New-York tribune., 1870-09-28
FLORIDA AND HER fISANUL''

DI-tar oC The Trfb""e'
:" - - of the 18th inst. contains an az
OH ioui =: an editorial under the heau W
tack uVOn aIY ;ab iusice requires that be aiio"'o
..aoa,ror tbrough lis columns. 1ou say o, Gov
~ uuer turned over me i bis adhesion and
suPpOiS made that occasion was ~
A"o t 4, GOV Reeds newspaper keao IT, iou VIZ
- in no " adhesion or support Al ''.u "1'
LIZ. n obedience TO military ordef lssueu y! "'SO
tnS' t ,,a,de then commanding in Florida s'ureh-
Gen h''',, c,or,,,cnt 10 Gov Reed, and hoped that
ueIO .+o, NJ the United States and OF the State OF
.S Us a,s the holy Bible "a copy Of each OF which
.antet 70 hm) would be his chart ana compass
prb the difficult sea he was about to navigate You
say;
Don the Supreme Bencn' Gov heeu reIusou' anu 'Hon
~ Walker denounced him.
TOi. is all untrue. never asked 10 be "placed upon
b sppreme Bench" for any other Office either for
myself or for any else except Henry Cook, oolored
man did ask Gov. Reed to retain Henry Cook, an
honest man. the nobestwork Of Cod" servant in the
Executive Office. 1t is not true that denounced Gov
reed for any cause except Nose mentioned in my letter
to which Won refer and other Of similar character.
Ru the reason Of my wrneyOu this letter is the ser
ous ipsinuation YOU make agains in the following
paragraph. You say:
"Goy walker had been Register OF the state Land
Oece nreyous TO being Governor but, OF course, he
never stole ANYTHING though SOoOp had been absorbed
somewhere! Not dollar Wa lour. ~. IN the treasury
dollar az over 100000 received rom be sale OF lands
conld he found and the only accounts ere the scattered
entries of lands in the books and maps othe land office
Ny .ir A. tlis is the first insinuatlI that any man,
living or dead has ever made against gritty, beg
hat Won will publish my brief answer
- true mat chad been the Regist- Of the state
Ind Office previous to being Governor MT IIoeg you
q, remember that was not Register 'Ting the six
a s1,a ima.s hef
Governor l was in the Office Of Registe'Shen was
lected bv an almost unanimous vote Of e people, to
plaee on the Supreme Bench Of the stat" served
there tx years and then was elected by aipbsoutely
unanimous vote Of the people TO the Office OGovernor
Now. sir 90 you believe that the eople Of
FLORIDA would unanimously, Republicans Vi Demo
rts have conferred these important offices Sn me, If
tbar, bsJ beeu any suspicion of my integntl know
,-pu don't think so-yOu can't think so.
A-ain nj ne last election preceding Secessh was
10 Wi. ar "a. INV opponents called me, the Unu candi-
datc FOR Governor That was very heated casss All
tLs batteries OF the Democratic party were madfO play
anon 1pr with fun vicor But not a word agshnmy in
ferrtv was ever uttered from any source; F2s de-
fested hv "a majority Of only 800 while the Dehratic
major in the state was 5000 Now, don't yen Unk II
had been guilty Of the great crime WhCS YOU fate
tbaf .oueh0dv would have gotten an inkling OF and
yorlS have used il against in that cauyahsf lnOw
KraiT NJ everv session Of the Legislature whilewas
Reglstar Committee sent 20 nvesugate th;on-
duct and books of all the officers. Their punlsLt re
port. show that they always reported an Eght 4ny
office 10 You believe could have deceived each Che
nine committees that reported on my Ohce durlh Ae
nine wears was in 10. No, Sir; you cannot think So
In conclusion do you think il ls possible thAi go
have cheated poor state as florlda Is our o eopO
and nobody found it out during the nine years WAC
Office or during the ten years that have elapsed s1l
was in office and that TINS act could only be found
during the Summer OF 1870 by man whom II hAa peco
nay painful duty 10 denOuuce for his venahty ana corr
f0nf No sir; you don't think that either IheH "ii.i
YOU thinks Why, sir you think that am innocent OF u
charge, and that the who told you thtSe thl.
about r,e is a liar and slanderer This know II WI
Won think But will you SdV "a! II you nave I
nerve your friends give you credit for you wil. II
prefer the OF your party in Florida 70 the Js
you owe TO one whose character you nave NaHJou!
sailed, you viii not. q, n,
know nothing of the books in the Registers ON
0f Florida know when left that office ten years ~
the books showed every Of land that had been sO
the price for which IL sold the name OF the purchas
aud that every dollar and every cent was honestly pa
over To the Treasurer, required by law.
As have put nothing in this letter except what
strictly IN the line OF my defense against the attack
YOUR ed toral, I confidently hope you will give II
prsmueat place in your widely circulated paper
you gave the editorial which elected II. Most respe
fully your Obe dent servant,
Macon, Ga, sept. Il, 1870.