The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1873-09-19
Senator Thurman and General Will



/ liams.
Senator Thurman, who is anxious
Ito retain his seat in the United
States Senate, is going about "like a
roaring lion, seeking whom he may
devour romebody," and the more he
gets interested in the contest the
more reckless of truth he becomes,
doubtless regarding his ability to
prevaricate as his greatest recon-
mendation to Democratic hearers
But his misstatements don't stick
worth a cent, and he is met with ref
utation at every turn. He pitched in
to Senator Morton and was proven a
falsiGer- He made statements which
were designed to convey the i'm
preston that the Administration,
through the Attorney Generals De-
partment, expended large sums of
money during the last campaign, to
control the elections in three Of the
Southern States. All this for the
purpose of making capital does the
Democratic Senator, which would be
all right and proper if there was any
truth in the charge. But unfortu-
nately for Thurman, just here Attor-
ney General Williams puts quietus
to the reckless statements of "the
ablest man in the United States Sen
ate" as the Plaindealer terms him,
in the following fashion:
WASHINGTON, D. c., Sept. 8, '73.
To Hon. o. p. Morton, indianapolis.
Senator Thurman's statements in
his WaEerly speech are untrue, and |
unjust to this department and its Of
ficers. He speaks of large expendi-
lures in Arkansas, North Carolina
and Florida.
The Indian country is attached to
the Western district Of Arkansas.
Prisoners and witnesses are convey
ed five hundred miles to court.
There were one hundred and forty
three convictions there in 1872. Two
successive Marshals of that District
have been removed because it was
believed here that they did not exert
themselves to keep down expenses.
Senator Thurman says that no re-
port of these expenditures has been
made. This is not true. Mr.. Roots,
who was Marshal there the year 1872
has not only reported his expenses
but his accounts, upon proper YOU
chers, have been fully settled at the
Treasury, and a balance found due
and paid to him.
He further says that one hundred
and eighty-four thousand dollars
were expended in North Carolina to
convict one Ku-Klux. The report
from which he pretends to quote,
shows that there were pending in
that State, in 1872, in the Federal
four hundred and eighty-two
cases, embracing more than
One thousand one hundred defend
ants, and that in that year there
we're one hundred and fifty-one con
Victions.
To garble a a report in this way,
IS a small trick unworthy of a Sena-
tor l have no reason to doubt the
lntegritysof him who was Marshal of
North Carolina, in 1872, but was not
satisfied with his effort to keep down
His accounts are nearly
all settled at the Treasury. Another
Marshal has been appointed in his
place.
The expenses of Florida are not
arger than in many Of the other
States.
l have made every effort to reduce
expenses. as the records of this De
1artment will show, and there is not
| shade of truth in Senator Thur
mans intimation, that public money
vas furnished by me for party pur-
loses in the Presidential campaign.
GEO. II. WILDIAMS,
Attorney General of United States.