St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1862-01-09
Noble Defence of Fremont, by
Hon. Schuyler Colfax.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,, }
WASHINGTON Cry, Dec. l8. {

10 Me IIdtt0TS OF the Cn1cd90 ITt6une:
Your sense ofjustice, and the friendly
relations that have always existed between
us, will, trust, allow me brief space in
your columns to correct very great mis-.
take into which your excellent and racy
Washington correspondent has fallen in
his letter published last Saturday. He
says, "He has searched ligeptly to find
one single member of either House who
proposes to defend Fremont" that ''the
most he can hope from those members
who were on his staff in Missouri is entire
silence" and that eff Mr.. Colfax says
word IN his behalf, he vii surprise those
who know him most Intimately"
The fact is, members who stand by
Fremont are numbered by the score My
belief as [ have stated in each of the four
editorials wrote on this subject, has been
that, he may have mistakenly given his
confidence to some men in St. Louis, who,
though men of great energy, abused his
confidence for their own gain; but that the
attempt to saddle on him the charges
against McKinstry, who as Quartermastcr
General at St. Louis before he went there
aud whom he had no more power to remove
than he has to remove you from the edi-
torship Of the Tribune, and for whose acts
he was no more responsible than Gen. Nc
Clellan is for the official acts of the Quar-
termaster. here-Gep. Meigs-is, in the
last degree unjust. Probably money may
have been injudiciously expended in the
Western Department, one tenth as much
a. has been wasted in the Department of
tho Potomac-though I hope not. But I
shall not trespass on you, if you print this
letter, any extended defence of Fremont
He will speak for himself Sufficient it
to say without makeing any catalogue of
names, that among those IN the House who
sympathize with him, and who state openly
that they have not lost confidence in him
as man, as general or as patriot, are
Speaker Grow, Thaddeus Seevens, Chair
man of the Committee on Ways and
Means, and the leader of the House; John
F. Potter, Chairman OF Public Lands; John
Covode, Chairman of Public Expenditures;
G. B. Sedgwlck, Chairman of Naval Af-
fairs-names which I allude to, not be-
cause they arc better than scores of others
but because they are widely known to your
readers. I trust you who "know me inti.
matcly," will be me the justice to believe
that I never deserted friend because o1
public clamor or adversely; and that
never hesitated at the expression of my
convictions, in or out of Congress. We
may all of us be very deluded, but know
that my opinion is conscientious Que
and that I would to day gladly give my
pay for the whole Congress if Fremon,
had been sent to Port Royal instead o1
Sherman. Let me add that if there should
be Fremont debate here, you will prob
ably have to look to the Globe for it ant
not to the telegraph. A debate on Tues
day, in which Col. Shank, of Indiana, Gone
of Gen Fremont's aids in Missouri,) VIM
Morris, of Pennsylvania, and the writer
hereof participated on one side, and Col
Blair on the other side of the controversy
was not alluded to in the Congressional
proceedings tclegraphed from here to As
sociated Press North and West.
Yours truly. SCHUYLER COLFAX
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