Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1873-04-24
THE SICK .Ei.f.E.
Collins SS. CeIIiHs.

References to my defeat, is Tissue Of
faisenOo0 and misrepresentation iron
beginning 10 end, and is well worthy
oi Its author. When l was nominated
il was understood by all who knew
me, and to tho Convention, tnat 4 Was
IN iuIi sympathy with the temperance
movement.
IL never sought the influence or
Votss oi i.e sAioUn-Aeepers eitner dl-
lectIy Ur inulrectly. L never wrote a
letter 10 the saloOu-kerpSrs or anyone
eize, soliciting the Ii uuence VI tie
wnisky men, and 80 tar as / know l
Was guilty. o1 no dupilcity or uoabie-
dealing ia the matter.
II slated repeatedly that preferred
defeat lO beng elected by or Ill the ln-
terest OF tile whisky power. l had
supposed that ny record on the tenn
peIs.nce question was 40 we'll known,
In this community at least, rs 10 re-
guire no explanation from mt; but as
siIence may be taken as an admission
OF the truth Of the Chronicle state
Hiens, desire thus publicly 10 deny
them, j. III. COLLINS"
We clip the above from the Inter
prise of the I7th inst, and were 1t not
that it characterizes our editorial Oh
the 10th inst. a Tissue OF falSehoOd
and misrepresentation from beginning
to end" we would in charity to its de-
funct author, allow it to pass as a slight
expression of the corroding grief and
modification which has born so heaVi-
ly upon him ever since the election.
That our readers may have before
them that part of Our article which MIR.
Collins seeks to conlrnyert, we repro
duce il here:
with one hand Mr. Collins would
seek to impress the temperance ele-
ment Of the county, by secret circu-
Lar. signed by his personal request anu
circulated by his own hand, that he
was the reconciliation Of temperance
and that the whisky element had
something 70 fear from him, and with
the other he would indite u letter,
asking, why do the saloon keepers op-
pose met One day he woulu secure
tie election from Sabbath School to
4 temperance convention In columbus
and the next, he would go to Columbus
t. keep up appeSranco=, but 1edce tht
city before the convention assembled.
One minute ne would say 10 t. emper-
suce man that the republican candI- |
date was not temperate. and the next,
when asked if there was any difference
between himself and the other candi- |
date on that question, he would reply
tlere was none"
The secret circular TO which we re-
ferred, as being signed upon the repre- |
sentation and by the personal request OF
Mr. Collins, was in the following
words:
$40 the Friends of Temperance in Bel
''ao,H County:
"WHEREAs, An effort Is being made
throughout Belmont county, ny the
saloon keep..S of said county, to rally
their forces in favor of Judge Cowen,
ss a candidate to the Constitutional
Convention. and against J. III. Collins,
Esa., as Iusn from whom they think
they nave something to fear.
"Cherefore, we the undersigned
friends of Temperance feel it our duty
to forewarn all good friends Of thej
te.npsrance cause, Of this combination
O me whisky power, and to assure
them by our own personal knowledge,
tat their interests are involved In the
erection of j. =. Collins, Esq., as dele
gaze to said Constitutional Convent
ton" (SIGNED.)
BARNEsvILLE, O., March 3lst, '73.
1--WE the Undersigned citizens Oi
Rarnesvilie, without regard to party,
fllly csncur in the foregoing, anu
rs,comiIienu ali good citizens " mo love
law and order, to vote for MI. Collins
for delegate to the Constitutional Con
vention." (SIGNED.) /
Mr.. J. H. Collins took the above
document in his o,ca hand, and by II
garbIed reading and false represents
tion Of its contents, secured the sigma
ture of at least one of the signers that
we know of. But we further said that
in WIS circulated by his own hand. and
in proof OF this We can produce ehve-
iopea addressed in his o,cn Handwriting,
containing the above circular. Doee
A.r. Collins deny assertion number
one? ifso, he Will have to bring some-
thing stronger than his unsupported
statement to disprove it. :
We stated again that he indited a
letter to a gentleman in Beliaire, ask
ing, why do the saloon keepers oppose
me . in proof of that assertion We re-
produce the letter:
BARNEsvILLE, o., April Sd, 1873.
Dear Sir You told me to-day that
the saloons in Bellaire were all against
NE. What grounds haze they for being |
against nGe7
Has any one from BarneSville writ
ten any letters to Bellaire to the saloons
advising them TO support Cowen?
Ifany one has written any such let
ters, [ would like to get the letter il
possible. VIII you find this for me
and if possible get me one o, the letters
fsignedl J. Il. COLLINS.
Did you not Mr.. Collins write this
letter, and If you did is the assertioa
that you indited a letter asking, why
do the saloon keepers oppose me, s
''tissue of falsehood ?" or have you il.
your exceeding great virtue proven
yourself to be the prince of liars.
Again, the assertion that Mr.. Collins
went to Columbus as the Delegate OF
the N. E. Sunday School, to a Tenn
pera9ce Convention apd Eever wenI
near the Convention, but left the city
before it convened, we can prove by al
least two respectable gentlemen whe
left the city on the same train, and by
one of his own party friends who wss
In attendance at the Convention. Mr..
Collins dare hot deny the truth of this
statement, and yet it is "a tissue OF
f1lsehood." y
We have given more space anG
prominence to Mr. Collins than hi.