The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1870-07-14


! for he was a lawyer of large capacity and could
not believe an absurdity. He had too much
regard for bis professional character to maintain
/ legal proposition which he knew to be false.
| He certainly would not have so debased him
self in the eyes of the administration with
whom he was particularly desirous, al that
/ time, to stand well.
! On this point wish to be very distinct.
/ aver that Stanton, thoroughly, cordially and
| constantly approved of and concurred ia the
/ constitutional doctrines which you denounce
/ timid and reasonable. He indorsed the opin
| ion of his predecessor with e&iravagant and
undeserred iaudatlon; he gave his adhesion to
| the annual message in many ways and the
! special message of 9Th January, 1861, which
| expressed the same opinion With added empha-
sis, was carefully read over to him before it was
sent to Congress, aud received his unqualified
assent. The existing evidence of this can be
! easily adduced; 1t is diract, as we'll as ciTcum
stantIal, oral as well documentary, and some
of it in the handwriting of Mr.. Stanton him
| self. If you are willing TO pat the question
! into proper foI IN for judicial investigation,
| will aid you in doing so, and give YOU an op-
portunity to make out your case before an i'm
| partial tribunal.
If your statement be true that Mr. Stanton
! disbeieved in the principles to which the ad
ministration was unchangably pledged. how
| did he come to take office under itf Vas he
so anxious for public employment that he con-
sented- to give up his own firm convictions
| and assist in carrying out measures which his
judgment condemned the offspring of timid
ity and treasor2 Or, did he accept the conf
dence of the President and the Cabinet with
predetermined intent TO betray i'll Either way
you make him guilty of unspeakable meanness-
But concedng that he would accept, why
| did the President, with the consent of his ad
visers, give the appointment To man whom
| they knew to be hos lie to them upon points so
vital not only to the public interests but their
| oh al they
| would invite an undisguised enemy into their
ceunsels is a tale as wildly improbable as any
that ever was swallowed by the creduityof the
Salem witch finders. Your own consciousness
| of this compels you to explain by attributng
| it to a special Intervention of Divine PrOvi-
dence Your impious theory is that Almighty
God procured this appointment miraculously,
| in order that YOU, the enemies of the American
| Constitution, might have spy in the camp OF
its friends. This will not serve your turn =
! Reason never refers human event to super
| natural agency, unless ii be Impossible to ac-
| count for il IN auy other way. The mystery of
this case is easily cleared zap by the hypothesis
that you have msI epresented it from beginning
10 end; which is no miracle at all but quite in
! the natural order of things.
The truth is, Mr. Stanton was in perfect &C
cord with the administration, before and after
| he became part of IL. on every question OF
| Fundamental principle. II e had tied con-
! fdence in the men with whom he was acting,
and they corided in him. For his chief and
| some of his colleagues he prOfessed an attach
ment literally bOundl, IS for all OF them who
! stayed during the term and for Thompson,
| who did not STAY he was warm in his friendship.
| You would now have us believe that these were
| merely the arts of accomplished impoS er;
that while he was, in appearance, zealously CO.
| operating with Us, he was reporting to you that
che saw treason il every part OF the Govern
ment;" and that he was secretly using all the
means in his power to stir up the vileSt passions
| against Us.
Some overt acts of the treachery you ascribe
| to him are curiors3 for instance, the Sumner
| story, which you tell with singular brevity and
| GOODNESS. Mr.. Sumner called him at his
| office, for what purpose you do not Disclose
| Mir. Stanton did not receive his visitor either
with tn poliieness of gentleman or the cour-
tesy due to a Senator, much less with the cor
| dia!itv of a friend but hIstled him out of the
| building as if ashamed to be seen with him in
] DAYLIGHT He told him expressly that he did
| not dare to converse with him there, but would
see him at one O'clock that night The hour
came, and then, when tho city was wrapped in
| sleep, he skulked Tay TO the meeting place,
where, under the cover of darkness, he whis-
| pered the tales which he DID NOT DARE TO UTTER
| in the hearing Of the parties they were intended
| TO ruin And those parties were his friends
and benefactorsi Into what unfatbome CULTS
| of moral degradation must the mau have fallen
| who could be guilty of this! But remember,
| tnlS Is anOtD6P SeCOuu-hdLu SlOEl duu you are
not a competent witness. We will trouble YOU
to call Mr. Sumner if you please. Let him
! testify what treason Stanton disclosed, and ex
plain if he can, how this midnight and secret
| information against men whom he was afraid
! to confront is consistent with Mr.. Stanton's
| character as courageous, outspoken and hon
| est man.
He sa id nothing whatever to US about the
treason which he saw in every part of the Gov
| eTnment. He made no report of his discover
les to the President. He maintained unbroken
his fraterna Ielations with his colleagues. BY
| your own account, he admitted to Mr.. Sumner
| that he did not DARE TO SPEAK of such thing,
even III his own office, lest it might reach the
| ears-of his associates in the administration
! Among the members of Congress whoih you
name as the recipients of his secret communi
cations, not one OF moderate views is included;
much less did he speak to any friend of the
parties accused He cautiously selected their
bittefest enemies and poured his venom into
hearts already fostering with spite. The House
raised a committee to Investigate reasonable e
Vaccinations and conspiracieS," upon which
there were members of both parties. Stanton
did not go before it and tell his story; nor did
he mention the subject to CoChrane, Reynolds
or Branch. but he ''made an arrangement by
, | which Messrs. Howard and Dawes were in
formed" of whatever they wanted to know
It appears too, that committee of vigilance
was organized by the more active Republican
members OF Congress; III other words, the ex
treme partisans of both houses got up secret
) body of their own, not to perform any lega
duty pertaining to their Offices, not to devise
public measures for averting the ruin which
threatened the country, but 10 prowl about il
3 the dark for something to crafty persona
malice make little capital for their party
You were member of that party, as it wal
fit that you should be, and Mr.. Stanton gave
(; YOU ''warnings and suggestions how to pro
i coed This is what YOU call "rising in tha
e crisis above the claims of partisansblp." A
t night he assisted you to rake the sewers il
search Of materials to bespatter his coliea gues
o and every morning he appeared before them Il
!. s'renew the assurances of his distinguished con
:, sidetation" 1t was thus shat. in your estiula
ton. "he consecrated himself TO the LOFT
duties of an EXALTED patriotism
= What cargoes OF defamatcry falsehood h
:, must have consigned to your keeping! 70
: do -,nt hrenk the foul bulk but You have give