Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1860-10-26
DOUGLAS AND LEcoMPToN AGAIN.

oA ChC hISO PoSS, "AiA w ASouu UtlC
sworn statements of number of promi-
nent Democrats, going to show that
Douglas was privy to,. and in fact the
prime instigator of, the fraudulent and
disgraceful mode of submitting the Le-
compton Constitution to the vote of the
people of that Territory. The whole of
the evidence presented would fill nearly
a. page of the Telegraph. We had not
room for it all, nor did we deem it of
sufficient Importance to cumber our COL
umns with more of it than will be there
found. But since it was in type, we
have received report of a speech made
by Douglas, at Milwaukee on the 18th
inst, in which he notices the CHARGE,
and in his peculiar way. denies its truth.
We give the points of Douglas denial in
the following extracts from his speech.
Douglas says: ~- =. '-
s.An A6otition newspaper has just been
placed in my hands, containing what
purports to be correspondence between
| Breckenridge Committee in Kansas,
and certain citizens Of that Territory
I have no means of knowing whether
this correspondence is genuine or fcti-
-tious. I have looked over the names att
tached to it, and recognize no one as a
personal acquaintance. In this CORES
pondence am distinctly charged soith
being the author Of the Lecompton Consti-
tution. [Great laughter. [ do met
blame you for laughing at that state
ment:. Renewed laughter.] If there
is any statement on earth that ought to
seem ludicrous and laughable, it is a
charge of that kind. But nevertheless
the charge as distinctly naude that I not
only devised the Lecompton Constitution,
but that 1t aoas submitted to me and hatI
approved 1t, together aoith the plan Of sub
naitting the Slavery clause. Laughter.
/ desire to say to you that it is false IN
every particular. Immense applause
I never saw the Lecompton Constitution
until after it had been adopted in Kan
sas by the Convention, and sent to the
President of the United States for ae-
ceptance, &C."
There is Douglas denial! The pitti-
full dodge, that the charge was found
in an "Abolitioe" newspaper is worthy
only of Stephen A. Douglas! But we
don't suppose it possible for him to utter
two sentences without marring one of
them by slang. Why could he not name
the paper? The Judge knows, as all the
world knows, that "Abolitionists and
"Abolition newspapers had nothing to
do with the matter at all The whole
thing is Democratic quarrel, in which
Republicans feel the profoundest indiff-
erence, and Douglas is only making
himself ridiculous by the charge of
"Abolitionism,'' against the Breckin-
ridge wing of the Democratic party
But the habit seems to have become SO
strong, that he filings the term at every
party which stands in his way, in seem
ing unconsciousness of the sublime alb
surdity. While every Breckenridge
paper in the Union is denouncing Doug
las himself as an "Abolitionist," he, in
in his insane ambition, perambulates the
Union, spouting "Abolitionism!2 even
at the flre-eaGGrs themselves.
But it will be seen that he lodges the
issue made against him by his former
party friends and political co-operators.
Douglas says SIN this correspondence l
an, distinctly charged aoidh being the au-
thor ofthe Lecompton Constitution And
then proceeds to deny the charge. Now
was that honest? 1t will be seen by~re-
ferring to the documents that he is not
charged either "distinetly'' or otherwise
with being the ''author Of the Lecompton
Constitution. Nothing of the sort is
even hinted at. The charge is that. he
approved the fraudulent mode. Of: sub
uniting 1t to the people.
He admits that he had been in CORES
pondence with Calhoun and that Calhoun
was in possession of letters from him.
But he says:
''In this pretended correspondence, the
charge is made that Mrs Calhoun had
hawked these letters about in the market
for sale, and that two thousand dollars
had been offered for them; and on that
statement the abolition paper bases its
charge, that I or my friends had made
her that offer. shall notice this only
to vindicate the character of that wild
owed lady. I never insulted Mrs. Cal
houn, or degraded myself by offering her
or anybody else any money or other com
pensation for suppressing my private
correspondence with Mr.. Calhoun, or
anybody else on earth. I will tell you
all l know about this last charge. just
before / left Washington few months
ago, received letter from near rela-
tive of the late John Calhoun, in which
he furnished not only-the statement, but
the evidence, that one of Mr. Buchau-
ans Federal Office holders in Nebraska.
a man holding land Office and nearly
connected with the worst enemies ] have
on earth, had gone to Mrs, Calhoun and
asked permission to look over her de-
ceased husbands private correspondence
with Judge Douglas. She refused to
permit him, saying that her husbands
correspondence was sacred. raSound,
right, etc. Thereupon this federal Of
fee holder offered Mrs. Calhoun two
thousand if she would allow him to look
over Gen. Calhoun's private papers, and
take out all the private papers that
Judge Douglas had ever written to her
husband. She, like true hearted wo-
man, who revered the memory and honor
of her husband, Indignantly rejected the
bribe. And now my enemies dare