The Placer herald., 1867-03-09

L oui uiulCui,y, aPPIeueuu, 10 lue oIu
one-a want OF capacity to appreciate the
Importance of great political issues and
proneness to sink their consequences in the
obtainment Of Office, and consequent want
Of the confidence of your fellow citizens.
Respectfully etc,
JonN CoNNEss.
SACRAMENTO, February 25, 1867.
John Couness-Sir: Yours, dated Wash
ington, January %, 1867, is received. In
Ieply, | have to express surprise that you
should have assumed and endeavored to
create the impression that you were appealed
to by me for support in the Senate, especial
ly as no alusion is made in my communica-
tion to your own intended action in my case
or the probable action of the Senate. The
facts of the case will now state briefly.
A telegraphic dispatch containing misre'
presentations as to the state Of affairs in
this Internal Revenue District, and also as to
my past and present political views and
sympathies, had appeared in the columns Of
the San Francisco Examiner and other Cali
fornia papers. The dispatch in question, as
published here, was addressed to you alone,
of the Senate (not 10 Senator McDougaI),
aud BidweIl, McRuer and Highly, of the
House OF Representatives. In said dispatch,
and which bad right to assume was to
be used to my injury, was unjustly assailed,
and the only object had in view in address
sing you as California Senator was to place
the refutation of the charges made in the
dispatch in the same hands. The dispatch
assaing me. as published here, was address
sed to you and the gentleman above named
as representatives of the people of the State
and not as individuals. as was also my COM
munication, and have yet to learn that An
humble constituent may not respectfully ad.
dress a representative of the people without
being greeted with pages of billingsgats in
response.
But as my communication, which you
have been pleased to have published as 10.
troductory to your own, proves utterly
groundless your assumption that | appealed
to you to favor my confirmation, it is un'
necessary to add an additional word upon
that subject. You, sir, instead of falsely as.
suming that you opposed my confirmation
by the Senate, regarding me as an enemy of
the country, should have frankly stated the
truth; you should have stated that which
your subsequent action has made clear to
large majority of the party of which your
vanity prompts you to believe you are the
leader; you should have stated that you la'
bored for my rejection 10 secure the Asses
sor's Office for friend who could be relied
upon to use the influence Of said office for
the political advancement of John Conness;
you should, moreover, have candidly confes.
sed your confident belief that my rejection
would enable you to have friendly Deputy
Collector and Assistant Assessor in each of
the sixteen counties of this Revenue District,
and that with their active aid you could con.
troll the Republican State Convention and
secure your own reelection. All of this you
could have truthfuly stated; and am in
cined to believe that candor would have
better served your purposes than the miser.
able assumption that all who do not concur
in opinion with you as to the wants and in
terests of the nation are enemies of the
country. You certainly must regard your
political fortunes as aIarmingly on the wane
or you would not have sought to make po-
litcal capital by preparing and publishing
letter remarkable on y for palpaby errone'
Gus assumptions and evidences of vindictive-
ness of heart. Your malicious allegations
calling in question my devotion to country
l could we'll afford to treat with silent con-
tempt. But, if my love of country and
American liberty rested upon such question
able proofs as exist in evidence of your de-
votion to the liberations of Ireland from the
oppressive rule of Great Britain, | should
feel that my past course required vindication.
You are pleased to notice the fact that in
my communication | declare myself "the
Presidents true friend" Whether inhuen-
italy the Presidents true friend is not for me
to say; but | can truthfully state that my
professions of friendship for the President
and his measures were made in good faith,
and not like yours, to be disavcwed, if neces'
sary, after the omplishment of the objects
which called them forth. Can you say as