The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1855-03-24
Head and Front Of the s'Democratic or German
Party" further Examined upon the Merits


M1ssEsorrAS. Well, sir, it appears that you
ask to be set at liberty on the ground that the
foolishness and absurdity of the state
ments and ideas advanced in this letter of yours
to Cutting, far outweigh the disgraceful and
intention you had in writing it,
which must have been to accomplish, If within
your power, the knavish act of placing Mime
sofa before the world in the position Of repu-
diator of solemn obligation-an obligation to
which YOU loaned an official hand to impose up
on her. Are we right! ....
GoRMAN. will say nothing about my inten
ton in writing that lettor. My friends tell me
that all Washington laughed at it, and Rice
and all the Railroad men said it was just the
thing they wanted to convince the Senate Of
all they had charged against me. And as the
Senate soon after reported against annuling the
charter, which report was carried almost unan-
imously the last night Of the session, think
my letter must have had considerable weight
in bringing that result about.
NJ. We do not doubt it. But you remark in
your letter that you and Secretary Rosser both
opposed the charter until it became law
How could it have become law without your
approval?
G. say approved it under protest.
NJ. But you approved it, and thereby bound
the Territory, morally and legally, to carry
out its provisions.
G. Yes, but 1 tn ought could upset thu
whole "kettle of fish, by going on and using
my influence at Washington againt the compa
ny.
NJ. And you got awfaily taken In abou
that.
G. Yes, and l took in all the Democratic
or German party" with me.
NJ. Who compose the Democratic or Cor
nan party?"
G. Myself and my Secretary" (Mr. Rosser.
myself and Mr.:.sibley;" myself and Newson
of the Times myself and Goodrich of the Pi
oneer; myself and DR.. Borup; (Oakes has lef
US and joined Rice,) and myself and the st
Peters Land Company.
N. Are these all?
G.. l believe the democratic or Gormar
party" is now whitfield down to that narrow
limit.
NJ. Why do you by implication, and plair
grammatical construction of certain sentence
in your letter, call Mr.. Rosser your Secreta
ry!
G.. Because he is, to all intents and purpos
es, my secretary. He obeys me with as mucl
willingness and alacrity in all things as doe
my horse or my hired man about my house.
NJ. This is frank and no doubt true. In THU
sense, we have long since been fully convinced
that he is your secretary, and you have per
feet right to call him so. Why do you say il
your letter that the names of yourself and Ros
ser were placed in the charter xx"without your
knowledge or consentw
G.. decline answering that question.
n. 1t is well you do; for we are prepared tc
prove at any moment that your statement in
this particular is not true. What was your mo-
tive in striking o blow at the prosperity of Wi
mona and Southern Minnesota by denouncine
the Transit charter as paper scheme, thai
amounted to nothing for good or for evil?''
G.. Because wish to see Winona and every
other new town in Minnesota kept back unit
St. Peters can get good start. And besides
the Transit Railroad is advocated by w. A
Jones, an editor who does not belong to the
democratic or German party"
NJ. This again is frank and straightforward
But on this head we will turn you over to the
Southern Minnesotians. They are abundantly
able to attend to your case. In due time, they
will "roast you like herring" for your undue
interference against their Railroad prospects
Do you think it was the duty of Messrs. Bayley
Letcher, Fuller, Durham, Stanton and Speaker
Boyd to neglect their business, and run abou
the House to inform members what your posi-
ton was ON this Railroad question?
G.. My standing here. as one of the strong
est pillars of the Administration demanded tina
they should: Particularly Leteher, the con
fidental friend of myself and Secretary -
member who carries out our views by opposing
everything Rice asks for in Congress.
M. That will do. We have no further ques
tions to PROFOUND. You can 60 free upon th'
following grounds: .
LIST. We can find nothing in the Constitution
or Laws of the United States, or the organic
act of this Territory, that forbids a private cit
izen or an officer rendering himself the butt o
rdicule and the laughing-stock of the whole
community, if he SO elects; and if he pursue
a course so obnoxious to the people, that by
opposing good measure it is sure to be sue
cessful, he is certainly deserving of some con
sderation at the hands of those opponents
whom he has thus benefited by his oppos ition
I'd. It was set up in very old crimna
cause, tried once upon time in the city of vi
emma, wherein one Isabella, fair lady, wal
employed for the defense-one of the frs
:.Woman's Rights women" we read of-that {
"man, clothed with little brief authority,
often "piayed such fantastic tricks before high
Heaven as to make the angels weep;" at the
same time, it is averred in the same argument
that over those same Fantastic tricks" were
these angels mortal, they would enjoy mos
hearty guffaw. Il Shakspeare's r., Measure
for Measure, .act 2, See. ~ We are thus led
to believe, from the prisoners own showing
that grave Senators enjoyed a most horse-like
and prolonged laugh over bis very foolish and
very funny letter, and that the minds of all
those not previously made up, came to an in.
slant decision in the premises. Hence, in all
probability, the nearly unanimous vote of the
Senate against the annulment.
The prisoner is discharged on the ground that
he is harmless man, and great and useful
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