Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-01-25

brought on our navy yard and CONNER
cial and other business men In the
course Of his impndent aud illjudged
harangue he said In the olden time
member Of Congress from Philadelphia
would have had sufficient interest to
carry his point (the establishment Of a
naval station at League Island) without
dissenting voice" Is that the asser-
ton of sober man And did he who
made II forget that our Congressman in
the olden time in proposing to locate q
government workshop at Philadelphia
had not the terrible reputation Of Simon
Cameron, the Pagan of the Harrisburg
lobby and ex-Secretary of War to con-
tend with, and, therefore, had some
chance for success ? Ny colleagues and
/ were less happy than they in this re-
spect
As / have said, he begged and bar.
gained for the influence which induced
Mr.. Lincoln to invite him to q seat in
his Cabinet 1t was now fondly hoped
by those who had not sounded the depth
of his depravity, that, being old and rich,
he would take advantage Of SO dis
tinguished an opportunity to prove that
he could be honest and could administer
trust without turning it to his profit, or
handing the fund over to his creatures,
to be used on joint account. How sadly
these hopes we're disappointed is attested
by the brevity of his term of Office and
the circumstances under which it closed.
In less than one year from the day on
which Simon Cameron was installed as
Secretary Of War, Congress, though at
that early day had before it but partial
evidence of his crimes, Indignantly drove
him from that high office. Two.thirds
of the members of the lower House were
friends of the administration, and would
gladly have sustained each member of it
as they did its distinguished head.
You can imagine how painful it must
have been to them to find themselves con-
strained by duty to proclaim the fact
that the first man the head of their party
had been induced to appoint as the sue
cessor Of John B. Floyd had exhibited
greater aptitude than he, for his worst
tricks. But it became inevitably for
this old man, notwithstanding his boasted
and reputed millions, believes that one
of his name is never rich enough until
he has little more, and, to save their
party and the country, the friends of the
administration in the House had to pro.
claim his infamy and denounce his
crimes. Nor was the vote by which they
did it meagre one. His friends, and
those who would most gladly have
averted this disgrace from our State,
could rally but about one.third of the
House against the resolution of con-
demnation. The vote was about two to
one against him, although La Pennsylva-
nian, not willing to bear witness against
the representative of our State, but too
well satisfied of his guilt to vote against
the resolution, failed to record my vote.
In this fact, gentlemen, you have the
secret of this distinguished states
mans" hostility to me and my friends |
Mr.. Walborn, the postmaster at Phila- |
delphia, another of his creatures, has |
offered me his friendship and support if |
would endGavor to have that resolution
My reply has invariably
been that to stir foul matter would be to
produce stencil l have never in this
or aught else endeavored to propitiate
him or his creatures. No stone may
mark the spot where my poor remains
may finally rest, but l mean that my
children shall be able to vindicate my
name by pointing to the fact that Simon
Cameron and his confidential friends
we're ever hostile to me.
With grateful regards, yours very
.ruly VIM. ID. KELLEY.