The freeman. (Fremont [Ohio]) 1849-1850, 1849-12-01
LOcOfOcoism-again.

waste of time and paper, to show them the. utter
want of truth and honesty on the part of the Loco
foco press in their attacks upon President Taylor
and his Cabinet, but they may think we place al
poor estimate upon their intelligence, to sup
pose that is necessary toproduce proof to salts
isfy them of the fact however, cannot refrain
from giving them another sample of the desperate
strait the opposition have been reduced to, in or
der to misead their readers, and injure the Ad-
ministration.
Bennett, of the New York Herald, has been one
of the foremost of the Locofoco editors to misrep-
resent Gen. Taylor and the Cabinet and has char
ged that Mr.. Clayton, through an agent by the
name Of Geo. w. Brega, attempted to bribe him
to support the administration and offered him, if he
would do SO, the official patronage of the Govern
ment and to make his paper the official organ. To
make stronger this base libel upon Secretary Clay
ton, N. Y. Correspondent of the Ohio Statesman,
probably at the instigation of Bennett, writes the
following to that immaculate sheet:
"Our friends and the Clay wings, who despse
the administration, are laughing series of
letters published yesterday for the first time, in
the Herald, though written in May last. They are
bids from Clayton, through confidential friend,
for the support of the Herald. on any terms to be
named by the independent editor Clayton offers
Mr. Bennett any amount of patronage he may de-
SIRE and that his paper shall be the organ first re-
ceiving the important intelligence the government
has to give, &c. He forshadows the then intended
policy Of the cabinet declaring it TO be the scrub
bing of the second Washington, and the political
annihilaton of the utras-the formation of mod
crate whig party, devoted the cabinet of course.
On the WHOLE these letters are rich, and cannot
fail to fall like bombshel around the ears of the
Octemvirate. They bear out all the Herald has
sad concerning the effort TO brbe its proprietor to
support the cabinet, and especially to puff Clayton.
Now read what this "confdential'' friend has to
say about this charge of bribery" preferred by
Bennett against Mr.. Clayton He comes out and
positively DECLARES that he had no communi-
cation with Clayton, or the least authority from
him to make any proposition to Bennett. We pub
ish his letter in full, that readers may the
last gasp of this poor miserable slander:''
TO THE PUBLIC.
Washington Nov Is, lS49
81 observe in the New York Herald of the 14th
instant garbled publication of letters addressed by
me to the editor of that paper during the last
spring and summer
Those letters which, as published, are full of in
originals in many most important particulars, were
written by me as the confidential friend and agent
of that paper, but without any suggestion, privy
or know dgd of any memberof Gen. Tay lor's Cab
met. They were hastily prepared, in the full con-
fdence that there did not exist on earth man
base enough to publish and pervert them as Mr..
Bennett has done l never had any authority from
any member of General Taylor's Cabinet to offer
the patronage of the Government, any other con-
iFcc RI
ever make such offer, either orally in writing, in
the few interviews had with any member of the
Cabinet, which were always sought by me, and
never by either of them. sometimes conversed
with them as to the policy of the Administration,
but never with view on their part that | should
use or publish their conversation for the purpose
of influencing the Herald in its course, any 9TH
er paper.
paid agent for his private benefit, and sncerly at
the time wished success to his paper. The con-
versations related by Mr. Bennett in the published
letters are falsely reported in that publication, and
| in such manner as to inlure all concerned. l
would never have dared to approached either of
these gentlemen with ii corrupt proposition. was
myself exceedingly anxious as friend of Mr. Ben
nett that the paper should do the administration
justice ;and from the professions and assurances CIV
en- to me by Mr. Bennett, 1 had evey reason to be-
lIeE0 nc give ACSt-
Gus and hearty support For months past have not
been able to see or converse with any member of
the Presidents Cabinet. In the hasty scraws
wrote privately and confidetay to Mr.. Bennett l
gave my loose impressions of the policy of the Ad-
minstration, and many differences which have
proved inaccurate and in which was totally mis-
taken.
| "No member of the Cabinet ever authorized or
requested me ask Mr.. Bennett to write for the Ad-
ministraton, and the statements to this effect as
published by Mr.. Bennett are entirely untrue l
had no conception that these letters of mine would
have ever seen the light in any form. No member
of General Taylor's Cabinet is responsible for one
word contained in them; and so far as they or any
part Of them may be construed as duplicating or
committing any of those gentlemen to any declar-
alton either of policy purpose, Or which can have
the slightest tendency t. picate them, the stlte-
ments are utterly and absolutely false. repeat
that never employed as an agent by any mem
Der of the Cabinet for any purpose. was an en-
tire stranger to them; but the agent of the
New York Herald, and by its editor, James Gordon
Bennett was directed tn give him I'LL the inform
alton could obtain in regard to the policy of the
Administration and its members.
Il think it further my duty to add, that when
spoke to anv member of the Cabinet, of the sup
port of the New York Herald, which had been
assured by Mr.. Bennett would be given to the Ad-
ninistration, each of those gentlemen distinctly de-
clared that they desired the support of no newspa'
per unless the independent convictions ofits editor