Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1872-07-25
The Libel Upon Senator
Trumbull.

On the 9th Of this month the New York |
Times published three columns of false |
hoods and iusinuations about Senator Trum- |
bull. Nobody dreams of taking the rail-
ings of that paper seriously. To oppose the
perpetuation of the Grant Government sub
iects the best and purest men of the country
10 its malignant abuse, which fortunately is
so dull that few people can read it, and so
violent that nobody can consider it truthful.
But its article on the 9th was so long that
1t has greatly impressed certain indiscrimi-
mating papers, especially the Nation, which
thinks that there must be some truth In an
article three columns in length. There is
about as much logic IN this as there was IN
Mr.. Webster's famous dictum that no
country ever lost its liberties which had
waterfall $50 feet high" We have read the
article, with infinite tedium, and can find
no truth in it. But here are some of the
falsehoods it contains, from which the rest
may be inferred:
l. 1t says that Mr.. Trumbull was elected
Senator while 8 Judge, in violation Of law
Mr.. Trumbull had resigned his judgship and
retired from the bench more than year be-
fore be was elected Senator.
2. 1t saws "Ihe Pension Agency at
Springfield, H., was given by President
Grant to Gen. Bloomfield" and adds that
Mr.. Trumbull exiorted the place away from
him by mportunate solicitations. This is
untrue. Gen. Bloomfield was appointed by
Mr.. johnson, and removed by Gen. Grant
al the request of Senator Yates, who desir-
ed the appointment Of DR.. jayne, his life
long friend, and who long since stated these
facts frankly over his own signature.
3. A most detailed aud malicious net
work of misstatements and slanderous in
situations is contained in the TimeS's com.
ments on the McCardle case. To abIidge
it's voluminous malignGncy, it charges, In
short, that Mr.. johnson employed Senator
Trumbul to represent the United States in
that case, paid him fee of $40, 900, and
thus gained his vote in the Impeachment
trial 1t is impossible to conceive false.
hood more wicked and more gratuitous
The man who wrote it knows that in the
Congressional Globe of March Is the facts
and documents in the case, printed at length
show that Senator Trumbull was employed
| by Gen Grant when Secretary of War OF
the 9Th Of January, 1868. AfterWard, wheI
Mr.. Stanton resumed charge Of the Wal
Department he confirmed the appointment
, &C is shown by his letter of March %. Til,
greater portion of the fee was paid by Gen
Rawlins, after Gen. Grant became Presi
dent. In the face of these facts the Time
has the shameless audacity to accuse Ssna
tor Trumbull of having been bribed b.
Q Andrew Johnson with this fee, and paper
o making such pretensions to candor as The
Nation shake their heads over the vii
Islander, and say il requires explanation.
y We wish it distinctly understood that thi
n is not defense of Senator Trumbull.
= there is man in the United States in
trenehed impregnably against cslnmny b
mere force of character, he is such an one
We do not defend him; we arrsign tn
. Times and the Shaking politicians benin
it who prepared this article, as reckless an
awkward libelers York Tribune.