Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1862-01-03

The following letter was forwarded to
the Chicago Tribune for publicati IN, but as
it bad not appeared in the columns of that
paper up to its issue Of Tuesday, we hear
with print it from copy furnished us by
Mr.. Colfax.-.St. Joseph Valley Register.
House OF REPRESENTATIVES,,
WAsHINeToE CRY, Dec. 19, 1861.
To the Editors of the Chicago Tribune:
Your sense Of justice, and friendly rela-
tions that have always existed between us,
will, trust, allow me brief space iD your
columns TO correct very great mistake
into which your excellent and racy Wash
ingion correspondent has fallen in his letter
published last Saturday. He says, "he has
searched diligently to find one single mem
Der Of either House who proposes to de-
fend Fremont;" that ''the most he can hope
from those members who were on his staff
in Missouri is entire silence" and that "if
Mr.. Colfax says a word in his behalf, ho
will surprise those who know him most in
timately."
The fact is, members who stand by Ere
mont are numbered by the score. My be-
lief as have stated in each of the four edi-
torials wrote on this subject, has been
that he may have mistakenly given his con-
though men of great energy, abused his COD
fidence for their own gain; but that the at
tempt TO saddle on him the charges against
McKiDstry, who was Quartermastcr- General
at st. Louis before he went there, and whom
he had no more power to remove than he
has TO remove you from the editorship Of
the Iribuae, and for whose acts he was no
more responsible than Gen. Mcclellan is
for the official acts of the Quartermastcr-
General here, Gen. Meigs-is, in the last
degree, unjust. Probably money may have
been injudicously expended in the Western
apartment, possibly one-tenth as much
as has been wasted in the Department Of
the Potomac-though l hope not,
But shall not trespass on you, If you
print this letter, any extended defence Of
Fremont. He will speak for himself
Suffice it to say without making any cata
loge of names, that amongst those in the
House who sympathize with him, and who
state openly that they have not lost conf
dence in him as man, as General, or
patriot, are Speaker Grow, Thaddeus Stew.
ems, Chairman of the Ways and Means, and
the leader of the House; John F. Potter,
Chairman of tho Public Lands; John Cow
ode, Chairman of Public Expenditures; G..
B. Sedgwick, Chairman of Naval Affairs
names which / allude to, not because they
are better than scores of others, but because
they are wildly known to your readers.
trust you who "know me intimately" will
do me the justice to believe that l never
deserted friend because of 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 de-
luded, but know that my opinion is con-
s2ientous one, and that 1 would to-day
gladly give my pay for this whole Con
gross if Fremont had been sent to Port
Royal instead of Sherman. Let me add,
that if there should be a Fremont debate
here, you will probably have to look to the
Globe for it and not to the telegraph. A
debate on Tuesday, in which Col. Shank, Of
Indiana, (one of Fremont's aids in Missouri)
VIM. Morris Davis, Of Pennsylvania, and
the writer hereof participated on one side
and Col. Blair on the other side of the con
troversy, WAS not alluded TO in the Con
gressional proceedings telegraphed from
here to the Associated Press North and
i West. Yours truly,
II SCHIIT,ER GOIEAX