The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1870-05-05
nI0se wind from ,he Burstea Babble
Mr.. Mclaughlin Still On the War Path
He Reviews MFR. Pershfn2's RepIy~-
More about the schoatterIy Letter.
[From the Johnstown Democrat.

IFrom the. Johnstown Democrat
MesSrS Editors-I am pleased to find
that you gave Mr. Pershing the advantage
OF proof sheet of my statement, in reply to
a request made to me by numerous citizens
Of this place, in order that he might have
an opportunity Of replying il the same issue
of your paper. Had you notified me of Mr..
Pershing's request, ] would have cheerfully
assented to it, for it was just the very place
wished to have his reply-side by side
with that statement and his own letter.
1t seems to me, as it has doubtless struck
your readers, that had Mr.. Pershing restrain
ed himself until the following week, he, as
well as his friends, might have had a less
reason to blush for the character of that re
ply. But might ask Mr. Pershing Of
" hat he complains in my statement. and
the publication of his letter, which he seems
highly indignant, not only with me. but the
respectable citizens who signed the call
Has he not clearly condemned himself2 If
his letter was all right, why manifest such
Indignation and bad temper at It's publica-
tion Should he not rather have demanded
its publication But let US see what his
reply amounts to. ! shall review il briefly.
1st. 1t was very wrong for me to open
this letter, which purported to be for the
bill. If it was. would that in the slightest
degree relieve Mr.. Pershing2 Bat MIR. Per
shing says he told me the contents of this
letter. | will not say that Mr.. Pershing
states here what hG knows to be barefaced
falsehood, for that would be impoite to such
an honorable gentleman. It is merely slip
of the memory which will endeavor to cor
rect by asking him few questions Did
you tell me that IL was confidential? That
you had been strongly tmportuned to go to
Harrisburg 2 That the business of button
holing members for their votes was diStaste-
tfuI to you T? That you had been strongly
pressed to write2 That tie naked PROPOSE
tion to remove the county seat would be in
iquitable2 That "on this subject you must
get al the hight You can, and then vote as
your conscience tells you is right 2" That
Beyond Mis haOe no demands to make or
adrlce to give? That many # our Democrat
&c. friends fear. ho,cever. that there is some
thing political concealed behind The increment"
That Gould hare a personal interUietr /
could more fully explain myself and The sub
Ject 2" Aud that you said again, please
regard this as coafdenhaI2" I challenge
Mr.. Pershing to say that he told me one
word of this. He knows. and my friends
know, that had he done so, I would have
cast it in his face. But is it not clear that
Mr. Pershing penned this statement without
reflection, and when, perhaps. his reason
was wandering from dread of the exposure
which MS fellow citizens demanded 2 If |
knew the tCltOle contents of the letters, then
they were not confidential for the eyes Of the
parties alone, to whom they were addressed.
Why, then, let me ask, complain Of open
ing the Schnatteriy letter If its contents
were confidential between Mr.. Pershing and
myself, then l would be equally guilty as he
is in acting in bad faith toward cur people
But if became R partner with you, sir, in
this business Of treacherously deceivng our
people, would | not. like you, try to cover
my tracks ? Surely the last thing l would
do would be TO reveal the contents of that
letter. There is DO loop-hole here for you
But the letter was con fdental. and only to
be seen by Mr.. SchDatterly That is, you
gave me letter, on my solicitation, pur-
porting to advocate the bill, but Mr.. SchnaJ-
terly must keep it a profound secret, and
let no one know that he received it, much
less disclose its contents! Just hear him:
"a confidential letter. the cor tents of which
al honorable gentleman like Mr. Schnatter-
~ would not have divulged !" Reason and
CON mon sense, why abandon my friend in
his distress? No, / don't suppose Mr.
Schnatterly would have divulged the con
tents OF that letter.
But | ask the reader to reflect moment,
and suppose this state Of facts: That neth-
er Mr.. Brown or Mr. Schnatterlv were there
and that these letters were strongly in favor
of the bill and that found. as l have sta
ted, political argument used on the Dem
ocratic sde of the House to defeat it, aud
that the bill was defeated by this argument;
and that | returned these letters to Mr.. Per-
shing unopened, would not he, and every
man IN the community in favor of the meas
ure, censure me in the strongest terms ?
More than this. would it not leave me open
to the strongest suspicious that | had gone
over to our opponents, and betrayed our
people, Mr.. Pershing knew that l was not
his agent, but a principal in advocating this
bill. and that, under the circumstances, the
letter was mine, to be used in the interests
Of our people, in the absence Of the party to
whom it was addressed. Should l hesitate
at this critical time, until l got permission
from him to use it 2 Is there any person so
silly as to think so? No, nor Mr.. Pershing
never would have complained had the letter
been of the right character.
But Mr.. Pershing has been fishing since he
heard he was accused of this act of bad faith
He wrote for the letters, and from informa-
ton which he says he has received, he has
reason to believe the Schnatterlv letter was
opened previous TO the time stated l chal-
enge Mr.. Pershing to prove anything differ>
eut from what said on the subject. l may
state here, however, that I deeply regret
(and it is the only thing'for which am CEN
sured by the friends of the measure) that l
did not open this letter Immediately. wher
l found Mr.. Schnattery was not there
Had l done so. Mr.. Brown would never
have received his. l would Immediately
have disclosed its contents. Mr.. Pershing
alleges that Mr.. Schnatterly was in Harris
burg for several hours after arrived there
| here give all the information / have at
present on that subject. was informed by
Mr.. Bolton, or bis clerk. when 1 returned
from my brother-in-law's, about 2 O'Clock
that day, that he had gone home. But here
is despatch which l received from Mr..
Bolton to- day on that subject: