Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1858-07-28
Second Letter from MIR Giddings.
JEFFERSON, July 10th, 1858.

lie JEFFERSON, July 10th, 1858.
ID To the Editors of the Ckronicle-GI
rLEyEN: The substance of your char
was "that 1 voted for a law, giving
e members of Congress six thousand d,
lars for two sessions of some four or Fl
e months each. lin all less than n yea
a valuable library of books, and ext
mileage ad i9fnitum.
THIS constitutes the record which GO
: TO you successors, and TO coming gel
erations. If sir, l have faithfully serve
my country as you represent, it was du
me and the public that such charge
should not be lightly made. If l la
been long in congress. my error mu'
have been far greater than though
had been my first vote. If you felt a
that kindness and respect which 20
profess, you did great injustice to your
self, as well as to me, in your origina
charge, and still greater in your repl,
10 my explanation.
The g;st of your charge was that
had voted for a law enhancing the ex
penses of sustaining Congress. 1 re
piled that / voted for it with the expec'
tation hat it would diminish the expen.
ditures, and then showed that il had &c.
tually saved some two hundred thousand
dollars annually.
This important point is evidenced by
official documents capable Of mathemat-
ical certainty; and l entertained no doubt
that you would frankly admit the error
into which you had uniptentionally fall
en-. Or, if you doubted on this point, l
supposed you would say SO frankly. stat
ing the foundations of your disbelief
But you have done neither. Abandon
ing the original charge, you alledge in
the last of your reply. THAT The increase
pay Of members has not diminished the
general expense Of Gorernment.~ This
was not your original charge. Had it
been, l certainly should not have troub
led you with any explanation. This
genera! expenditure of Government in
cludes the increase of the navy, the in
crease Of the army, the Mormon war
and the war in Kansas. You must have
known that 1 opposed ali these national
crimes 10 the extent of my vote and in
fuence. You must have known they
had no connexion with the law. And |
do not believe you will pretend that they
constitute any excuse whatever for your
You admit that you were in error in
charging that law with giving valuable
Libraries of books to members; but al
edge that each receives a copy of such
'cts and documents as are printed by
hem; a practice absolutely necessary to
egislation. and practised by every State
legislature, and by every Legislative
'ody among civilized men, a practice as
as Congress itself. Now sir, l re
beat, had this been your original charge,
should not have replied to it.
You charged the mileage "ad iptfni-
nm," 10 this law; 1 replied hat it was
established in 1919 and bad been in
orce since that time. This fact you
either admit nor deny; but this stale
first brought forward by our Lo-
oioco friend. Ted, some sixteen years
ince, through a Locofoco paper, and
bandoned by him when explained, is
enewed in your reply. Tod and the
ocofoco press has been and still are sill
Mt. while you renew and then repeat
lie oft refuted charge. l do not think
my duty TO follow you on this point
lrlher than TO refer to my v~indication
sretofore published in your own paper,
lstained by it, and by the people of the
Your allusicn TO officers of Govern. .
ent spending their time at Saratoga !
in stumping for reelection, can
no relation 10 the charge you made,
I'd l leave it to the public to say how
r they apply to me: So. too, of MEM
RS being placed above the people in I
OF wealth. l will only say, that |
lille engaged in my profession 1 saved 7
ore property in n year, than | have |
twenty years service in Congress. !
But you say. "The record of the bri
ny and corruption by which the lie
bill was forced through Con Il
ess, the quarrelling by the members, d
e closing Of the restaurant in the Capt. n
by order of the Vice President, to D
event drunkenness, DC, is a bad com n
snt upon the morals OF the last Con. Il
Ii
Permit me sir, on behalf of my asso- C
ties osay, these imputatious are gross II
erroneous. They go. to falsify the
story Of Gull country. Tie Lecompton n
II was mol passed: There isno record ST
the bribery by which it was forced u
'ough Congress. There was no closing W
oar restaurant, by order of the Vice p;
esident, or by any other officer. He Z
d 20 more control over it than he had "
er those of your borough. Our res
rant never had liquor in it, it wus IL
'er closed. These Misrepresentation e'
S doubtless put forth without intention HI
violence 10 trnth, but they are never. al
less, inexcusable and unjust. \
Very Respectfully, a
j. R. GIDDINGS. vi
EDINBURG MAGAzIYE.-