American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-09-27
NUMBER Al

VI tulS law OF huniaE
nature impeis me to violate my lifelong
rule OF con iuct, and for once to notice =
political alanderer. I do not bowor,
address you for the purpose of repellpg
his inuendoos or falsehoods NV life has
been passed among you, and if its record
familiar to you ALL does not rene, tbe,
l have lived in vain. My purpose Il sim
ply to pierce the mail of ill.eo.ten goE,
IN which the slanderer has clothed him.
self' and give you glimpse at the loath.
some object it protects.
The papers of Friday announce that
Simon Cameron, of Dauphin county was
serehaded BY his friends on the precedips
evening at the Girard House in this oitv
and availed himself of the occasion ~
viillfy my colleagues and myself otbs
Congressmen of Philadelphia" in
speech to the assemblage. ~
was but youth when I first baays
the name of Simon Cameron, and il rc,ss
as the perpetrator ofa great crime H4
had been made the agent Of the Govern,
ment to carry large amount of money neXt
due them, to the Winnebago Indians and
had taken advantage of their ignorance
and helplessness to enrich himself. Those
OF you who had attained to manhood tho
you may not, after the lapse of so many
years, revive the burning indignation
with which you regarded the infamous
swlndler of the poor Indians, will doubt.
less remember that instead of paying them
the specie which the Government had
conlded to him for that purpose, he re-
tanned 1t and gave them the notes of the
Middletown Bank, of which he was an
owner. AZ their encampment in the re.
mote wilderness these notes were utterly
worthless. The Indians could not use
them Tor any purpose there, nor carry
them to Middletown for redemption But
what was that to Simon Cameron? Was
- - y
not their loss his gain, aud was he not SO
much the richer by every note that failed
to come home for redemption, though
they did suffer and starve? And
those Of yop who are not old enough to
remember all this, now know why this
bold, bad man is sometimes spoken of by
your seniors os the 4" great Winnebsao,'
and sometimes as Old Kickapoo"
For more than thirty years, | have
watched ths tortuous career of this man
aud have never seen reason to abandoned
my first impression Of his character
whether acting with the Democratic,
the Know Nothing, or the Republican
Party, he has in tnrn disgracsd them. all
he has never been falso to his criminal
instincts. lie has endelvored to tafn
them all to profitable account. His am-
btion is sordid and ponders to his ava
rice, aspd ne measures. honors by the per
quIsites they expose to his grasp. lie has
no confidence in the people and is aware
that they .distrust him. His speech Of
Thursday evening was not characteristic
of him, for he is prone to the use of in
struments. His habit is to point the s.il-
letto, but to employ another handto drive
it home. Though an active participant
in the politics of his county and State
for mo than half century, during
which long period he has pursued the prof
its Of Office, of jobs, of contracts, with ea
ger and ceaseless assiduity, he has never
dared to snbm t his name to the people
of county or State as candidate for au
elective office. He crawls to the feet Of
the appointing power. He cares not who
may be King, so that he may "still be
Vicar Of Bray" and to that end he chat
fers with and corrupts weak and needy
members Of Conventions and .tha Legisla-
ture of both parties.
need not recite the disgraceful facts
attending his several canvasses for the
United States Senate. Their nauseoas
odor fingers in your nostrils TO. to this
hour In the first he bought the votes
Of three Democratic members, and in the
last bid twenty thousand dollars for the
orc vote which woald have elected him.
This last transaction was so fagraat that
the Legislature was compelled to take
cognizance of it, and if justice be not
lame as well as blind, the aaa aud honor
Of our State will yet be be vindicated.
The evil report Of his deeds pervades
the country as, a reproach to our State
Yes, unhaPpily for Pennsylvania and her
great interests the buzzard- winged fame
of Simon Cameron is national. BY
months of abject solioiSsEion and corrupt
bargaipipg he procured q mass Of letters,
certificates and rscantatiotss, that impose
him upon President tiinacoip % the rep.
rescntative man of the Keystone State
That was an evil hour for Pennsylvania.