Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1872-09-27
The Rev. Mr. DenisOn Replies to Senn-
tor Wilson and States More Facts.
FEron the Golden A

CFrom the Golden Age.]
Honorable and Dear Sir You have
thought proper to address me through the
public papers. [ therefore feel it to be my
duty to reply to you in the same manner.
We have known each other for the last
quarter of century as Outspoken advo-
Gates Of the prohibition by law Of the man
ufacture and sale as beverage, of all in
toXicating drinks. 1t was on this account
that | called on you several times in the
winter of 1872, with view to induce you
to accept the nomination of the National
Prohibition party as their candidate for
President of the United States. Our con-
versations related to public men,
to public measures, and, of course, to
President Grant, who was then seeking, as
he is now, by public appeal to the Ameri-
can people, to be reelected to the first pub
| lie office in the land.
In one of those conversations, held in
! your own room, open to the public in
| Washington, without intimation on that
| subject on my part, you, honorable sir,
startled me with the remark:
"President Grant drinks too much"
| After moments pause you added: 81
have told him so.''
| Another brief pause ensued, when you
again added: "The President smokes too
much. He is poisoned through and
| through"
When I demonstrated with him about it.,
the President said to me, Il smoke mild
CIGARS THAT may be, Mr.. President l
replied, but you smoke too many of them. "
| These, Senator Wilson are the exact
words used by you Oh that occasion. Y gu
cannot have forgotten them. 1t is of no
use for you to deny them. Neither can it
be denied that the Hon. William E. Dodge,
of New Y ork, and other gentlemen devo.
ted to the temperance reform, have sought
to induce President Grant to sign the
pledge of total abstinence.
In giving this statement Of yours to our
countrymen, Mr.. Senator, you, who have
known me many years, are we'll aware
that [ am actuated by no other desire than
to do what l can to aid the voters Of
America to arrive at right conclusions with
regard to their duty toward the meu who
solicit their votes. Your statements to me,
honorable sir, respecting the drinking hab-
its of President Grant are of such a nature
as to render it imperative that l should
give them to the public. | have, there
fore, given your statements to the press in
answer to call made on me by gentle
man and man of honor. You and 1, sir
and the parties we both represent, must
abide by the result.
Allow me to reply, in conclusion, to the
opinion you volunteer in your letter tC
me, as to the character of the facts ad,
duced in my published letter to Mr.. Y err
ringtOn. Every one of these facts, sir, is
literally and strictly true. All of them
are furnished to me by gentlemen whose
words no one will dare dispute. One O
, them was handed to ne by a most distin
guished United States Senator, whom yoJ
and know very well, in letter addressed
to him by a scholar of known repute il
,, Cambridge, Mass. And you, Mr.. Senator
confess to the truth Of your own Statement
to me with regard to the well-known drink
! ing habits Of President Grant, by admit
ting, in the letter to which l am now re
, plying, that he uses liquor as beverage t.
such an extent that yUlt say you had :
G mind to ask him to sign the total absti
, hence pledge, and join tie Congressional
:. Temperance Society.
l respectfully submit that. by these con
=, | fessiOns, you have established my who'll
case.
L avail myself Of the opportunity to ad,
, that, when any responsible citizen, directl
authorized to speak for President Grant
F., publicly denies the truth Of the statement a
TO his drinking habits made by me, names
,, places and dates ill be produced. | an
, prepared to maintain the exact truth @
: every word L have stated.
L remain, Mr.. Senator, your Ubeuieu
| servant,
7 CHARLES WHEELER DENIsoN,
Secretary Of tie National Prohbitio,
Committee,
= Washington, august 26, 1872.