Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1860-10-26

stitutlon submitted, and when be failed,
on his owS responsibility went for the
other proposition - the best he could
get, and hoped l would not be d'ssatis-
fed with ], tbereupon Gen. Calhoun
and myself parted never saw him af-
forwards. lie is dead, and far be it
fro me to utter one word against his
memory. think he made great and
fearful mislake in bis kansas movements,
and SO said in his presence and to his
face, and in the Senate of the United
States 10 his lifetime; siuce be is dead,
peace to his ashes,-it is not to my
taste to indulge in examinations. The
abolition paper in which | found tits pre-
tended correspondence, contained an
editorial article charged that | had Of
fered Mrs. Calhoun two thousand dol
lars to suppress my correspondence
with her husband while he was Survey
or General of Kansas. Laughter. In
this pretended correspondence, the
charge is made that Mrs. Calhoun had
hawked these letters about in the mar
ket for sale, and that two Thousand dol
lars had been offeEed tor them, and on
that statement the abolition paper bases
its Charge that | or my friends had
made her that offer. l shall notice this
only to Wind cate the character Of that
widowed lady.
l never insuItcd Mrs. Calhoun, or de-
graded myself, by Offering her or any
body else any money or other compen-
! sation for suppressing my private cor
! rcspondence with MIR. Calhoun, or any
| body else on earth. will tell you all |
know about this last charge. Just be-
fore | left Washington, a few months
ago, | received letter from near rcla-
tive of the late John Calhoun, in which
he furnished not only the statement, but
the evidence, that one of Mr.. Buchan-
aus Federal office holders in Nebraska,
a man holding land Office and nearly
connected with the worst enemy | have
on earth, had gone to Mrs. Calhoun and
asked permission to look over her de-
ceased husbands private correspond
ence with Judge Douglas. She refused
to permit him, say ing her husbands cor
respondence was sacred. Sound"
Right" DC. Thereupon this Federal
| Office holder offered Mrs. Calhoun two
thousand dollars if she would allow him
to look over Gen. Calhoun's private pa.
pers and take out all the private papers
that Judge Douglas had ever written to
her husband. She, like true hearted
| woman, who revered the memory and
honor of her husband, Indignantly re-
ected the bride. And now my enemies
dare charge on me their attempt to bride
widowed woman. "Shame on them, "
and applause.
Mrs. Calhoun authorized her relative
to inform me of these facts, which he
| did, together with the tender on her
pare to surrender to me all the letters |
ever wrote to her husband. answered
that l had never written any letter to
the late General Calhoun that | was
ashamed 10 have the whole world see
That it was possible, in the hurry and
freedom of private correspondence, that
| might sometimes have expressed my.
self carelessly or inelegantly, but there
was nothing in my letters which WAS
afraid to have the public know. | added
that appreciated the noble conduct Of
Mrs. Calhoun, and that she was author
lied to forward the letters to me, if il
was her will. received a letter from
her in reply, in which she stated that
she had carefully examined all her hus-
bands private papers, and there was nc
letter to be found written by me to him
since 1852 or 1853.
Now, my friends, | submit these facts
to you and to the world. What can
you think of body OF men who will
go around trying to bribe widow women
TO betray the private correspondence Of
their dead husbands, to be used for 20.
litical purposes A voice-"They re
worse than Republicans" What do
you think of the rcckessness of partisan
papers that dare charge those attempts
at bribery upon me, who was I'M ended
to be their victim' A voice-"It's
INC tuCui. L uiSlihc W refer 10 III
own private history, or to defend myself
against petty ISLANDERS. l have not be. n
in the habit of doing so, and l do not
intend to do it as general rule; but
this scheme, Just before election, to pal n
off an enormous fraud, is such an infa-
nous forgery l thought l would brand
it the first time l met it. Loud cheers.
10 taking leave of the subject l have
only to add that, if those newspapers
which have published and given curren-
cy to this calumny are disposed to treat
me fairly and do me justice, they will
republsh this speech and allow the an
tidote to follow the poison, and my vim
dication to 60 10 the world. My friends,
have occupied nearly all the time
which my voice will allow in this vindi-
cation against a vile charge.