Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-01-25
WAsHINGrox Ian oo 1890

= n
| Hon. GRAHAM n. FITCH.
| WASHINGTON, Jan. %, 1859
| Sin: your note OF Yesterday was handed me
| this morning In reply, have to say that you
Yesterday made charge that the lately appoj Mt
ed federal officers in Illinois were corrunt dis
honest men--or words to that effect You knew
my son to be one Of those officers, and Won
could not expect me to hear such a charge with.
| out prompt denial OF its truth. 4 pronounced II
to be, to your knowledge, untrue. You subse-
quently so modified IL as to satisfy me that Won
| excepted my son from the general charge al
| though you did not name him, and made no
| lurther issue with you on that subject When,
| at subsequent period OF your remarks Won
| attributed TO me statements which / had not
made, l requested that in quoting me Won would
do so truthfully. These remarks were certainly
| not deliberately Premeditat.d, ~ but they cam
not be qualified correctly the &c impulse Of mo.
mentary passion" The first was PROMPTED nv a
determination to defend the honor and character
OF my son, as dear to me as nv own, aga INST an
ATTACK so general In its terms as NECESSARILY tn
Include him; and the second was the exercise Of
my hight to rectify Misrepresentation of NV
own remarks. '
Respectfully, &C. GN FIrc1
Hon. 5. A. DOUGLAS.
WARRINGTON, Jan 22-9H % m
SK: nou, note OF THIS date has just been placed
In my hand l admit, without hesitation, your
right and duty to do justice to the re putation Of
your son. At the same time [ maintain NV
right, In the discharge of my duty az senator, to
n
executive appointments, especially in INV own
state. j deny, however, that my general 70.
marks In relation 10 the list of Illinois apnoin
yes, eonnImed oy the Senate during my absence,
could be fairly interpreted to embrace YOUR SON
w hen you seemed so to construe them 1 promn,
ly replied that what | had said of the IIIinpis
appointments was true as general rmIs, but that
there were exceptions, among whom 1 recop.
missed some Of my own friends AIludjpp paI :.
ticnlaIly TO your son, added that had nothing
70 say In regard to the merits of his sppointmen;,
tnfr Tn Iaatr ft.f. y
by my remarks to the Senate during the last ses'
sion, In your presence, at the time of hi, contr
nation You now admit that YOU Understood
lnis explanation to exempt your son from the
application OF my general remarks; and vet Won
nave Jailed to withdraw the offensive lang mare
but, on the contrary, at subsequent stage of The
debate; when apologizing for breach Of sena.
toTial decorum, you expressly declared that Won
had nothing to Ietract-thus appearing in INV
apprehension, to re-atHrm the Objectionable
words.
As to the other ground of offence admitted in
your reply to my note, | have to say that I did
not understand you TO assume to correct me I'm
quotation Of your language as was unconscious
"a making any such citation, but to repeat the
original onence IN another form; othe wise I
slant. ~ > IN
This explanation. which is due alike to rs
DOM, on the points presented In your reply af.
i0fds you another opportunity Of withdrawn
the offensive words which you admit YOU an
pied 10 me In Yesterdays debate.
" A
Hon. GRAHAM N. FITCH.
WASHINGTON, Jan o. 1859
SIR your note OF last evening was handed me
at IL, m to-day. Your explanation In regard TO
my son being noW explicit, have no hesitation
In saying that II you had excepted him from vour
charge: or not made it general, would not have
deemed myself warranted in repeliing il in IN.
cords Of which you complain as Offensive, and
withdraw. 4
am also informed by your note that, If you
had not been mistaken in relation to my re marks
on the subject of your Misrepresentation of INV
sentiments, You would at the instant have made
proper response. This likewise enables me to
saw mat, In my closing remarks explanatory To
the Senate OF my share in exciting debate IN.
on subject not relevant TO anything before that
body, and the responsibility for the Introduction
OF which rested solely with you, should have
withdraw, as i now do, the second Gensjyr
remarks, II You had made the same Satisfactory
explanation then You have nor made.
Respectfully, &c, G. N FIrCH
Hon. 5. A DOUGLAS
WAsHIsGToN, Jan "a 1850
Sir: Your note Of yesterday has been eceiyed.
20 which have taken exception owe IL 10 mr.
self to protest ag inst the idea YOU seen 10 en-
te'taln, that my note Of Saturday was intended
as precedent and inducing condition Of the re-
dress which solicited, instead Of being AS I
certainly designed IL, merely responsive TO the
specifications In your reply to my frst commune
CATION
In regard to the Introduction and relevancy OF
the matter In the debate out of which this di III
Guilty arose, cannot think that proper subject
OF discussion In the present correspondence
Respectfully, &c, s. A DOUGLAS 4
Hon. GRAHAM N. FITCH. II.
WASHINGTON, Jan q, 1859
SIR Your note Of to-day was received at Tx
a m. IL is not for me to judge the motives hich
dictated yours Of the gid can only say that nv
answer was predicated upon the explanations Il
contained. IL your explanations are disavowed,
my withdrawal must likewise be disavawed.
Respectfully, &C., IN. FIrcH.
Hon. 8 A. DOUGLAS.
wAsHINGToN, Jan. "a, 1859 /
SIR am averse to proonging this cOntrover- |
~ aiter gaining the substance Of my demand |
outi cannot close without answering to your last |
note ny saying that II Ii immaterial to me upon |
nnst you predicate your Withdrawal, since l
Position. - - "0~rr = : =
respectfully, de-, g. A. DogsLAs.