The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1859-02-03

Special Dispatch to N. Y. Times, douglas organ
The Personal Difficulty between Douglas
and Fitch.
rnB wAR OF THE ROSES COMMENCED.
swAsHIsGrox, Sunday, January q, 1859
Tier was q lively time in Senate
Executive Session On Friday afternoon.
Mr.. Douglas, in the course of debate
upon the character of some of Mr..
Buchanan's appointees, stated that OF
fifty thousand documents which he sent
to his constituents through the mail,
not one ever reached its destination
He said further, that he would give
800 for every copy that could be
shown to have been delivered.
The nomination pending was that OF
Potter as Collector, at Toledo, Ohio.
Pugh opposed it, because the man dis
placed was his friend, and he charged
that the nominee was unsuitable for
the place. He minated that if the
Administration wanted TO make an
issue with him, he had no objection.
This gave Douglas an opportunity
to comment upon the Illinois appoint
ments at Chicago and elsewhere, to all
vacancies made by sacrificing his
friends. Against Postmaster Cook, Of
Chicago, he made specific charges, and
denounced the appointecs generally in
the most, bitter terms, as incompetent
and corrupt. The first charge made by
Douglas was that all of the appointees
of the Administrator in Illinois were
a set of corrupt seoundrels. The Sec
ond charge was that the Postmaster of
Chicago, Isaac Cook, was dishonest
and little better than common thief
that he had Intercepted his correspond
ence during the late campaign, and
that he Douglas) had sent to the Chi
cago Post Office fifty thousand docu-
ments having his frank, which had
never reached their destination; that
Senator Green had written him several
letters, addressed to him at Chicago,
and which he had never received, and
intimated that they were distracted by
Cook, the Postmaster. Douglas like
wise stated that Mr.. Fitch claimed, in
some remarks made by him in the
course of the debate, to know more of
Illinois politics and men than he Doug
las.) -
To these allegations Fitch, as his
son was one of those appointees, felt
called upon to deny the general charge
as untrue, and said that Douglas knew
it to be untrue. Douglas admitted
that there were exceptions to the gen.
eral charge, and intimated that Fitch's
son was an exception.
To the charges against Cook, Fitch
said that Douglas, on previous occa-
sion, had made similar charges against
Cook, and pledged his word and his
honor that if the Senate gave him time
to procure official papers, he would
prove them; that time was granted
him, and he appeared before the Senate
with his papers, but that they disproved
every charge he had made, and that,
therefore, he could not expect the
Senate to believe his unsustained asser-
tons.
To this answer in reference to the
charge against Cook, it is alleged that
Douglas remained silent.
To Douglas last statement, Fitch
.rejoined that he had never used such
language, or entertained such senti-
ments, and that he requested Douglas,
when he alluded to him, to confine him.
self to the truth. During the course of
Fitch's remarks, which were very per-
sonal, he was repeatedly called to order.
Douglas rejoined fiercely and bitterly,
and was finally checked by the Chair,
at general cries of /" order," and was
proceeding, when he was called to
order. Mr.. Brown subsequentlymov
that Douglas be permitted to resume
his remarks, in order. In response to
this motion, Mr.. Davis, laboring under
some excitement, reprobated severely
the style of debate assumed by Doug
las, but although not extensively per-
sonal, subsequently, apologized for his
undue excitement. The wrangling was
continued until the adjournment, with
out any vote. At the close of the de-
bate, Fitch made an apology to the
Senate as a body, but, turning toward
Douglas, said he had no further apology
to make.
The transaction is looked upon by
Douglas wisest friends as indicative of
the fixed purpose Of the Administration
men to force him to take a back seat If
he comes into the Democratic organi-
cation at all, and that they prefer to
push him off altogether. 1t is stated
that an early opportunity will be taken
in open session to make an issue with
Douglas in reference to his statements
about individual Illinois appointments,
and to present proof of their inaccu-
racy. The war of the roses is evil
IDENTIFY just beginning.
ElOpemeut ExtraOrdiuarv and Arrest.