In 1868, Lee's ally Alexander H. H. Stuart drafted a public letter of endorsement for the Democratic Party's presidential campaign, in which Horatio Seymour ran against Lee's old foe Republican Grant. Lee signed it along with thirty-one other ex-Confederates. The Democratic campaign, eager to publicize the endorsement, published the statement widely in newspapers.. Their letter claimed paternalistic concern for the welfare of freed Southern blacks, stating that "The idea that the Southern people are hostile to the negroes and would oppress them, if it were in their power to do so, is entirely unfounded. They have grown up in our midst, and we have been accustomed from childhood to look upon them with kindness.". However, it also called for the restoration of white political rule, arguing that "It is true that the people of the South, in common with a large majority of the people of the North and West, are, for obvious reasons, inflexibly opposed to any system of laws that would place the political power of the country in the hands of the negro race. But this opposition springs from no feeling of enmity, but from a deep-seated conviction that, at present, the negroes have neither the intelligence nor the other qualifications which are necessary to make them safe depositories of political power.".
In 1868 Lee's ally Alexander H H Stuart drafted a public letter of endorsement for the Democratic Party's presidential campaign in which Horatio Seymour ran against Lee's old foe Republican Grant Lee signed it along with thirty-one other ex-Confederates The Democratic campaign eager to publicize the endorsement published the statement widely in newspapers Their letter claimed paternalistic concern for the welfare of freed Southern blacks stating that "The idea that the Southern people are hostile to the negroes and would oppress them if it were in their power to do so is entirely unfounded They have grown up in our midst and we have been accustomed from childhood to look upon them with kindness" However it also called for the restoration of white political rule arguing that "It is true that the people of the South in common with a large majority of the people of the North and West are for obvious reasons inflexibly opposed to any system of laws that would place the political power of the country in the hands of the negro race But this opposition springs from no feeling of enmity but from a deep-seated conviction that at present the negroes have neither the intelligence nor the other qualifications which are necessary to make them safe depositories of political power"