The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1862-01-11
Gen. shields and senator McDougall.

Gen. Shields as our readers have already
been advised, came a passenger IN the last
steamer from California, and is now at
Washington, having accepted the appoint
ment of Brigadier General rendered HIM
by the President Our readers remember
a para graph we copied month or so ago
from the jacksonville Ull) Journal refer
ring to certain statements made by Senator
McDougal in speech in that city impeach-
ing Gen. Shields loyalty. 1t seems the
para graph was copied in the California
papers, and on the return Of Gen. Shields
from Sonora to California, fell under his
notice; upon which he Immediately in
serted the following in San francisco
paper; Dec. 9th;
.Editor San Francisco Bulletin
"Since nv return to the State few
days ago my attention has been called to
the. following paragraph, which seems to
have gone the rounds of the papers during
my absence:
GENERAL SHiEIDs.-Senator McDouga',
of California, made a speech at Jackson
/ Vile Illinois, lately, and the Jacksonville
/ journal, in sketch OF his remarks, says:
1.-The speaker referred to an interview
between himself and General Shields, In
| San Francisco, in the fall of 1860 which
! shows that Shields was enlisted In the
! secession movement at that time, and visit
! ed California TO further its interests, and
tried to induce the speaker to join his
fortunes with it,
This paragraph short as it is, contains
three seperate and distinct falsehoods =
u. Il. l., fnl in on
movement at that time Cor at any other
ti,ne) is falsehood No ]. That he visited
California to further its interests'-false-
hood No y That be tried to induce the
speaker (Senator Med to- Join his fortunes
with it -falsehood No. ).
IF Senator McDougal is correctly re-
ported in the above paragraph, 1t Is only
left to me TO pronounce him the author OF
a base lie, and q despicable calumnlator
Your obedent servant, JAMES SHIELDS"
It would have been pleasant had the
matter stopped here; but we are panied to
find 1t pursued further. In the New ork
Herald of the 18th inst, we find the fol
lowing note from Senator McDougall:
CASTOR HOUSE. New York, Jan. e, 1867
Il am advised that question has been
made concerning a statement made by me
at Jacksonville lliinr is. Not having the
paper making that statement before me
can only now repeat what purposed tC
state at jacksonville. What | then IN
tended to say was that Dir. SameS Shields,
in the fail of 1860 stated TO me at San
Francisco, California, that he approved
the secession Of the southern lection.
States; that he thought they had jus,
cause for secession; that the South hao
both the will and the power TO achieve
success. and that 1t was sound poi!cy L
favor them If it is supposed that, III dis
charging my official duty as Senator o
tho United States in acting upon th'
nomination of Mr. Shields as a BrIGadiei
General | can be Influenced by menace
| trust that all such hopes will prove un
founded j. a McDoVGAL"
We can very easily imagine how Gen
Shields, who was an ardent Douglas mai
in the contest of 1850, and always a sin
. cere Halter OF abolitioniSm, could, undo
political excitement, make remark
which Senator McDougal, who was ~
friend Of his, could constrGe a. above; bu
that Gen. Shields, when secess.oHism las
spring assumed its real and odious charac
ter. in his soul harbored the least sym
pathy for it, or entertained the remotes
feeling of di>ioyalty 10 the Union, Is
: thing we shall not beliere except on over
i --ri,~s--+ir's. I'rOvf.