Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1875-10-21

Coz WooLroxD AND ms Accusxzs.
There have been floating about Tor
three pr -four weeks past ppozr>ke PIP
ular breafh certain ugly but und<6ne6
rumors affecting The psuon.l and ofEe;.1
integrity OF Col Woolford, to presen(
Comptroller Of The Treasury and nov IL
candidate Of The Democrats party for
reelection 70 the same position, which
have at last been conssrtedinto positive
speci6cations and endorsed 81 ths n
sponsitls nkmS d 3. 1sAekls wallis.
As long As these rumors were undeiined
and limited to the lower strata Of the
'.refcrin" press and floating. pot-houzs
politicians Of the same ilk, they excited
little general notice. Col. Noolford
had stood SO long and 20 "clear in his
great Office" that little heed was paid
TO accusations. sbadowy and uncertain
in meaning and resting for credeuce
upon nothing more responsible thap q
low-down partisan support. The APP
pearence Of Mr.. Wallis, however. upon
the witness stand, accusing Mr.. Wool
ford Of grave public misdemeanor and
giving names and dates, at once lifted
the arrangement Of the Comptroller
from its former disreputable connec-
tion and placed it on plane Of respec-
liability which challenged and demanded
recognition. That recognition it has
now received. 1t is painful to say, tina,
it lo.ates the 'truthful and honorable
Mr.. Earle" as well as Mr.. Wallis him.
self, in the unenviable position of mis-.
stating and disappearing facts and
clearing false witness" against an in.
nocent man. We accuse neither gentle
men Of intentional Justification, but
we arraign them bothforcarelessness oil
investigation and recklessness of state.
ment in matter they were called upon,
as fair-fninded men and Christian gen.
tlemen, tosift thoroughly and impartial.
ly before they pronounced upon it. A
prompt and manly refraxit is the right Of
Col. Woolfordand we mistake the charac.
ter of his accusers if this shall be long
withheld. 1t is suggested in this con.
nection, as food for wholesome refiec-
ticn, that the only charge which ''re-
form" has thus far INDUCED in against
tho integrity of our State ticket should
have come to grief so sudden and that
the dock prepared for Fraudulent
Woolford should now be occupied BY his
accusers. But to return. We give be-
low the accusation of Mr.. Wallis, and
supplement 1t with the statement OF
the Somerset delegates to the .Legisla-
ture in '72. Says Mr.. Wallis:
"Mr. Woolfora was publicly deEoun-
ced, on the floor Of the Senate. by MIR.
Earle, as truthful and honorable a
gentleman as lives, for having fraudu-
lently attempted to impose on the Com
mittee of Finance of the Senate, by
falsely representing a democratic fol-
lower Of his, in Somerset, to have been
4 soldier of 1912, and endcavoring to
obtain for him soldiers pension,
(wEen he had never been in the war; in
order TO pay for his political services
out of the Treasury. For the truth of
this charge Mr.. Earle appealed, in the
Senate, to Mr.. Carroll then presiding,
who he said was present when Mr..
Woolford admitted the deception, and
he asked Mr.. Carroll if what he stated
was not true. Mr. Carroll assented BY
his silence"
The following is the statement Of the
Somerset County delegation referred to
above. See also speech Of Col. Wool.
ford on our first page.
Mr.. Editor:-Some Of the partisan
press is reviving a Islander which in the
heat of passion was made by Mr.. Earle
on the floor Of the Senate in 1874, and
which / should have answered long
ago, if I had not supposed it had been
sufficiently refuted and as understood
retracted at the time. was in the
Legislature Of 1872 and introduced the
bill in regard to which Mr.. Earle's mis-
apprehension occurred 1t was a bill
for the relief of Noah Webster of Som.
erset county, but Mr.. Webster was not
an applicant for a pension, nor was
there any man at thatsession or since. that
l have ever heard of. applying for
pension from Somerset county. Mr..
Webster's claim was for damages sus-
tanned by him BY reason of his being
Illegally drafted under the State draft
authorized by Gov. Bradford. Mr..
Webster was proved to be over the
legal age, and the proof was in the
hands of Mr.. Bradford's commissioner.
but notwithstanding that fact, his name
was drawn ttcics from the box at that
draft. Col. Woolford was present at
the drawing and knew the facts, and
knowing that Mr.. Webster was BY that
means forced TO sell his house and lot
to get the money to buy substitute,
advocated the passage of the bill. II
passed the House Of Delegates, be-
lieve without dissent, but in the Sem
ate from some cause which I never
could understand until the Islander came
out, Mr.. Earle reported against it, and
il failed to pass. A bin, however, in
nearly the same words was in 1874 in
trodueed IN the Senate and Mr. Earle
with the identical proof that was before
him IN 1872, reported in favor of the