Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1847-07-21
The State LOan---W. #. Cooi-
baugil---Ai Unprovoszcd Attack
and AtteEaDfcd safvesSEnn

-
addressed sTo tile Public, q and purportins to be
"aplain statement offacts'' connected with the
discharge of his duties as ageat to effect State
loan; to which he says he has been impelled by
sense of Justice TO his own reputation and
! 10 the Public" IN view Of " certain insinuations
and misstatements CD which have been made
| in late numbers of the public journals at Iowa
City,
We're the character Of this production in
! Keeping with its osTENsIBLE object--a simple
vlndcation of DIR. C's conduct as loan agent
whatever may pc our opinion concerning the
fideiity and ability with which he has discharg-
ed the important trust confded to him, it might
have been permitted to pass unnoticed. He
would have been welcome to all the benefit OF
the Z facts 60" which he has adduced In ex.
tenuation of the unskillhll and inefficient man.
ner, CHEWING it in the most favorable lightly in
which he has discharged that trust. But the
deep seated and ranking malevolence evinced
by the writer towards the editor of this paper.
in which nothing but what was strictly true and
marked by circumspect impartiality has ever
|
instead ofinculpating, has even gone SO far, Gin
the opinion OF many competent judges, much too
lar, as to vindicate the agent from the charges
to which he audes-while he carefully shuns
an issue with the Wing paper at this city, which
did pointedly impugn his motves-too plainly
indicates the existence of deeper, darker and
more dastardly design, and is, to our mind,
| proof conclusive that he is not without his abet-
ters in this most extraordinary and uncalled for
| demonstration of wrath and spleen.
! So far as he alone is concerned, it is difficult
to determine which had the more influence in
| impeIing this individual to seek personal con-
| troversy with us--an overweanng ambition.f for
| NoToRIETY, or consciousness that some such
diversion was necessary in order to proven,
public scrutiny from being directed towards his
conduct as loan agent. Probably both had theil
| weight But he will find this a sorry expedient
While he will be sadly disappointed in his eff.
fort TO merge the whole subject matter relative
to the loan agency in a personal issue with US,
| any notoriety which he may acquire therefrom
will be proof Of very uncnviable character, as
brief and candid recapitulaiion of the circun-
| stances will prove.
The malice Of such on individual must recoiI
upon himself and his endorsers Instead of in
juring the object at which it is aimed, it can only
call down the unmitgated scorn and contempt
of every honorable, high minded man in comInu-
nifty.
Declining, therefore, to take up the gauntlet
which he has thrown down, by entering upon a
general review Of his weak and abortive attempt
at vindication. we will, for the present, confine
oursef to few remarks by way of showing
more clearly that we had given nc occasion for
this violent onslaught, and to a refutation Of
such of his slarderous fabrications with refer
ence to ourself as bear faint resemblance to
truth, from the fact of their being based upon
an actual occuraace, which he has misrepresent-
ed to suit the malignant purpose Of his grovel
ling soul.
five have deserved this TRADE of abuse ct the
hands OF the loan agent, it is not for any thing
which we had said against him, but for underta-
king to APOLOGIZE for his hardness and inefIi-
SiSiE|l II W. were ut lIle tItDc SERIOUSLY
taken'to task by the Standard. The popularity
oil his production, which falsely assumes that we
had charged him with the grossest corruption.
consists in lis novel transpositions of parties.
The agent appears to have placed himself in the
position of the Trainer of the bill. or the WING
House of Representatives, by whom it was orig
mated and dictated to the Senate. What we have
said concerning lis bad and defective features,
he applies TO himself and takes in very high
dudgeon. He attaches by far too much import,
ance to himself; though he may be more closely
Unidentified than we had supposed with the bill
itself, to which the Chairman Of the House
Committee of Ways and Means, connexon
of his, occupies the relation of godfather. In
deed, we had quite forgotten the pains he took
to induce the Legislature to change the law.
Our remarks upon the law could not be made
to apply in any way TO tie agent. except in the
event of bis availing himself of the extraordina-
ry latitude therein allowed him, and proving re-
creant TO his trust. If he discharged the duties
assigned him with fidelity, these remarks would
so TO his credit if dishonesty or ineticiently,
then, anG not otherwise. they would initiate
against him. The public will of course draw
their own inference from the application which
he has seen fit to make Of those remarks.
The only quotation which he makes-and that
by the way, is purposely so CARRIED, as to per-
vert its meaning and give coloring Of excuse
to his Attacks from an article which we wrote
in reply TO one in the Standard, our sole object
in which was to fix the responsibility Of the
odious features of that law where it Justly be-
longs-upon the federal branch of the General
Assembly. If, as Mr.. Coolbaugt intmates, our
exposure Of the glazing deformties of that law
had the effect Of giving form and finish to the
rnmor' of which he speaks, so derogatory to
himself, it was not orr fault, but owing to the
force of circumstances. We have simply done
our duty, and if such be the fact we would not
take one ot nor title from that form and tinish.'
Immediately following the passage which he
quotes from the Reporter, the Standard having
commented pretty freely upon the MOTIVES of
the agent, in an article from which we made an
extract in the same paper, we added: 8: We
cannot balieye; however, that the agent enter
tains any such dishonest design. The inference
is his own; he is welcome to it, see the old