH SIDE.
Democratic Rally on October 21st-
LAWN Party This Evening-Three
Tramps In the TojIs-Death of Mr..
CIafborne-Death of n Child.

Mr. Benjamin B. weisiger. postmaster
OF Manchester. and the nominee for Con-
gress OF the regular Republicans, has
replied to the letter OF Mr.. Otis III. Rus
sell, dated the 2th instant.
Mr. Weisger's breezy rejoinder is as
follows
Manchester Va, September 18th. 1898.
colonel Otis II Russell Ex-Postmaster,
Richmond, Va:
MY Dear Sir,-Yours of the 24th instant,
addressed TO me as postmaster, and pub
hshed In the daily papers of the 9th in
slant, was duly received.
L stated in my former reply to you that
did not intend to be drawn into an ex-
tended controversy with you. and l Will
pay my respects to you now in as Few
this sort Of thing You and / may be
very important personages to each other,
put we are mot the only pebbles on the
beach,"
The proposition contained in your first
letter, that 1 should resign the office of
postmaster OF Manchester, which does
not In any way render me ineligible as
candidate for Congress; that i should
resign a certainty for an uncertainty for
the purpose OF making an active canvass
on broken leg, and that in exchange
therefor you would resign a candidacy
which you do not possess, appeared to me
SO exceedingly absurd and ridiculous that
1 nope | may be pardoned for having in
dulged in few pleasantries at your ex-
pense. The truth is, Colonel, that you
expected to gain little cheap capital by
making proposition to me. which no
man with three grains of sense would
accept, and no man with three grains OF
sense would expect me to accept. You
now state that by resigning the office
which l hold. / would relieve myself
"of the objection that a majority
of the decent, self-respecting Re
publicans have to supporting Fed
eral officers who are forced upon the
people through bribery. corruption, and
promises of position" My dear Colonel,
this does not apply to me. / am not one
of that kind. And in the numerous Fed
eral offices which you held for twenty
five years, were you forced upon the
people through bribery. corruption, and
promises of position" or were you the
only immaculate mackerel in the whole
Kit? And, holding the opinion of Federal
officers which you express, in the whole
Of conscience, why oh, why, were you
so anxious to secure again the Richmond
post-ofiice? Just here, if you will permit
me. will. like Mr.. Silas Wegg, drop into
poetry as a friend:'
There was an ex-postmaster named Rus
sell.
Who for the post-office did hustle,
Till Postmaster Knight
hnOckeu MIN out III the UBDt,
Hence all this disturbance and hustle.
You say that you believe l am averse
to being a candidate. You are mistaken.
l am not averse to anything by which l
can serve my party, and which my party
demands of me. 1t is true the nomination
was entirely unsought by me, and there
fore the greater compliment, and IL is a
strange irony Of fate that you wanted
the nomination so much and could not
get it, and l could get ii who did not seek
You say you could deal in some refec-
tions on my past life when l was a Demo-
crat, but refrain from personal regard
for me. Much obliged. 1t has been so
long since l was Democrat that / have
very faint recollection of my Demo
cratic career. | suppose that when | was
a Democrat / did as Democrats did, but
have long since repented and hope l
have been forgiven. Since / became
Republican / have always been true to
my party. 1 have never sunk the stand
ard of my Republicanism in order to
curry favor from Democrats. / have
never attempted to ride both sides of
sapling. | have always come up square
to the front. and never essayed the role
Of an artful dodger.
As to any inaccuracy that made in my
letter about your heading the disorgani-
GERS when they rushed into the court
house, ETC., | am very willing 10 accept
your correction. 1t is immaterial wheth
with them, or came i'm after them.
| know nothing about the actions or
certain persons i'm the precinct meetings
in your city, referred to in your letter.
| only know that you and Mr. James
Hayes appeared before the Committee
on Credentials at Hanover Courthouse,
and advocated the cause of your so-called
delegation. and that the committee. after
due elaboration, approved the delegation
from Richmond headed by Mr.. Smith.
n cnnQlIiGiOn / desire |
fully as anxious as yourself 10 see a
united party i'm this district, and If you
are sincere In the expressions you make
of your devotion TO the Republican cause,
YOU are the one that should withdraw,
for / am the nominee of the regular con-
venton and my claim as such has been
approved by the Republican state Com
mittee. Yours very respectfully.
BENJAMIN b. WEISIGER.
LAWN PARTY THIS EVENING.
The lawn party this evening at the resi-
dence of Mr.. w. J.. Porter, No. l20
Cowardin avenue, promises to be most
enjoyable affair.
The plat where the party will be held
is an ideal one for such gathering. 1t
Is a swarded place, level as floor, and
bordered with autumn blooming flowers
An arc light near by affords abundance
of light. but to this will be added tonight
a number of japanese and Chinese Ian
terms, giving new beauty and pictu-
resqueness to the scene.
The ladies of the contradictions
Patteson. Walden, and Gary, and Miss
Hancock-have taken great pains TO have
the refreshments in abundance and of
the best sort.
breaches TO THE DRUIDS.
Rev. w. T. williams. pastor of the
West-End Methodist church, will preach
TO the Druds of Manchester and their
friends. of Richmond. next Sunday after
noon at o'clock. ''Drudism" will be the
subject of the discourse.
The members of the order OF the city
will meet at Toney's Hail. at 1:30 o'clock,
and proceed to the church in body. The
public is also invited to be present.
Mayor Maurice had three tramps be-
fore him yesterday morning. lie gave
them ten days in the city Jail' 10 peat
rocks. The men were taken up by Chief
Lipscomb, in the Atlantic-Coast Line
yards, on Wednesday
HAVE A DEMOCRATIC RALLY.
Congressman John Lamb was in Man
chester yesterday in conference with
Chairman ID. L. Toney, of the City Central
Committee. 1t has now been definitely de-
cided to hold the great Democratic rally
of this campaign on the evening of Octo-
Der Hst at Leader Hall. Captain Lamb
will certainly be present and speak. and
the committee will ask State-Chairman
Hon. J. Taylor Ellyson to give them
another speaker also. 1t is probable that
Hon. john S. Rhea, Kentucky member