Year: 1868

RIrCuIE COURT HOUSE, w. Va,


September 8, 1868.


Editors of the Register:


A short time after the publication of
the appointment made by the Demo
cratic and Conservative committee for
the State for this place, the Radical
State Executive Committee published
their appointments, designating the
same time and place for meeting. See
ing that the two appointments conflict
ed, and desiring to have q joint and
free discussion of the great issues that
now distract and divide the people,
your correspondent, as Chairman of the
Democratic Conservative Committee fer
this county, had posters struck and
posted in ditferent parts of the county,
announcing our appointment and in
yiting the Radical speakers to discus
sion.


Having learned that a discussion
would be declined, claiming that their
appointment was made first, l then
called upon three out Of four Of the
members composing the Radical COM
mittee of this county, asking them to
ioin with us and have free and fair
discussion upon that day. 1t was OBJ
iected that wo had three or fonr speak
ers advertised to speak that they had
an equal number, and that there would
not be time for all to be heard. then
proposed that they might select cne
man and we would select one, and that
these two should do the speaking. This
was on Monday morning. August 81.
They then proposed to give me an an
swer on Saturday, September 3. Having
received no answer upon that day, L al
forwards called upon one of the COM
mittee. who informed ME that they did
not propose to have any discussion.
And Just here, Mr.. Editor, let me say a
few words in reply to an article that ap-
peared in the Richie Press, September
5th, 1868, in refereHce to this subject,
in which that paper refers to the post
ers aforementioned, and says that the
Republican Central Executive Commit
tee, in conjunction with the County
Committee, had provided three distin-
guished speakers to address our people
upon that day, and that said appoint
ment had been announced two or three
weeks before the posting of the posters
aforesaid. He, the Press man, there
fore, concludes that the object was SIM
ply to get the benefit of their crowd.
The editor of the Press exchanges, l
believe, with the REGISTER, and he
then must have seen our appointment
| for the 18th two or three weeks before
theirs, instead of theirs preceding ours
for that length of time. And he fur
ther alleges that no formal arrangement
had been prepared. lam not sure that l
understand what the PreeS man means
by formal arrangement, but l do know
that made the proposition aforesaid
personally as alleged, and as to getting
the benefit of their crowd the Press
man knows that every meeting that we
have held in this county during the
present campaign has exceeded theirs
three to one in point OF numbers. No,
sir, it is not their crowd, as the Press
man terms it, that we want to take ad-
vantage of, but we desire to meet them
in fair, free and joint discussion. We
want every man that votes to vote in
teiligently, but this Radical night
mare that is sitting upon the bosom of
the country does not desire that the hon
est men of their party shall hear both
sides of the question. They know
that the negro doctrine of their
party is repugnant to the moral justice
of the country; that their monied policy
will not bear ventilation to the honest
white laboriug men of cur county
hence their refusal; hence their sly,
sneaking speechifying in different parts
of our county; hence their almost unan-
imous refusal to meet Democratic speak
ers on the stump in every county in the
State. As had stated to different ones
that we would have a joint discussion
here on the 18th, it being the first day
Of our September Court, not believing
that the Radicals would decline the
same, but they having done so, deemed
: it to be my duty to let the people of oul
county and State know the reason why
Yours, &C., C. III. BRowN,
, Chairman of the Democratic Executive


Committee of Ritchie county.