Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1875-10-15
LUDiNGTON!
A Specimen Slander Refuted
The M'Far1ane Story Spoiled
From the Milwaukee Sentinel.

From the Milwaukee Sentinel. 80 s hste
We we're advised several days ago
that the Democrats were abontto con-
mence canonade of calumnies against
the Republican candidate for Govern
or, the object being to check, if posi-
BILE, the damning exposures of the per-
sonal and official malfeasances of Gov.
TAYLOR which have been going on for
some time past, and which do not give
any signs of being exhausted. This
policy on the part of the Democrats
was entered upon by the domestic orr
gan in its issue of Saturday last. So
much of our space will be occupied
with chapters supplementary to Colonel
Slaughters biography of Gov. Taylor,
that we may not be able to refute all
the falsehoods that the reckless I'M
scrupulvus Democratic papers may in
vent, but, accepting the first ofthe series
as specimen, it may be worth while
to reproduce it,and then state the facts
Omitting verbose Introduction, the
charge will be found in the following
ex tract;
In the Legislative session of 1850, bill was
pending relating to the removal of the county seat
of Columbia county, from Columbus to Portage.
The Ludlngtoa family owned property at or near
Columbus, and, consequence, opposed the re-
moval of the county seat and fastened to Madi'on
| to lobby against the bill. Lion. Hugh Mcfarane
was at that time repe sentative of Columbia county
| in the Assembly, lie then in business at
Portage, and he is now living on farm in Aiins-
| ton Columbia county. The Ludingtons, doubtless.
surveyed the feld and, evidently, came to the con-
clusion that, if they could secure Nh. McFaranes
influence against tho removal it might be defeated
| as be was tbs only Assembyman from the county,
! and was resident OF Portage. He was diligently
abored with uon the subject. but all their appeals
| were of no avail Thay then resorted to an argn-
ment in which the Ludingtons seemed to have
great faiththeya TO bride him 10 sell ont his
toCn and cote against the removal OF The county seat
| from Columbus The profeT first came to Mr. Me
| Farlane from Ha riso Ludingon himself. and it
was promptly and indnantly rejected. Re
! Gently the writer met Mr. bcfarlane at raIi
way station and in an interview that was necessar-
| lily brief Che getting off the tram and we were
getting en) he reaifrmed every material allegation
ington's offer to him otfcial positio" or any
| thing else' tor his vote and influence against the
removal of the county seat f ON Columbus
Now, let us state briefly the facts:
Hon, Harrison Ludington never owned
as much as square inch of property
in Columbus. He has never been in
Columbus, unless he may have passed
through it on the cars, since it has
been laid out as village. He does
not knoao Hon. Hugh Nc Far1ane, and
to the best of his reccozlcctton mcrer
saao him IN has life. He did not visit
Madison at any time during the Legis-
lative session of 1850. He never at
teuded the Legislature to lobby Tor or
against any measure. ..s.s--. -
One would suppose that manufac-
turer of falsehoods, even one who takes
great pride in his ayocatioD, would be
content with the achievements con
tanned in the above extract as sufficient
f single editorial. But the article
from which we have quoted throws in
another, as follows:
| We will close this dark chapter in Harrison Lud-
iugton's career by reminding the people OF this city
that he is the same man who has repeatedly headed
a force of lobbyists to remove the State Capitol
| from Madison to Milwaukee.
1t is we'll known in this city that
Mr.. Ludington alaooys opposed the
removal of the State capital from
Madison to Milwaukee, and SO far from
'sleading force Of lobbyists" for that
purpose, he uniformly discouraged the
project. His reasoning was that it
would be of no advantage to this city
to have the capital here, and on the
contrary it would tend to create a pre-
iudice against Milwaukee, some parts
of the State that might work to the
serious detirment of her business inter-
Is. To tn. effect he always exf ressed
himself with reserev, at the expense of
some criticism from those citizens Of
Milwaukee who thought it desirable, if
possible, to effect the removal.
1t is impossible to characterize fifty
a party that can resort to such impru-
dent fabrications. 1t is equally impos
BILE to conjecture what may be within
the resources of such an Imagination
to conceive and of such depravity to
utter. But we can assure the people
of Wisconsin that any charge that at
tributes to Hon. Harrison Ludington
want of strict and answering integrl-
ty must be as utterly false and with
out foundation as the specimen calumny
which we have just exposed. Mr.
Ludington's private and public record
is open to the inspection of the world,
and in thiscity where he is best known,
he is most highly esteemed, as the
people have taken frequent occasion to
testify.
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