Washington sentinel., 1853-10-20
ampurtant CORRESPONDENCE.
From Mr. Charles O'Conor, United States
District Attorney.
A REPLY TO THE "uSIoN.n

The Washington Union, in its assumed char
acter OF government organ, gave to the public,
on the 9th ultimo, an elaborate article, censur-
ing the course of Judge Bronson and myself
IN withholding our support from the second
State ticket recently nominated at Syracuse.
1t alleges that, in respect to appointments In
this State, the general administration had adopt
ed the policy of dividing the offices in its gift
between the freesoilers of '4S and the demo
Gratis of that period, "as mode of obliterating
all past schisms and divisions Of the party" and
that Judge Bronson and myself, knowing this
fact, had accepted the offices rendered to US
under an implied promise that we would give
our Influence and cooperation in promoting
the success of that policy. 1t asserts, also, that
a political connection existed between us and
| the leaders of the late freesoil faction, /" from
which we are enjoying high official honors and
benefits" sarcastically observing, in this con-
nection, how scrupulously conscientious we
snow are in refusing to continue the associa-
ton.
Stripped Of the verbosity in which, for un-
worthy purposes, the writer has clothed his out
givings, the charge fairly and distinctly stated
| is, that fraudulently concealing our sentiments,
and impliedly promising to aid the policy indi-
Gated, we led the President to entrust us with
office, and that having by this dishonest arti-
flee secured a portion Of the "spoils,' we are
now betraying his confidence.
Studiously insulting in its tone, replete with
falsehoods, unsupported by even shadow of
plausibility, and deeply inculpatory this arti-
Gle is, it would have gone down to merited OBJ
livion, along with4the many anonymous lbels
of the day, wholly unnoticed and unanswered
by me, had no higher or better authority been
vouched for its statements The paper, it is
i trua flo IN ha tha IF tha -.
but it has never advanced that claim, except in
circuitous and argumentative form; it has
never ventured directly to assert that it spoke
by his authority, and as | knew that it was not
/ his organ, felt free to treat it as the hirelng
of a nameless libeller.
| Subsequent events, however, have impaired
to this charge complexion which may Justify
me in giving it this public refutation. A letter
from the Hon. the Secretary of the Treasury,
| to Green G. Bronson, esq, collector of this
port bearing date the Sd instant, transmitted
to him and other officers, and promulgated in
the Union for general information, is now be-
fore the public, commanding, as it Justly de-
serves almost universal attention. That letter
contains expressions which are generally un-
derstood as in some measure, verifying the
charge in question, and which, if read with no
more than ordinary attention, would be likely
/ so to impress even the most intelligent reader.
Considering the high authority from which the
letter emanates, it cannot be expected that
! should be so regardless of my good name as to
| lie still under the general belief Of my fellow
citizens, that it confirmed the charge put forth
by the Union, especially as the honorable signer
could not possibly have intended so to be un-
derstood
| will, therefore, show, in the first place, that
/ the Hon. Secretary has borne no testimony in
support of the charge; and secondly, that the
charge itself is false and calumnious.
| The Hon. Secretary says to Judge Bronson !:
You are aware that TO the principles of the
Baltimore convention, and the policy intimated in
the inaugural address, the President and his CON
stitutonal advisers stand pledged before the world
They have been and united man upon
these principles and that policy and had reason to
believe that ALL gentlemen, who consented TO ac-
cept Office under the administration, stood pledged
to the same principles and policy
The letter then proceeds to state, in the pres
ent tense that the administration recognizes, as
4 existing in this State, distinct sections of the
democratic party, and desires Judge Bronson to
do justice to one of those sections by also re-
cognizing it, and allowing it a share in his dis
| tribution of the custom-house appointments.
1t states that Judge Bronson has not hitherto
acted on this principle, and has made the ap-
pointments generally from his own section. 1t
further speaks in the following words:
Gas the President understands the principles
avowed as the platform Of the party at Baltimore,
all democrats who joined in uphoding and carry
| ing out the same were entitled to be recognised as
| worthy of the confidence of the united party, and
consequently eligible TO official station.
That all could not obtain Office was manifest,
and that the distribution could not be exactly equal
amongst the different sections Of the party was
equally certain. Yet the distribution was intended
to be so made as to give Just cause of complaint TO
no one section and believed that this intention
has been carried out, not only by the President
himself but by most OF his appointees, in respect TO
the Offices under the latter"
The quotation first above made, from the Hon.
Secretary's letter, when read in connection with
what follows concerning appointments, opinions
as to the import of the Baltimore platform, and
the intentions of the administration, might very
well, on casual reading, appear to verify the
charge in question; but careful perusal and
scrutiny will satisfy any one that it only asserts
what no one would think of denying. e., that
the appointees of the President were, by the
very act Of acceptance, pledged to support the
principles and policy indicated in the Baltimore
! platform and in the inaugural address. The
letter does not assert that either to Judge Bron-
son or to any other appointee Of the admins
tratIon, 1T was ever, In any way or shape, init
mated before his acceptance that he was ex-
pected to recognise distinct sections of the party
or any section of the party, either in appoint
ments under him or otherwise. 1t does not as
sert that any one impaired to Judge Bronson,
or to any other appointee of the government,
the fact that there existed in the State of New
York, or elsewhere, distinct Sections" "por-
tons" factions, or divisions of the democratic
party, which it was the policy Of the admins
tration to recognise in its immediate appoint
ments, or to require to be recognized by its ap-
pointees; neither, to use the language of the
Unions anonymous article, does this letter as
sert, as that article does, that Judge Bronson,
or any other appointee Of the government ac-
c,epted office under any pledge, promise, or un-
derstsnding, express or implied, that he would
give his influence and cooperation in "promot-
ing the success of any such policy, or, indeed,
upon any understanding whatever in respect to
the comforting of Offices" Nothing of the kind
could have been asserted with truth, as it re-
spects Judge Bronson or myself; and as it
neither IS asserted nor could have been truly
1 nua :. =. IL