New-York tribune., 1870-10-20


Military service of the Union, which he did
not ouit till after the last Rebel force had
laid down its arms. He entered as sub
altern. and rose to the command of regiment
and TO be military Governor of Charleston
from and after the fight Of her Rebel
garrison. If he performed no dazzling feats of
arms, he did from first to last all that was
required of him-all that one in his position
could properly do. In war, only the very few
can choose their place or work; the many
must stand where they are posted and do as
they are ordered Thus did Stewart L. Wood
ford. to the perfect satisfaction of his superiors,
and to such acceptance among his comrades
that they have twice indicated him as their
choice for important civil trusts. He owes
his present nomination to the favor and prefer
ence of the Union volunteers of our State. Does
any one believe that they have so honored
one incompetent or unwOrthyf
Being candidate, he is of course assailed
and DETAINED, as | would be if had been NOM
mated instead. Even his personal and official
integrity is impeached, as it never was in my
hearing during the many years have known
him in private life. l presented his name to
the Republican State Convention of 1866 as a
soldier candidate for Lieutenant Governor and
he was nominated on the second or third ballot,
over the heads of such able and trusted vet
Grams as Thomas G.. AlvOrd and Dewitt G. Lit
tleiohp. Then, though still young and un-
known to the greater number of our voters,
and though it was predicted that he would
drag the ticket he received heavier vote
and larger majority than Gov. Fenton, whose
a,
when, two years before, he ran ahead of Presi-
dent Lincoln.
During the two years that Gen. Woodford
served as Lieutenant Governor, Inever heard
serious complaint of his official conduct. l
know that he made formidable enemy by
refusing to put Mr.. VIM. M. Tweed on the
Senate's Committee on Cities and Villages, and
that he is now suffering the consequences
one hundred thousand extra copies Gas learn
and beleve) of last Saturdays Sun, nearly
filed with q knavish and envenOmed attack
on Gen. WOOdford having been ordered and
paid for by Mr.. Tweed, and at his expense
spread over the State. 1t is this attack which
/ now address you to confront and expose.
Mr. Woodford, then a young and rising
lawyer at our bar, was appointed an assistant
District Attorney here soon after Mr.. Lincoln's
Inauguration. As such, he. incurred the impla-
cable hostility of the then u s. Marshal for
this district, whose scheme of enriching him
self by wholesale discovery and confscation
of Southern funds then held in trust in our
City he aided to defeat. President Lincoln de-
cided, on full consideration, that this sweep
ing inquiry and confscaton would ALLEVIATE the
Banks and Trust Companies which held the
property in question, and whose good will
was then essential to the Financial success of
the Government-so Marshal Murray was con-
strained tomake his large fortune in other ways.
Gen. Woodford has suffered, still suffers, and
is content to suffer- from the enmity thus ex-
cited.
The circumstances which have been utilized
by ex-Marshal Murray to crafty that hostility
are as follows:
In June, 1861, the bark Augusta was libeled
by Marshal Murray as a suspected SLAYER. Mr..
Woodford as Assistant District Attorney, con-
Quoted the legal proceedings which resulted
in her condemnation. He was then required
to name one of two appraisers OF the value OF
said vessel and her cargo, and did so. She
was appraised at $4,000; but, that appraisement
not giving satisfaction, she was reappraised-
this time at s4,2OO-for which sum she was
bonded and discharged; whereupOn she was
again started on a (presumptively) shaving
voyage, again arrested, and finally brought to
grief.
Meantime. District Attorney Delafield Smith,
having heard of Muuay's insinuations that
something was wrong in his office wrote to
the Secretary of the Interior, requesting an
investigation. Secretary Caleb b. Smith there
upon requested the Hon. Wm. D. Shipman
Democrat, u S. District Judge for Connect-
cut, to come here and, in connection with
Geo. C.. Whiting, esq, make such investiga-
ton. Judge Shipman promptly did the extra
work imposed upon him, came here and, assO-
cated with Mr. Whiting called before him
separately Messrs. Murray, Woodford, and
every one else who could throw light on the
subject, heard their testimony in full and re-
ported its substance to the Secretary, with this
Judgment thereon
"We think we have all the points in the evidence that
call for remark and it gives unfeigned pleasure to
submit unqualified judgment that official corrup-
ton misconduct has been proved against any one"
Secretary Smith in turn examined the re-
port and the judgment, and officially con-
Cured in the latter, as follows:
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
"WAsHISGToN, Jan. s, 1862
upon careful examination Of all the testimony ad-
duced at the recent investigation held before Judge
Shpman, | am satisfied that couson existed be-
tween any of the officers of the Federal Judiciary
New-York City and the parties who interested in
the bark Augusta"
What more need be said? Nine years have
almost elapsed since the case was thus inves-
tigated and closed by the proper authorities.
What hope can the most desperate political
necessity incite that any capital can be made
by reopening it now9
The only points which seem TO be made by
the cnnsniratnrs against Gen. WoOdfOrd are