The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1860-04-11

g lations of the Treaty of Zurich, in the annex
alton of, the Central italian states.
t 1.-The Covode Committee and their AT
- tempt to Defame the President.
? ? The New York Herald, in an able article
on the President and the Covode Committee,
: shows up the character of the investigation in
l a light which honest men cannot justify.
r The Herald thus exposes the infamous action
of the committee and the false and malicious
reports sent by Telegraph relative to the testi-
mony of Mr.. WENDELL:
"THE PRECEDENT AND THE CovoDE Com
MITTEE.-The impressions attempted % be
made by Telegraph, that the testimony of Mr..
Wendell before the Covode Investigating Com
mittee is calculated to impugu the official in
tegrity of the President or the Cabinet, are
quite erroneous and do great injustice to those
functionaries.
"The points on which the partisan fabrica-
tors of these aspersions found their insinu-
alton against the Administration are the ne
gotiations between Wendell and Rice, of the
PennsglUdnian. The real facts, as will be
shown when the whole evidence is published,
are that the late Postmaster General Brown,
at the Instance OF influential Democrats in
Pennsylvania, gave to Rice the appointment
of Printer of Post Office Blanks. Rice EN-
ployed Wendell to do the work on terms pri-
vately arranged between themselves, with
which neither the president or Postmaster
General, nor any member of the Cabinet, had
anything whatever to do. It was a fair bust
ness transaction between a man who had re.
ceived an appointment and his employee, who
had n convenient office and materials and la
Dor for tha execution of the work. 1t turned
out afterwards that both Rice and Wendell
were dissatisfied with the conduct of each
other under their own private contract-Rice
complaining that Wendell did not pay him the
per celtage mutually agreed upon, and Wen
dell, on the other hand, complaining that he
was paying too much. They carried these
complaints, no doubt, to the President, as they
made them the common talk in Washington
and Philadelphia. But the President. while
receiving them courteously, held no converse
ton upon these matters, which, indeed, related !
to themselves alone, and with which he would
have nothing to do. So far from debating or
suggesting any arrangement, he kept aloof 7
from any interference of any kind with their \
leaving them to settle their affairs to
themselves.
"The whole thing is that Rice got the print-
ng of the Post Office blanks from the head
IF the Post Office Department, made a bargain :
With Wendell by which the latter was to do
he work, End gave him a certain share of the
and then they quarreled over their di- Y
Fision of the money. And on this an attempt +
s made to get up u trumpery charge against q
he President of substituting the press. p
at will be proved that Wendell himself de- T
Jared more than once that the President had G
ever written to him any letter, or held any q
conversation with him, suggesting the disposal d
f any portion of his profits on the public D.
rinting. L,
"The course of examination allowed in Co e,
ode's committee has, it is understood, been in 81
., p anf x,o1,fion of III -,on+,oa - t.
ourts, in several instances. Thus what are b
allied leading questions, cpnningly framed so "a
to- bring out from a confused witness the q,
answer which the prosecutors IN this
ase Gas they may justly be called) wanted, Sa
been allowed to be put. For instance, ~
The President dictated this arrangement, did W
e not?" "Tbe President told you to do so .
nd so, did he not?"-these ard like grossly
questions we're propounded, it is cur -.
entity reported.
"Whatever damage may be done to those ~
no went into these printing schemes and con- f.,
acts for their own pecuniary e%molument, ~
enture the prediction that the publication of -,
lie testimony will show that neither the Presi-
ant nor any member of the Cabinet had his eF
tegrity soiIed or his dignity lowered by the PEI
lghtest completely in the transactions of those col
hose quarrels over the profits have led to the pal
'esent disclosure. for
Throughout a long life Mr.. BUCHANAN has era
stained a character that SANDER never before fro
ire assail, and now, as it draws to a close, the size
tempt to blacken it, made by such men as =
CovoDE, jon SHERMAN and their COL 2.
agues, must recoil on themselves. How hard =
ey are run in their work at defamation, can
seen by the course pursued of putting lead I
g questions to witnesses, and by the expo us,
re, made a few days since, of wilful or de- VIII,
'erate perjury on the part of one of the wit. Wis
sses-perjury committed under circumstan full
s that led to a strong belief that the Com .r,
Ittee knew the tale was a false one before it \
IS sworn to-. -
1t is indeed n sad sight to witness a COM nal
ttee OF one of the Houses of Congress pro- sha
to sit in judgment upon the President
The United States, doing their utmost to
fame and blackcn his character, and bring =
3 perjury to their aid to accomplish the work. !.
1t they underestimate the intelligence of :
= people. Their own character, and that of {
err swift witnesses, will not weigh a straw in
balance against that of the man whose
they seek to blacken, but who, in 4
conscious rectitude of his Intentions, and
unsullied purity of his character, will be
e to live down all the efforts which partisan 4
hgnity can invent.-National Democrat.