The Oxford intelligencer. (Oxford, Miss.) 1860-18??, 1861-04-03

the fact that the feelings Of personal animosity,
engendered by former political controversies
have not yet passed away.
The yicksbusg Wing, some days ago, repro
duced in its columns. at full length, the malig-
nant TRADE Of abuse which was poured forth by
Joseph Holt, through the National Intelligencer
of the 9th of March, against the Hon. Jacob
Thompson n the Wing had been disposed to
do simple justice to Mr. Thompson, IL had only
to publish his reply 10 Holt in full, and without
comment, when it subsequently made its appear
ance in the journals of the day Instead of pur-
suing this fair course, however, the Wing ex-
tracted from that elaborate reply two brief par
agraphs, which are very far from presenting the
entire defence OF Mr.. Thompson, and published
them as containing "thc substance Of his reply"
This was bad enough, inasmuch as 1t was calcu-
lated to produce the impression, upon the nu-
merous readers Of the Wing, that those para
graphs contained all that Mr.. Thompson had to
rely upon in answer to the attack of Holt But
the Wing did not stop at this point As il it
desired to uphold the man who sought to inau-
gurate war Of subjugation against the seeded
States, and to strike down, If possible, former
political opponent il thercupon proceeded to say;
'The answer of the President to the resigna-
ton Of Mr.. Thompson, is in direct contradiction
to his statement that he did not know of the or
der being made in Cabinet Council to send rein
forcemcnts TO Fort Sumter
awhile the ex-Secretary is writing for the
newspapers. had he not better explain away the
charge made against him at Washington, that
he took about two and half millions of the u.
States Bonds belonging to the Indian trust fund
and sold them at premium, replacing them
with State Bonds that were below par g-and
who pocketed the difference ?"
II is not a little remarkable that the Wing
should refer to the letter of Mr.. Buchanan for a
rash enough to cite it. Holt, in his card, pub
fishes that letter for the purpose of proving that
he was authorized by the President to send re-
Inducements to Fort Sumter, and not to show
that Mr. Thompson was aware of the fact that
the authority was given. Holt dared not say
that Mr. Thompson knew that fact. The Pres
ident did not say it. lie said, only, that he
gave the order. He was careful not to say that
Mr. Thompson heard him give it, He went no
further than to state his mere supposition that
Mr. Thompson 'might have heard him." and
even this statement he qualified by his subsc-
quent avowal of his ''firm belief" that Mr..
Thompson was honestly mistaken" in his con-
viction that no order was given Out of such
slender materials has the Wing contrved to
elaborate its sweeping assertion that the Prcsi-
dent directly contradicts Mr.. Thompson as to
his knowledge of the giving of the order. We
arc willing to believe that the Wing had not re-
Gently perused the letter Of the President, and
that its recollection of his language was any
thing but distinct and clear. In that case, we
shall expect to see frank admission of the er
ror into which it has fallen.
Will the Wing obligc us by stating when, and
by whom, the charge of which it speaks as
having been made against Mr. Thompson at
Washington, was preferred? We never heard
of such charge until we met with it in the col
umns of the Wing, and We would like to know
from what newspaper, or from what letter-wri-
ter, or talebcarer it obtained its knowledge that
such charge had been made. Doubtless, the
Wing will be gratifed TO learn that Mr.. Thomp-
son, whilst he was Secretary of the Interior,
never sold single bond of the United States
belonging TO the Indian trust fund. We have
taken pains to make inquiry in the proper quar-
ter, and can assure the Wing that the entire
''charge" it has so gravely brought forward, has
not one word of truth in it, Had there existed
the slightest ground for such charge, and had
the charge itself been even most secretly whis-
percd in Washington, VIC think the Wing has
sagacity enough to know that the Congressional
Committee, composed Of his bitter political adj
vcrsares, which, few weeks since, investigated
the affairs of his Department would have been
put upon the trail, and would have 'nosed it OUT
The Wing has little love- we suspect, for Sc
cession itself, and still less for those who have
taken a prominent part in the direction of the
movement; and when it ''gets lick" at one of
that class, We fear it is not always properly OBJ
servant of the rules of fairness. The use Of
poisoned weapons is not allowable in dny war.
If the Wing eiH publish rumors designed to
affect private character, it should give circula-
ton only to such as appear to have some slight
odor of probability about them.
We ardently desire that all the dead issues Of
the past and all the arrangements growing out
of them, should be buried and forgotten. We
ask not what any man has been, as politician.
We are moro than willing, for the sake of the
country, to welcome, as fellow-laborers, the most
uncompromising of our former opponents, pro-
vded, only, that they have given earnest of their
intention to support the cause of the Confeder-
ate States. The country has an interest in the
personal character and private reputation of eve
ry citizen, because the capacity of any ndividu-
al to benefit the public, largely depends upon
the confidence of the people in his personal in
tegrity. We will not therefore, knowingly, as
sail any public man upon grounds which We do
not believe to be just; and we will upon all
proper occasions, do our utmost to repel un-
founded attacks upon tried and faithful servants
Of the public, whether they have been. or not,
associated with us in the defunct political organ
izatiOns Of other days. n
Tue FIRST ABoLITIoNTsT.-AS Southern clergy
man says that in all his reading of the Bible, he
never succeeded in finding any account Of an