The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-11-27
"a Serious Charge" rully Sustained.

SR:-Havng given you a short respite l now
propose to arraign you at the bar OF public SEN
timent for trial hope, you sit in the crimi-
nal box YOU will be under less excitement than
when preferred the indictment against you
Another such an exhibition of nervous sensibil-
ty, as you lately displayed, would go far to con-
Wet you, without further proof Cold phlegma-
tic men like YOU only moved upon by fear
interest, and when dreading exposure and pun
ishment never rely upon their owncharacters to
protect them, but, if possible, invoke the protect
ing name OF some great and good man as shield.
Hence after INDUCING in reckless assertions, and
showering epithets from your pen, you fastened
off with all possible speed to tie shade OF Mr..
Lincoln's memory. | promised would drag you
from that hiding place and make you travel the
dreary journey alone, and L will do it
Joab, like yourself, fed to the tab
ernacle and laid hold on the horns of the altar,
but that did not save him, nor will it save you.
1t was legitimate for you to reply to my char
ees If YOU desired to assail me personally in
making that reply, that was a matter addressed
to YOUR discretion. made no personal assault
upon you. My charge against you was one OF
official corruption, and if it haa come to this that
it is improper for a citizen to make such charge,
holding himself responsible for its truth, in this
country then indeed is there little security left
for liberty, truth and justice. But you went fur
Their You assaulted the claim of Illinois, through
me, with bitter invective, without any justifable
tive as will appear in he sequel You held me
alone responsible for the presentation of the
claim as though was acting upon my
count, whereas was acting under an appoint
ruent of the governor of my state and two sue
cessive legislatures. 1t is true, l believed the
claim to be just and had suggested its enforce
ment and accepted a commission to prosecute
it. voluntarily rendered, and shall not fear to
have nv every act scrutnized by the proper
authority, nor shall shrink from meeting you in
any controversy you may be disposed to raise
believed it my duty to tell the people of Illinois
in plain language q never any other kind
what you had done, for the act was injurious to
them, and devolved upon me the necessity of go
ing over the case again when, if the opinion of
Mr.. Lincoln had been left upon the record, where
he himself had placed it. believed it was set
tied.
You never held on to the case in your depart
nent for over six months, without a design when
it could have been disposed of in three days If
the claim as you now pretend, "a shadowy
shvstering one, against law, justice and CON
science" why did you not kick it out of your Of
fee upon its presentation? Why pet it and fos-
ter it until you forced by order or ''di-
rection" of President Lincoln to take it up and
dispose of it? An! Mr.. Usher, you had an Oh
ject in YOUR procrastination, which | understood
all the time and which | spoke of to Gov. Yates
and other. | was unwilling to administer to
that object and hence, when you were forced to
act YOU had not the manuess to meet the re-
sponsbty yourself, but turned the case over
for decision to Judge Otto, your assistant secre-
tary and subordinate. II the claim was spur
ious" as you now pretend, you could have said so
in one minute, and thus have ended the matter.
But you did not think SO, us the subjoined testi-
mony of Col. Fouke shows, and now act with the
petulance of one who lost good speculation.
But let me turn to the charges and your de-
NAL of their truth. An exact understanding OF
these will more readily enable the public to say
whether accused you wrongfully or you are
guilty. ! charged,
.'rhat che late Interior Secretary John p.
Usher, corruptly and feloniously distracted and
carried away fl ON the records of the case "a let
ter of President Lincoln's deciding it in favor Of
of the state thus attempting to deprive her o.
its benefit, and screen his own guilty conduct ir
disregarding 1t"
In making these charges / took upon myself tC
show, if you interposed a denial
First That Mr.. Lincoln had written n letter
to the interior department sustaining the claim o
the state.
Second, That you had corruptly and felonious
" abstrcated and carried it away.
Third, That you did that act to screen you
own guilty conduct in disregarding it and TO de
prive the state of its benefit
No one, not even yourself, can accuse me OF un
fairness in thus broadly stating the case, and &C
knowiedging the responsibility assumed Nov
let US see what you have said in the way of deni
al, and then the issues will be fairly presented
In the first place you say,
'sThis article is so false and scandalous, and i
so injurious to the character of Mr.. Lincoln tina
/ will not suffer it to PASS unnoticed."
Instantly after giving expression to this senti
ment you strike off into TRADE of abuse agains
the claim of my state, stigmatzing it with
vocabulary of epithets, and seek to leave tn
impression that / am alone concerned in its pros
ecutior and wind up with the following remark
able arguments
ssBut the case being as have now stated il
all who knew him will credit me when say tina
the President, Mr.. Lincoln, never wrote letter
or any letter, deciding this case in favor of tn
state of Illinois. Neither did he, by any writing
word act look or gesture endeavor to inHuenc
the department in its decision. He was too goo
to do that. To assert that he did, and attemI
to bolster it upon his character, is more infan
Gus than the base falsehood launched against M
self The honest fame of Mr.. Lincoln is not
be sullied by the assertions of any one, that h
ever gave his official sanction or influence in Fl
vor of this spurious claim upon the treasury
He was incapable of doing it, for it was agains
law, Justice and conscience. The whole chGrg
as it reflects upon the dead and the living, frol
first to last, as amazingly false and Infamous.
J. ?. USHER.
TERRE HaUTE, October II, 1865"
If my article is "false and scandalous,
it is 80 because wrongfully accused you o
because your own conduct scandalzed truth
If itswas Injurious" to the character of Nj
Lincoln it was only so because said he ha
written letter of the character referred te
1oa draw the deduction that injury result
from your hypothesis that the claim is..spurj
-.zsa A. You do not pretend to give any wor,
~ Mr.. Lincoln ever said or wrote again
~. 2