Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1856-09-25
rrrom the New York Tribune.
,sry..The FalsehOOd
Refmte6.

ach and such absurd libels on Col
at are. circulating in their locailty'
nat they want documents "here"i'h
refate them we cannot help answering
that they take hold of the business exactly
at the wrong end. What they have really
10 40 i TO make their neighbors scquaint-
al With the true character of Col. Fremont,
b;s career, his services, and the estimation
in which he has ever been held by the wise
and good who intimately know him; and
this will preclude all necessity for paying
attention to the petty larceny ISLANDERS with
which his baser adversaries seek to blacken
his reputation. Only let the People see
and know him as he is, and the vipers will
find themselves biting little the sharpest
file that ever jaws were worn upon.
Let us illustrate the character Of these
ibels by few ready illustrations:
The conquest of California from Mexico
was effected by very moderate forces, YET
with very little bloodshed. Col. Fremont
bore most distinguished part in that con
quest-at least, all the cotemporary ac
counts gave him the credit of SO doing
Secretary Marcy's among the rest. We
believe Mr.. Buchanan did not commit him.
self in any public documents; but We are
assured that, when Col. Fremont's Beei
contract was under Investigation before the
Indian Committee of the House, Mr.. Bu-
chanan appeared as witness for Col. Ere
mont before that Committee, and testified
strongly in his favor. If they were not
rival candidates, we believe Mr.. Buchanan
would now gladly appear as conclusive
witness against Col. Fremonts slanderers.
Of course, so large country as Callfor-
mia was not conquered, and could not have
been held, by force so immensely infer
ior in numbers as were its American con,
querors to the hostile Mexican authorities
soldiers and people, but by the manifesto.
ton of extraordinary activity as well as
courage. Our little force there in 1861
had to be multiplied many-fold by rapid
movements from point to point, and by
suddenly appearing when and where twas
least expected. Thus Col Fremoet, whom
Com. Stockton, after the conquest appoin-
ted its Governor, was at one time obliged
TO ride, at the head of one hundred mount
ed men, over four hundred miles-that is,
from Los Angeles to Monterey-in four
days, to meet an apprehended attack, and
back again in the same time-a feat which
old Californians pronounced unequaled in
that country, where horsemanship has been
carried to its perfection. But the march
could not have been made wi h ,ut repeatedly
changing horses, which was effected by
driving into rancho or cattle estate, un-
saddliny and turning loose the tired and
painting beasts, putting their equipments
Instantly on as many fresh animals, and
squirting headlong forward. Of course, the
owners of the horses in due time presented
claims against the Government, which a
Military Commission scrutinized and either
allowed, cut down or rejected; and some
of these-Gen. Valiejos for one-have
since been paid by Congress, while Others
have not But they all figure-not mere
ly the amount paid or allowed, but the
amount merely ctained-in the newspaper
demonstrations of Col. Fremont's prodi-
gality or dishonesty as Governor of Califor-
ma,
Take one instance. Col Fremont deem
ed it necessary to head party of his force
and cross The bay of San Francisco to cap
ture Mexican fort and spike the heavy
cannon mounted thereon; for, though the
fort proved at the time to be scarcely oe-
cupied, it would have become exceedingly
formidable and annoying if hundred or
more Mexicans, who had not then been
dispossessed of the country, had seen fit
to throw themselves into it. But, Col. +.
had no boats into which 10 make the pas
sage, and was obliged to borrow those ofan
American merchant ship then lying in the
bay. The captain lent and manned his
boat or boats, himself steering and his men
rowing; and Col. F., who had no money
wherewith to pay, certified that the service
was rendered, and that it was valuable, but
set no price on it. The captain claimed
ten thousand pollars; the Commission al
lowed him fifty dollars; and even this, we
are confident, has never been paid. No
matter-the $4,000 figure, large as life,
on various statements afoat intended to
convict Col Fremont of prodigality or dis
honesty in California!
Probably most of our readers have seer
or heard something about the ''six hundred
COWS" which Col F. is said to have pur-
chased on Government account in Callfor-
mia, but to have turned over to a ranchero
to breed on shares for his own profit. We
have met this libel in some dozen or more
Pro-Slayery journals, not one of which gives
the least hint of the fact that the Federal
Government never paid, and is not reqadr-
ed to pay, one cent for those cOws. The
facas in the case ae briefly these:
Col. Fremont, while Governor of Califor-
MIA, did contract with stock-grower for
six hundred COWS at $40 per head, for the
public service. As they were not immedi-
ately needed, they were left with ranchero
or herdsman till they should be wanted
on the usual terms-half the increase to
the owner and the balance to the herdsnan.
Col F. gave an order or obligation as Gov
ernor for the price-s6,OOO. But he was
soon superseded by personal enemy who
repudiated the contract, and the seller took
his COWS back again-and was doubtless
glad enough to do SO, as the discovery of
the mines about this time sent up the price
of cattle in California at least two hundred
per cent. Had Col. Fremont's contract
been ratified by his successor, and the cows
left to breed on shares and only taken for
the public service as required, we have no
doubt that the Treasury would have been
$4,000 better for it this day.
The Hon. Willis A German, NJ. C. from
Ipd;ono now nouocrofic Goyarnor &c Nj,