The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1854-07-26
Fron ,he A.hesills Spectator.
Letter from the Hon. John Baxter.

Ma. EpIroR: I received under the
frank ef the Hon. Geo. 4. Badger yes-
terday. from Washington. a pamphlet
purporting TO be letter from Gen. Ed
ney, 10 President Fillmore, bearing
date the Sd Of February. 1855. The
object Of this letter seems 20 have been,
to remove from the Presidents mind
all unfavoable impressions created by
the publication Of his letter of the 22d
Of September preceding. and address.
ed to Col. Fagg. in which he suggested
to the latter. that BY supporting Mr..
Clingman for the u. s. Senate. as a
member Of the Legislature, the latter
would procure him an appointment to
/ some lucrative Office under the Fede-
raj Government. or open the way for
/ his election 10 Congress from this Dis
trict; and by way Of impressing Col.
Fagg with the importance Of this sug-
gestion. he informs him that Mr.. Cling
man held such position in politics as
to render him Of equal service whether
Gen. Scott or Gen. Pierce were elect
ed. His defence, now for the first time
made public, does not deny the author>
ship Of the "Fagg letter." nor insist
upon its propriety, but complains Of its
publication. In these complaints he
travels out Of the question and confess.
es generally his own intrigues. in which
several other gentlemen are involved.
Among his sweeping charges il is al
legged, that "Col. Baxter, as soon as
met him in Raleigh. asked me to his
room, and made the most ample apollo
gy he could for publishing it, and said
that he regretted it more than any act
OF his life. and that after he had sent
it to the office, he reflected a moment
and saw the impropriety Of it, and
went aud made an effort to recover it
and prevent it's publication, but was
too late" In this sentence there is not
word Of truth (; aud il the existence
Of this statement had been known to
me before, il would have met, as it now
does, with prompt denial. Indeed,
with those acquainted with the facts,
denial is unnecessary. The false.
hood is manifest upon the statement
itself.
On Sunday evening before the Lee
gis!aturc convened ia October, 1889,
Mr.. Clingman handed the letter refer
red to, u,lseaiedand unenpeloped, to Col.
Fagg, remarking at the time that che
did not know its contents" A few days
afterwards, in conversation with Col.
Fagg, he referred to said letter and again
said, che did not know its contents"
The contents of this letter, the manner
OF its delivery, and the protestations Of
MIR. Clingman as to his ignorance Of
its contents, were communicated to
myself and few confidential friends
by Col. Fagg. In justice to him | will
say, that he was indignant at the insult,
and remarked that there had been no
previous relations existing betweenhim.
sell and Gen. Edney, authorizing such
communication, and that at the right
time he sDo,tid make nteH upon the par
! ties concerned" The letter being O.
pen and Mr.. Clingman's protesting his
innocence Of all knowledge Of its con-
tents before he was charged, and other
incidents connected with it, induced
myself and others to believe that if not
written at his instance, its contents
we're known to and sanctioned by him
that he stood fully identified with
the movement and was responsible for
it. Under this conviction, and to ex-
pose what he regarded as corrupt at.
tempt to influence the election Of a Sc.
nator, | wrote for publication a com
muniCation stating, among other things,
that such letter had been delivered
by Mr.. Clingman. The name Of the
author was not given, nor was it my
intention to give it, for i never sup
/ posed that Mr.. Clingman would hazard
adenial Of fact, the evidence of which
!, was SO accessible to me. He did SO,
however, in these words: "That letter
lmeaning my communication as far as
its statements are calculated to injure
hO " atC III Wty tCoptIt Wutcftut, 70 y
tissue of falsehoods from beginning to
end" BY this denial an issue of We
racity was made and bad to be met.
The writer expected, no doubt, that il
would be met by combat, and that he
would, in this way. escape the e1pose
that awaited him, but chose rather to
meet it with proof that fixed the false
hood where it belonged and where it
still remains. By publishing the letter
Itself, and the certificates of gentlemen
sustaining the other facts alleged.
Soon after its publication, Gen. Ed
ney visited Raleigh on his way to
Washington, having been summoned
there, as understood, to defend him-
self against grave charges Of another
and different character. While at Ra.
leigh he uolumtariiy called on me, and in
conversation referred to the publication
of his letter to Col. Fagg. In reply,