The Columbian fountain., 1846-02-09

of men equally reckless Of moral obligation.
But for the mystery which attended Mr.
Coughs disappearance last September, and
the condition in which he was finally dis
covered, it never could have been necessary
for him to notice the sanders ofsuch prints
but under the circumstances, he has pro-
badly acted most judiciously, in meeting
their charges, and showing, by unexceptlon-
able testimony, how false, absurd and mali
cious they are. In our opinion, he has done
this trumphantly, and turned the tables COM
pletely upon his slanderers. Of course, they
will continue their attacks as before--but
we submit to the candid public, that Mr..
Cough, having clearly convicted his libel
lers of falsehood and malice, ought not to
be required to follow up all their petty as
saults by specific denials, or to take any
further notice Of them, except to bring them
before jury Of twelve impartial men, for
their assaults upon his character.
One thing more. Sofar, Mr.. Cough has
succeeded in vindicating his character from
the aspersions OF his enemies. He has clear
| ly convicted his assalants, out Of their own
mouths, too, Of falsehood and duplicity. So
far, he stands before the world as an injured
and prosecuted man. He may be guilty, but
no credible testimony has yet been produced
to prove that he is is so. Ought he not, then
to be considered innocent, and to be treated
as an innocent person. So we think-and
we hope that the friends Of temperance will
rally around him, and give him their sym
pathy, and strengthen him by their conf
dence. He has been lecturing with great
success in Boston and vicinity-we hop-
that he may be invited to other fields, and
have as many applications to lecture in be
half Of the cause to which he is devoted, as
his strength will permit him to accept. Of
course, the rum-party will attempt to de-
stroy him-let the friends of temperance,
satisfying themselves Of his worthiness, be
as jealous to sustain him, and all will be
we'll
SrThe foregoing we clip from the Char
ter Oak, as expressive Of our own views
and feelings respecting Mr.. Cough. But
though Mr.. G. has escaped from those who
attempted his ruin-escaped like bird
from the snare of the fowler--we perceive
by the Police Gazette Of this very date, that
still another effort is making to hush his
earnest and manly pleadings in behalf Of
temperance, by an Individual named Ben
jamn F. Goodhue, from our sister city,
New -London-an individual least of all
the proper one to publicly condemn the ir-
regularities Of j. B. Cough, or indeed Of
any other person living or dead. We do
not care TO speak i'll of Mr.. Goodhue, but
a sense Of duty compels to say, to the end
that no person shall be led to look with
dstrust upon Mr.. Coughs statement on ac-
count Of any thing he may say, that here in
Norwich, in New-London, and this part Of
Connecticut where he is well known, the
confidence Of the people in Cough is not a
whit lessened by Goodhue's flaming expo
sure. However guilty Mr.. Cough may be,
of one thing we are sure-Mr. Goodhue is
not the man to condemn him. If one-half
the pains had been taken to expose his ras-
cality that has been taken to ruin Mr..
Cough, long before this, and perhaps long
before IL had taken place, his name would
have been stencil in the nostrls of the
entire community.
In his crusade against Cough, Mr.. Good
hue has found II eet associates in the editors
Of the Police Gazeite-one of whom is
state-prison bird, and the other 1--WE have
both facts from gentlemen who know the
two Individually most notorious drunk
ard.
1t pains us to thus speak of any person,
particularly of one who has been fellow
aborer in the glorious temperance cause !;
but we cannot in justice TO an injured per-
son keep silent. We do believe Mr.. Cough
70 be an injured man; but if he remain
true to himself and the cause, though wick
&c men and even satan himself may desire
to sift him as wheat, all the powers Of hell
shall not prevail against him. Let him
pursue the even tenor Of his way, doing
good as he has opportunity, and trusting in
Cod He's sure enough in the crucible /;
but be need have no fear-being pure me-
tai be may defy its power.
This much we say as matter of duty
bus we say it willingly. And surely the
opponents of temperance will give US Gre
dit for sincerity when we state that Mr..
Cough is no personal friend of ours-that
we never exchanged word with him in
the world--but, on the contrary, he has
given people to understand that he look
with almost extraordinary contempt on our
| dear self and paper But we care about as