New-York tribune., 1872-09-16
the same issue, however, we find more pre-
else secondhand assurance from special
Philadelpbia correspondent, who says:

Harranft held the Office OF Auditor General, and he
stated TO mo In conversation yesterday that he never
knew better faithful public official than Hart
ranft vindication coming from man Of tho high
character OF Mr. Brewster who, until recently has been
claimed by the Liberal Republicans, cannot but have
great weight with the voters of Pennsylyania"
This is rather more to the purpose, and we
shall look to Mr. Brewsters defense with in
terea. lie is good lawyer, we believe, and
especially skilled, as we understand, IN the
defense of individuals situated as Mr. Hart
ranft is Just now OF his reputed adherence
to the Liberal Reform party we had never
heard, always regarding him as the lifelong
friend historically at least, of Senator Cam
erOn, to whom long ago he was indebted, for
The foundation of his political and profess
sional fortunes. Whether they are friends
now we really do not know. They certainly
ought to be, if he defends incarnate Camera
! nianism incarnate in Hartranft; and if they are
not. such gallantry in defense of desperate
cause may lead late IN the day to recOnclia-
ton. Neither is he now attorney General
"Brewster.' Still, his advocacy is something,
and will doubtless have great weight in con-
seryative Philadelphia, where he is known and
beloved.
1t is to be hoped that the late Attorney
General and The Times too will confine them
selves to the points in dispute, some of which
we will endeavor to restate, dsmissing any
matters of mere disputed facts. OF the latter
class are those stated in the Yerkes affidavit.
These are said to be forged, or in some way
simulated, and without conceding this, for they
have marvelously genuine flavor, we are
willing for the present to throw them out OF
the case, merely remarking that there is per-
fectly simple mode of ascertaining if Yerkes
actually made the affidavit, not by his own
testimony, but by confronting with him the
respectable magistrate before whom the alleged
jurat was made. This is a great deal better
than mutilated extracts from letters written
or said to be written by Yerkes in Jail to his
friend Hartranft in office, such as were pro-
duced the other night in Philadelphia by the
Grant District-AttOrney for Western Pennsyl-
vania-a Mr.. III. Beecher SwOpe This
however, is disputed fact, and we
leave it. Others are unquestioned. No
one denies the genuineness of the
accounts current and the IIartranft
correspondence, especially the Oil Creek letter.
1t is as well established as are Kemble's Zone
of the confederates) letters of insult to Mr..
Belmont or suggestion to Mr.. CoHey. In one
of those letters an Attorney General figures.
Which of the Mr. Brewsters, as there are two
this was, we have no means of knowing but
if Mr.. b. H., we shall be glad to have his
opinion personally and officially on the con-
duct it reveals. Trumping up a false claim
for taxes against an innocent corporation, and
then using the information of his Office to
speculate on fall in its stock. Finding that
the game of depression was likely to fail III
consequence Of the action of an Attorney
General, again using confidential official in
formation to speculate on rise: "Buy as
soon as possible he writes, for the At
"tOrney- General has given decision
against our settlement which takes
"the starch right out" What is meant
by "oar settlement in the correspondence
between customer and broker is not very clear,
but this perhaps, the lawyers Messrs. Brew
ster and Swope and The Times will explain.
We repeat the question, What would be
thought of lawyers clerk or bankers or
merchants bookkeeper-for Hartranft is in
that relation to the public-speculating on the
secrets of the Office, the bank, or the count
ing-houseI
Now here is one specific point, all we can
deal with to-day to which we direct attention.
There are Others of equal and greater moment
to which, with the permission of our jealous
Philadelphia friends, we shall hereafter refer.
Our private correspondence from Philadelphia
itself and from all parts of the State satisfies
us that the honest Reformers Of Pennsylvania,
even differing from us i'll actual politics,
thank us for our attention to the sub
ject. We venture in conclusion to give
specimen. Ii is dated on the 10th, and comes
from one of the strongest Republican counties
of the State. Such letters largely reconcile us
to remonstrmce elsewhere. 81 sec The North
american Of to-day makes pretense of an
"swering your charges, but it is a mere eva
" sion. 1t occurs to me you may not have
" seen or critically examined the charges made
against Hirtranft by Senator Billingfelt Of
Lancaster. He made six points which are
damaging, and no friend of Hartranft has
"ventured to deny them, though they have
"been published over month. Mr.. Billing
I" felt will soon establish them from official
"records. He is only waiting until some re-
"sponsible party attempts to deny them. He
"will take the stump against Hartranft, though
"he is not for Greeley. The Ring corruption
lists are doing their best to crush him, but he
"defes then all. If there is an honest public
"man in the State it is Esaias Billingfelt."
--
WILL MR.. HENRY WILSON SPEAKf