The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-12-07
v Dice Of the People


Praises tmbIcr's "Ihonas ni,chic."
To the Editor OF The Times dispatch:
Sir LIN tho Times Dispatch ot De.
ccmbcr read "a review of Dr Charles
~. .\mblcrs recently published hook.
"rhonHs Ilitch!c.' written VS. pr. LYON
O. TYLER ~ which thiull mat full
justice has boon hardly done the book
reviewed. Such a skilled hand as Or
'"NIcr could ~. wcll turn out anything
not able and acute. hut The review fails
to reveal tn. merits OF one OF tho
most imports't works on tile history
OF Virginia that has ever appeared !
should like remedy this omission
- Z. hri-f space for the benefit Of thu
general reader Interested ina history.
rather than of TIA" technical student
Thc modest titie OF :; bin2rarhy o.
q man almosr forgotten uow should
not blind us 30 the importanco ol this
boob it is both q political history ana
a revelation Of the power OF the press
In the first half OF tho nineteenth cen
fury. when the nichmrnd tuqutcr
actually Influenced the opinions ard
votes Of thousands OF men. ;uud had =
Ritchi" was one OF those mon $50 air
ncult to size M. like Father Joseph.
q ''1pwcr behind the throne II, hold
no oftc, s. but he hnd much 10 do With
turning the POLITICAL Who'L aud the
history Of our country cannot bc writ
ton until tn" lives ANA activities OF
such workers behind the scenes have
been studied.
The hali-celtury OF I;itchios career
as editor Of the famous Kichmoud En-
Quircy is an ideal pee on Wh!ch To
hang a detailed study Of Virginia poli-
tics in relation with tho Federal GOV.
crnmcut for that period i'm TIA" life
tho state about which lcUst has boa
written. Dv Anbl"r rs rcall!
pioneer, both IL tho icld of state md
American history. for hc Las success
fully presented the type Of inau hcr.to-
fore almost altogether oVerioo>o' ~
The general historians, the politician
limited TO single stat" and lever
thelcss OF great Importance ~ F'u-
cral affairs
As matter Of fact tho histories Of
tho United states, so-calicd, @c ut'I"
more than histories Of the presidents
and Congress. they miss tlHt inter
play Of forces between safes and
sections. political and business, "hlch
alone gives Significance TO the dolnSs
at Washington America history
writing is about on par WIN
Egvptian art: one viii remember that
In Egyptian pictures thTe is nat
ness Of surface, which destroys INC
whole perspective; so in American ms
tory books there is a fatness du" TO
Tho oXarrcration Of TN formal trans
actions Of Congress, throwing cNclS
thing out OF proportOn; an obscure
CONGRESSMAN receives moro ho'yS 'h"'
Tho master OF a great state. aS Hitchic
almost was at times. In the histories
of Tho United State. Virginia disap
pears after 1895. tba end of Nonroc's
second term like AN UNDERGROUND
river. to emerge h 1889 with John
Brown: for thirty-ivc years the state.
according 10 the usual histories. might
as wen have hccI Il settlement Ola the
| far side Of Sahart |, is Just TINS los,
| cra this period in the !!'e "l Ni'-
rinia about which tho average man
| Knows nothing that IN, Amber, 10y
/ labor and scholarship. has i''"nS'ru''-
ed In his book | learned 20 my sur
/ prise ,hat tho Did Dominion had played
! "A msot impor ant part III tn" dcstuicS
| OF the United states All alont:.
This ignoring OF Virginia i'm tho his
! tories after 1925 Is largely due TO the
/ rctrospcctiv, tendencies of modern his
! torians. wlo write of "uatioual' his
/ tory, Forgetting that tho United states
were not nation, but loose corfcd
/ Grafton, ciaI~&cinc at i"nGth into tue
/ dual natpnaiitv OF North and South.
/ and only Incoming in tho end and by
/ the decision OF the SuprcmeSt court or
/ appeals, war. the nation of our times
/ That tn. history Of the United States
/ is not the annals of Washington city.
! hut the story Of tho combinations Of
/ politician. IN various states. Thomas
; Eitchio' shows moro CopVin"inliy than
Z any boot | know of Thc key 20 the
/ attitudc OF Virginia u the Jacksouiau
era IL not TO la found in the Con.
! grcsS.unal Record. but in the alliance
! formed between Martin Van Eurcn and
! Ritchif and his coadjutorsi by which