Year: 1873

VOL. XIV.


than mere "livery"- "-wearers. They may
swarm like flies about the sugar-coatcd heels
of patronage; they may scent the tracks OF
power. and follow them as hounds do the
hunted fox; they may claim TO be the only
and peculiar friends Of Grants Administra-
tiou; but all this does not make them Rcpub-
licans, or give them right to our allegiance.
Their friendship is no strength to General
Grant. Their party survives through his
administration, not the Administration
through their party. The Virginia Repub-
iicanS haze annoyed him more than have the
Republicans of all the North combined.
Their party is dead weight upon the Ad-
ministra'ion. While it exists, it prevents the
growth of better. purer, stronger, and more
capable party. If it was out OF the way,
another party friendly to the Administration
and more fully representing the people of
Virginia would take its place. This Is the
party we must look for and work for: the
party that Is to come up in Virginia the
party that the people will build; the child of
their confidence; full Of good will, and a
giant in capacity.


TO make this possible we must smash the
Hughes party, that stands in its way. When
this is done. and done by our help, the peo.
pie will understand that we old-time Repub-
licans are not their enemies. Every vote we
cast with them, every act we do for them,
and every word we speak for them, will be
so many pledges Of our good will. We owe
them these pledges, these proofs, that we
are not hidc-bound in the past. We owe
them convincing evidence that we are not
voting against them and their interests be-
cause we wore the :" blue" and they wore
the gray" in the days when true men
looked on the calanties Of Virginia through
tears that froze as they fell on their hearts.
THE HUGHES PARTY Is NOT THE PARTY OF THE


UNION


any more than it is the party 70 which we
belonged as Republicans. Take that party
from its intelligent and talented leaders to
the most ignorant and stupid of its follow
erS, emitting its northern members. there
will not be left one thousand men who did
anything for the Union during the war.
This applies to black and white alike. If
you want to find the original and uncondi-
tiona Virginia scce>sioniStS of 1861 you will
have to 60 into the Hughes party to find a
great part of them. AS for the negroes,
none OF them who did not so into our lines
either by choice or compulsion can lay any
more claim to the title Of UnioniSt than
Colonel Hughes can. So far rs they knew no V
they were against us. The ignorant ones,
who believed they would be sold 10 Cuba
by the Yankees. prayed as hard against us rs
their masters fought Many Others, who were
more intelligent. stayed and Joined them.
All Of them who stayed here dug trenches,
hoed corn. or BACKED boots for the fighters :;
and when we were defeated the blacks were
no+ hindermO>t running through your streets
Shouting. Didn't we give the d. q Yankees
h-ll." In the sense that We understood 1t,
there was no party OF the Union III virgil
ua-neithcr black nor white. The ntcc-
ton WAS on them all. Colonel Hughes had
il Is bud is any and if he did nothing to
spread the infection he did nothing to stay it.
80 it was before the war. So 1t was during
the war. When our armies were routed he
was loud in his hOSannaS. When the south
crn army was defeated he was shroudcd III
mourning. He was heart and soul with the
people of the South. The full power and
brilliance of his genius was concen-
trated in its support. Then. in the dark
DAYS, when the Union needed help, he was
with those who lie now says were trying TO
destroy it. Ii this was being for the Union,
there were none against it. In this he was
neither better nor worse than others. He
believed in the right OF secession. Some
NAV still believe in it as an abstract right.
They doubtless do. But Us to the unwisdom,
and impracticabilty of attempt
ing to enforce the right all men agree. This is


GOOD PRACTICAL USIoHIsM.


Why should we care for the reason if the
result is the same! One man believes III the
unity of the nation as sentiment; another,
that division imperils republican govern
mcnt; Il third, that the banks of the great
western rivers should never he foreign ter
ritory fourth, that disunion is impossible.
The conclusion of all is the same-an undis-
turbed Union. This is a true Union sentl-
ment. If, then, from any cause or reason
we all favor the Union, rs all men now DO III
Virginia, we are all of the great Union
prty-Gencral kemper and his friends as
much as Colonel Hughes and his friends.
And Colonel Hughes has no special claims
on us growing out of his superior service to
the Union. Ii


THE HUGHES PARTY ARE NOT ENTITLED TO OUR


SUPPORT





their claims for the present: What policy
do they propose on the important subject Of
our State debt? Are they for high taxes, or
low taxes. or no taxes: How do they
propose to levy and collect them? What
financial scheme do they propose as 4
betterment to the present? Are they for
mixed schools or against them: Are they
for mixing races in the hotels or against ii !?
Take any or all of the questions about which
there are differences Of opinion, and what
do they propose? Where do they stand 7
What will they do? AS to freedom and the
franchise, there is no longer question.
About the canal we are all agreed. Capital
and emigration we all desire. 1t is not the
things upon which we all agree that need
disturb us. 1t is rather those things upon
which many differ. 1t they want our votes
thcy must tell lis what they will DO ana
what they will not do if they succeed. The
next four years will be as important to the
State rs any like period in her history. Shall
we pass these important years over TO men
who propose nothing and who promise no.
thing: If we do so, on what grounds shalt
we do il? Shall we do it because Colonei
Hughes tells Us we northerners have been
..brutally treated" by the native citizens OF
Virginia. Shall we do it because our heated
passions so urge. us? or shall we do it be-
cause we believe in their superior capacity
to solve the future and wisely settle the manly
questions about which most Of us scarcely
know what we do want! There are dIh-
cuties-grare ditfculties-surrounding all
these questions, and only the highest and
keenest perception can pick out the safe way
among so many pitfalls. II this be true, why
should we trust the party possessing the
least amount of intelligence to do this work
It would be fatal blunder. Let them be
ever so wise and ever so honest, they are