Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-11-16
eoID closed in New York Saturday at
The Arrest of Judge John M.
PuGh

1905.
The Arrest of Judge John M.
Pugh.
We have witnessed much of angry pas
sion eDgendered by political controversy
but have always made due allowance for
the violence into which men may De oe-
trayed, in the heat OF the moment wheh
the blood is up. And when the Struggle
was ended and the issue decided, we have
been used to see those hostile manifesto
tious give place, or the surface at least, to
the amenities of social life. Not 80, how
ever, al. this time, and we are condemned
to witness the exhibition of a spiritof ma
levolence on the part of prominent mem
bers of the successful party, such as has no
parallel in the history OF parties in ONO.
The signal triumph of the Radicals at
the late elections, seems not to satisfy them.
The bitterness that marked their conduct
of the campaign-the foul and slanderous
denunciation of Democrats-their princi-
pies and their purposes by means of which
they were enabled to poison the minds and
secure the votes of the well meaning masses
that voted their ticket, finds no abatement
in the assurance that power Is to continue
In their hands for another Presidentisl
term. On the contrary, they seem anima-
ted by a devilish purpose to destroy their
opponents literally and a, lack OF power
alone controls the will to do 80. This spirit
is made manifest in the malignity with
which they follow up their persecution of
JOHN NJ. PUGH, Judge of the Probate Court
of Franklin county.
.eBefore the last election, and partly for
the purpose of diverting attention from the
frauds they had perpetrated on the second
Tuesday of October. the Radicals got up
an excitement on the subject of alleged
frauds on the naturalization laws. Espe-
cislIy were they Indignant at the number
of Irishnen who had been admitted to citi-
zenship. The Irish, true to their love of
liberty and hatred of oppression, sympa-
thized with their natural friends, the De-
mocray. It was known that they would
vote the Democratic ticket; hence many of
them, lawfully entitled to vote, were re-
jected ut the polls, on the pretext that their
final certificates, which they presented, had
been obtained by fraud. And this, too, by
Judges of election who were receiving
t1eg votes OF negroes, voting the Radical
ticket. who they well knew were not even
within the absurd rule-more white than
black-established by the Supreme Court.
Certainly not less than five hundred of
that class of negroes voted for Judge WI
MANS, the Radical candidate for Congress
In this district, securing him meager
numerical majority OF . little over 100, and
thus defeating the vote of the qualified
electors of the district. 70 divert atten-
tion, as we have said, from this outrage,
case was got up charging JOHN DUFFY,
an Irishman of this city. with hav-
ing fradulently procured the final
certificate of naturalization for one
JxsfEs SMITH. The accusation was SO
destitute of facts to sustain it, that DUFFY
was discharged on full hearing by United
States Commissioner CHrrrENDEN. The
action of the Commissioner zexasperated
the managers, and their rage found ex-
preston In the columns of the Journal, their
mouth piece, in indecent and ibelous as
pensions Of that fiicer. The testimony in
the case established that this JAMES SMITH
was an unmitigated scoundrel, who had
BEEN used for the occasion, and SO glaring
was his infamy that it would have outrag-
ed the community to have predicated
Judgment of even suspicion of guilt on his
testimony. There was danger of reaction
In the public mind that would overwhelm
the aceusers. To avert this consequence
more bold aad ,Apdacisus move, was
made, which resulted in the arrest of Judge
PUGH 1,,s.,i - 49, 4,
Commissioner gHrrTENDEN had refused
to be plant tool. No man could be found
IN this community 40 degraded as TO make
the required affidavit. Resort was had,
therefore, to the rabble of Cincinnati, and
a fit instrument was found to swear as he
u as directed. That the creature who made
the affidaxit In Cincinnati o: which the
warrant for the arrest Of Judge PUGH was
founded, committed perjury, can scarcely
be doubted, because it is quite impossible
that he could have had any knowledge of
the iacts to which he deposed. Upon this
sort Of showing the Judge was taken from
his home, in hot haste, in the custody of
an soficer, before the United States Com
missioner in the city of Cincinnati, upon
Q charge1of having traudulently granted a
certificate of naturalization to this same
JAMES SMITH. -s
When it is considered that this accusa-
tion involves wilful violation of his oath
of Office, corrupt abuse of his judicial func-
ton, falsifeation Of his records, and aid
ing and abetting perjury, for the purpose
of violating the election laws, and when
It is further considered that these crimes
are imputed to gentleman born and
raised in this community, and who, by
life of integrity and the practice Of every
social virtue, had merited the confidence
and regard of all, amazement and alarm
possess our minds. Amusement at the
audacity that has perpetrated the outrage,
and alarm that no position, however high
in public esteem, Is beyond the reach of
Radical malignity. e 80
During the war no applications for ad-
mission TO citizenship were made, fear of
the draft being the obvious reason. The
first Presidential election since the close
of the war was that held on the Sd of this
month. Large numbers of foreigners, prin-
cipally from Ireland, were in this Congress
ional district who had declared their inten-
ton, and were anxious to obtain the right to
vote. They were almost to a man Demo-
Gratis, and desired to vote the Democratic
ticket. No facilities forobtaining the evil
dence of their right would for that reason
be furnished them in the counties of
Greene, Clark or Madison. Judge PUaH
was Democrat. and they came to Column
bus. He had mo- agency whatever in
bringing them here, and had no pow
err TO direct or control the order