New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-10-29
THAT LAST PRIVATE LETTER.

III VIII be rec0l6cte0 tnat we coplcu 10" ~"'S
since, from The Elmira Gazette ofthe 18th inst. the
following astour ding paragraph:
Democratic me ,s h nele s Sweet poduceds
s tt bv Heraec Greev Southern men contain
ing pUpO, s1 ,ns Nysr pSc and Gdrosats Sost
en- doef,in certain HTb q southern er,a ate sp
be procured for TEE NJ y TRIBUNE AZ '''a" '''"
We at once branded this story as most aboml-
nable fasebood or the letter forgery as there was
no letter of ours in existence, and never had been
making any such proposition Our friends in floga
County also called on "the Hon. f.. s. Sweet to
produce the alleged letter for publication. Instead
of doing this, he submitted an extract thereirom,
emitting the date, and suppressing all allusion to
the newspaper in question: so as to conceal the TACT
that the letter he referred to was written twenty
three years ago-three years before The TRIBUNE
was even thought of-and had reference to THE
NEW YORKER, literary aud non-partisan weekly,
conducted by him who has since become Editor OF
THE TRIBUNE. In reply to our peremptory de-
mand that the letter be sent US for publication,
"the Hon. T., S. Sweet" has transmitted, not to
us but to The Express, what he declares to be a
a copy of the letter in question. We print 1t
Nxw.YoRKRR OFFICE, NEwY York,
December "A, 1887.
fom NewYok edtor7 Postage paid suppose there can be
no objection Well then write primarily as you will sup
pose even though deny It, TO enteat your GOOD ohes
In retaining our list subscrbesa your place but seeondary
in regad in general "i you inform rue what soc
through the State Mississippi Could he get .uS.crDer' or
ire YH Be %sSG r
debt Your local currency since we have no nsonal cur
TO redeem their notes with other this to draw
NewYork reasonable premium These matters deeply In
Heresbouts the tines are as gnum vita to most
people yetwe live hopes Of speedy nOOI
TO cheer us from yours Michigan noyent for yeat come
uh. mV on 5 db FoIeigp eSchsnse YOU viii see is
down 10 par and city banks would gladly Iesupe tae P
ing now for In the state Of exchange a. wiz ong
specie here from England lin other word. that money Is
eminent do no more mischief shall be in deep water ain by
MAY At present pinch terribly, especially Us un-
lucky slime in the newspaper line For instance re-
cepts for the past but s1S8 while necessary ex
dear life hoprg for better things but year of such ioune
sthat would make gray aded Hi be were mot like me-
sbsi doned the thing in despair, and endeavOred to
give Sy ny pRs any sub Saf w' but nobpd
would take it, and hang With the stsrnae:' Of
6sP fhe % dPn a' beio since which
have pretty much captain cool and all hands But enough
pce assure YOU va necessary but shall not insist
il in their instance II it lose their good will You viii DO
rather than lose them If the price does not ALLEVIATE them
shall y net 70 offend he% soS. a b,D SolsS Struggled
ociousy make myself known az their defender hnsneh
me 1t seems your election for Congress- and the course
the have taken regard H. must make noise IN Mis-
sHppi II looks to thou the holding OF seats
and Gholson il ndefensbe outrage What think you
Set me right II mistake the facts 1917, IA
must be 'Hariy of West" Who could suit Mississippi bet
Ter thap Clay ,,,,n,- -,
etars. as soon as Is Published You will ind handy 70
reference Shall send you a Magazine occasionally Nbs
one -Amercsn or foreign poR ic an GyRPIEissLEy
There is every word of the letter on which
The Gazette based the charge above giyen-what
shadow of foundation does it afford for that
charge Is there any offer to "G6andon" any
sentiment or doctrine the writer had ever promul-
gated Any proposition to do anything for "
"certain number of subscribers" sat certain
..rate per annum ?" In short, what IS there in
this letter from the poor and desperately embar-
rsssed Editor of literary periodical to one who
had volunteered TO aid him in extending his sub
scrption list that he need wish unpublished We
cannot Imagine.
Yet Mr. Ben johnson, it seems, has been hoard
ing this letter for years, and showing it privately
to Silver Gray friends as though there were some
thing TO be made of it Perhaps he has made repu-
taton by his course with regard to it: if so, we
wish him Joy Of the acquisition Had he simply
written us requesting permission to use one of our
private letters in such manner Che hOped) to do
us personal damage, we should have readily as
sented. How is IT, when there are two ways of
doing thing, some men seem insti7ctively to
choose the taserl
Our scousintance with Mr.. johnson had made
upon us the impression that he wss l'odera'e nut
decided opponent of Slavery. We IecOllect very
distinctly his informing us, as though 1t we're
something be was proud OF, that his own father
lived and died an Abolitonist. He has called on
us within few years past, and left us under the
impression that he was not only still personal
friend but Republican. How he can have lent
himself to this poor business, is to us perfectly
ur accountable.
Yet we are obliged to him for supplying such
unimpeachable testimony that We were formerly
disposed to let Slavery and Abolition aone-as,
we doubt not, were nnety.nine out of every hun
bred who are now Republicans. As an ardent
Clay Wing and Colouizationist, the writer hereof,
with most other Northern men twenty to twenty
FIVE years ago, was earnestly DESTROYS to let Sla7ery
alone. Never pretending to justify nor to like it,
he did not see that any good could be attained by
Northern warfare upon it,
How, then, have we changed and why We
will let "the Hon. L. S. Sweet" answer those
questions. On the 18th Of August, 1854, an anti.
Nebratka meeting was held 10 the village of Owego
n. Y. Hon. f. S. Sweet" was a YicePres-