The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-09-09
Mr, COIfax and the sentinel.

Last week the Sentinel published
vile and obscene attack upon our for
eigh born citizens. The Sentinel said
that it was a speech or an extract
from a speech delivered BY Mr.. Col
fax In 1855. On Monday we publish
ed card from Mr.. Colfax, denying
that he ever entertained or uttered
any such sentiments as were attribut-
ed to him by the Sentinel. He fur
Their stated that the same speech
had been published in 1855 by
the Democratic press of Indiana as
having been delivered by a Mr.. Wilson,
who was candidate for Congress in
the Second District, and afterwards
IN 1868 the same papers, including
the Sentinel, published it as having
been delivered by Mr.. Colfax. He
denied it promptly and publicly. No
one attempted to prove that he bad
ever delivered s5ch speech. And
now the Sentinel, knowing that the
denial had been made, and without
any proof or attempted proof of the
genuineness of the speech, republishes
it as having been made by Mr.. Colfax.
In commenting upon Mr.. Colfax's
card, the Sentinel of Tuesday says:
schuyler Colfax ence more denies that
he made a Know Nothing speech attribut-
ed to him"
This is a concession that the edi-
tor knew of Mr.. Colfax's previous de-
NAL, and yet in the face Of this it re-
peats the forgery without an attempt
TO meet the denial by proof. When
Mr.. Voorhees, was accused of utter
ing certain reasonable sentiments in
a speech at Greencastle during the
war, he denied it, whereupon the
witnesses who heard him use the Ian
guage, came forward over their own
signatures and made proof against
him.
The statement about Mr.. Voorhees,
was backed by proof. The Sentinel
makes no attempt to prove its charge
against Mr.. Colfax. But the Sentinel
argues deductively that Mr.. Colfax
said, at the time Sumner was assault
ed by Brooks in the Senate chamber,
that the assault would make ten thou
sand Republican votes In Indiana,
the same consideration would
prompt him to falsely deny that
he had made the speech attrib-
uted to him. We do not know
whether Mr.. Coliax made that state
ment or not, and the word of the
editor of the Sentinel is not enough
to prove that he did. But suppose
we apply the EDITORS deduotive pro-
cess of reasoning to himself. Ii
man is base enough to engage in
reasonable conspiracy, the object of
which was to inaugurate civil war in
Indiana: if he would join a band of
assassins sworn to take the life of the
Governor of the State; if, when he
was detected. be would betray his
associates and become a witness
against them to save his own neck,
would he hesitate to swear to false
affidavit for a continuance In a suit In
the Marion Civil Circuit Court, or
would he hesitate to publish forgery
upon the Vice President?
In fine contrast with the course of
the Nentinel is the manner In which
the New Albany Ledger, the leading
Democratic paper of Indiana, treats
Mr.. Colfax. Having done him an
unintentional wrong, it promptly
makes amends as follows:
ga few days since we published an ex-
tract, purpOrting to be taken from a
speech of Mr.. Schuyler Celfax, delivered
a number of years since, which contained
a most disgrRceful TRADE OF abuse of for
eigners. Vice President Colfax addresses
a letter to the Indianapolis Journal in
which he denies ever having uttered the |
language, and states that the extract at |
luded to was published several years |
since as having been delivered by a gentle |
man in Southern Indiana. We MAKE this |
in order that no injustice shall |
be done Mr.. @. by the publication which |
appeared In the Ledger"
Under Mr.. Bright's management |
the Sentinel is rapidly sinking under
the weight of it's own ilth.-IRdi0n
ap0lts Journal