Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1849-1856, 1851-03-27

| Wnigj ana representing one of the
strongest Wing towns in the State, vot-
ed for General James for Senator, on
the final ballot in Grand Committee
For thus doing, he found himself de-
nounced, the next morning, in the Prov
idence Journal. as having been guilty
Of base "treachery" 10 his party. The
Newport News, published in his own
town. instead of defending him from
the assault, also took up cudgeIs against
him, and charged him. and the other
Wings who accompanied him in The
treason, with having basely deserted
the standard of the party, in the hour of
trial-as corrupt in principle and as
unfit for any public station. On return
ing to his constituents, after the session
OF the Assembly was closed he found
tie same state OF things which the open
attacks of the News had led him to fear.
He was looked upon by nine-tenlhs OF
his old political friends as traitor and
was 80 denounced by those whom he
had betraye%. OF course his position
was not the most comfortable.
Writhng under tn, ashes Of his old
friends ; openly charged with being, and
fu ly proved to he, deserTer from the
Wing organization and feeling, every
day more intensely, the wretchedness
OF his situation, he finally comes forward
in his own defense, and attempts to JUS
tliy his vote in the Grand Committee
He seeks an agreeable opportunity to
do so. He watches Tor the absence Of
General James, and when that gentle
man has been two days tiom the city,
with the intention of Wis ting n distant
section OF The country, he opens his bat
teries. He fires two shots ) the first,
his own assertion Of General Jamcs's
politics-the other, a letter from t;ener-
al James TO William Sprague. If the
trst-hls mere assertion that General
James is Whig-that he told HIM SO,
we shall take little notice. We want
some better evidence, in a case Of this
kind than the testimony Of the interest
ed parIy-the criminal, convlctca 10y his
own ncIghbors and friends, of treason
10 them and to his pariy--the man
who is denounced rs corrupt and as a
traitor IN his own party organ, III his
own town. We deny that such tesiI-
mony is proper evidence in this case /;
and we point to the fact that only this
kind Of evidence is offered to make Out
General James a Wing, us showing con
cluslvely that the cause 1t is used III, Is
nopclcssly rotten. Mr.. John Holden
WAS HE first ol the traitor witnesses -
Mr.. Finch is the last. MIR. Holden, we
are crcdlbly informed, told ii Wing
member Of the Assembly, on the very
morning Of General Jamcs's election,
that he knew Ot no movement u elect
him, and rldiculed the Idca OF his re-
celving Wniy support. lhe NIX day
he found himself denounced in the
Journal as one OF the traiIors /; an MeA
he made the discovery that General
James had been "a Wig Tor ten years"
What is such testimony worth, when
placed against Tie admitted fact that
Gen. James has always been known ANA
regarded AS a Democrat that the Wing
editors down to the unID when llus
treason was charged, Md always adj
mittcd him to be SUCH " hat Il the
testimony Of Mr.. Finch worth, when
given IN nearly the same words, ,-hlnI-
sell resting under the same char9r ui
treason to his friends, w hen weighed
against the same undispuled facts =
Is il not " orth remarking that we get
only this sort Of testimony, from these
CONVICTED deserters, in support OF the
assertion that General James is Il
Whig?
But we glance step farther-at the
letter to Governor Sprague. Here is
the letter itself, as given by Mr.. Finch:
Hon. VIM. SPRAGUE:
Dear Slr-ln reply to your inquiries,
permit me to say am in favor of The
leading Wing measures, and particu-
larly that OF tariff that shall afford
ample protection 10 the manufacturing
interests and labor of the country, and II
elected to the office OF U. 5. Senator,
will cordially ose my efforts TO sustain
them.
Respectfully ana truly yours,
CHARLES Il. JAMES.
Providence, Jan. 30, 1851.
The reader may well entertain doubt
of the genuineness OF this letter, from
the reading of the Journal. IL has all
the appearance, in the manner Of lis
publication and from the circumstances
surrounding It's history, Of being IL false
production. The editor OF the Journal
has had the original in his possession,
but mysteriously iorgets to say that this
is a true copy and we cannot help re-
mcmbering that il IS not what has all
along been shadowed forth as the terri
bile thing that should some day spring
upon and devour us. We have seen
what purpor,ed to be "A copy OF the
orignal-a copy on which one Wing
member said he based his vote for Gen
cral James hut it did not read like
this. IL be Ter dnsuered The Wig pHr.
pose. IL more resembcd what the Jour
nal has hall "A dozen times repeated as
the substance ol the origlnIl. But we
will take il Tor granted that this Is the
true document the document which
we have several times intlniatcd Il de-
sire To see, "but which IL was not con-
veni, nj to publish until General James
had lett the city for the South and
West" la this letter, General james
says he is in favor OF the "icadlng Wing
measures" What measures are here
neuItl Where Is the letter TO which
this is in reply, or what was the under
standing between Mr.. Spraguc and
General James, as To "Ieading" meas
urcs which is here implied One of
the measures is mentioned tariil
that shall afford ample proicc ton 10 the
manufacturing interests and labor OF
the country" We have once stated
= Al a.