The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-07-12

claimed. Let them call all men, who love lib
erty, justice, and progress, to come out from 90
an Order whose mission is, to infame bigottr,
urge patriotism into prescription, put Naticit-
atty above Philanthropy, create warning castss,
lower the tone of public and private morsa,
and sow dissension and discord among tste
friends of Freedom; and, instead~of laborr g
to reduce the demands of the opponents > u
Slavery, to suit the convenience of this Seci 4
that their demands should be equal to M'T
rights, their platform as high as their cOn: l.
tutional responsibilities.
MIR. HALE AND THE N. Y. EVENING Posr
A gentleman in Maine having called the st.
tention of Mr.. HALE to an editorial in tie
NeW York Eeening Post, assailing his persona
and political character, Mr.. Hale replies in an
article, from which we extract as follows:
"The charges as / understand them, are,
that scarce airy scheme of legislative pillase
has been brought before Congress which did
not receive my support; and when not meth
Der of the Senate allowed myself to be EN-
ployed as a professional borer for projectors
who had designs on the Treasury; also, that /
keep on excellent terms with all who differ
from me in their political views; and, further,
that am joker. If have rightly analysed
| the article, the above are the principal poiats
which it makes against me. They are genesal
in their terms, and admit of only general an-
swer. They imply, if they have any meaning
| at all, that while l was a member of Congress |
was myself corrupt, and that when | ceased to
| ha q m | InSt Of Ger
rupting others. If the article does not mssn
| this it has no meaning.
| 81 deny these charges utterly and totally,.in
general and in detail. No man ever approasyh N
ed me with corrupt proposition, or appeo'ed
| to me with a selfish or personal motive, whik
was a member of either House. Whate, err
votes L gave there, were the result of my hons
est judgment, without the promise, hope, or tx
pectaton, of perso lal advantage to myself; s id
/ can confidently appeal to all the agents 8 i'd
attorneys of the several projects which have
from time to time been before Congress whil2 /
was member, to say if they ever approached
me or thought of approaching me with anysng-
gestion of a motive which did not relate exeyu-
sivey to the public interest.
But it is further alleged, that since h, We
ceased to be o member of the Senate, h. We
| allowed myself to be employed as a protest. n
| al borer for projectors who had designs on he
Treasury. The language is figurative, but es ST.
| ly understood, and requires no circumlocut; on
| to answer it, and / can only do it by an unqpal-
| flied denial. That l have been employed to U.s.
sist in endeavors to influence the action of C;>n-
| gress in several cases of private characters
| do not deny. That have ever made a corrupt
| proposition, or whispered personal motive, TO
| any member of the House or Senate, is untrue.
| The extent of any service / ever rendered, or
was called upon to render, was to put into sae
| hands of those with whom was acquainted .of.
| fetal documents, or printed arguments in ,he
| shape of Congressional speeches, and request
| them to examine the case and read the evidenxe
and if, upon such examination, it comment ed
itself to theif Judgment, to ask them to givf it
their votes. If this is evidence of corrupt N,
then l am corrupt.
"To be brief will say, once for all. tb re
docs not live and there never did, an indvd al
who ever made a corrupt or selfish proposit IN
to me to influence my action as a member of
Congress, nor does there nor did there ever We
| an individual who ever listened to such Or 70.
osition from me. On the subject of perso, al
or official integrity, / invite the scrutiny of Nv
friends, and defy the malice of my enemies
We saw the article in the Euening II st
and thought it unjust to Mr.. Hale. Stril ly
construed, it does not charge him with Cor
ruption, or corrupting others; but it certat ly
conveys this impression. The phrase, "les is
lative pilage," in the creed of the Post, as
a very extensive meaning, embracing ot
SO much fraudulent, as unconstitutional TX
travagant, or unjust, appropriations, 81 ch
as expenditures on Private Monopolies .or
grants of the public domain to railroad CT N
no IN Oh
tons the Post alluded when it arraigned II.
Hale's conduct as Senator. We wish it ad
been more precise in its charges, and at he
same time excluded the impression that lat
gentleman was pre-eminently blamewort n.y.
We are opposed to such expenditures but is
notorious that leading members of both ar
ties have from time to time advocated thu IN.
We regret that our friend, the ex-senator, lid
not signalize himself by rigid adherence to he
policy Of strict construction and econoI w.
Probably, if he had not stood alone in the IN
ate, without responsibility for the expenditu 'es
Of the Government, and without power to
check them, his attention would have b. en
more particularly directed to the subject. As
it is, the Post can find plenty of culprits in sde
party with which it has always acted, who hi We
had both responsibility and power, and yet h. We
wasted millions of the public moneys for sit is
ter or sectional purposes.
We have no desire to screen any member of
Congress from deserved censure but let he
censor be impartial and discriminative. tr.
Hale is not corrupt public man. There is
nothing in his record while Representative or
Senator, to countenance such an imputation
AS to the fact which he admits that, while
out of Congress, he at times used his influence
that of itself implies neither corruption in them
nor in him. If the measure be right, and the
means resorted to in favor of it be honest,
what is there to censure? If it be wrong, or
if the meaps resorted to in favor of it be lis.
honest, exposure and condemnation are dnty.
1t is well known in Washington, that it Is
common practice to secure the services of .x-
members Of Congress in support of public or
private bills, because it is supposed that their
experience in the work of legislation will eba-
BILE them to act effectualy. 1t is obvious lat
such services do not necessarily involve 'or-
ruption, either in the employer or emplo, ed.
The employer may have just claim-the
agent may be fairly employed-the member of
Congress may be honestly addressed. If we
understand it, this alone is the kind of service
II 49, NJ Ill L. l. L.