New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-10-19

His ASSISTANTS Demolished and His
- '-h Character Vindicated.


81 10 New ORLEANS. October II, 1876. |
To the Bditsr a the New Orleans Dsmoczat: q
During my recent absence from The city,
several distinct charges against me have
appeared in your columns charges false,
libelous and slanderous in ell respects. AZ
soon - they came to my knowledge ID
dressed You from Alexandria, under date of
October II, respectful communication,
denying that there was any truth in the
statsments, and demanding either proofs or
retraction. OF this Communication you
have taken, in violation of the commonest
laws of courtesy, no editorial notice what
ever. ...~r ..5 - ....-, e,
In your issue of Sunday last you again
repeat the same scanda 'ous statements with
two afidavits, and l am astonished that
these documents did not indicate to you
alike the utter untruth of your charges, and
that in their publication you werc exceed
ing the limit of the most liberal license
in tho defamation of political adversary.
One Carroll Tempe is published in your
article Of Sunday - having sworn thst he
made claim for bounty through me, that
he gave me his discharge pspers, came freP
quently to my office, corner of St. Charles
and Melpemene streets, and asked me for
said papers, that he was driven Of, and
that I made tho guard point his gun ct
him. Each of these particular charges u
falss. never received his claim, never had
his discharge, NOR had an office at the To-
cality mentioned, never drove hin ef, and
never even knew Of the pretended aAasnt.
The simplest form of elementary reason
ing ehould have satisfied you that men il
the pursuit of the business of collecting
claims do not have guards armed with
muske0 or guns ON duty on their premises
any moro than do msrehante, lawyers or
editors. This fact might, had you been less
blinded By partisanship, have satisded you
of the general character of the falsehood.
The certificate published by You Of Hos
mer & Co., claim agents at Washington,
itself evidences that he gave his cl aim to
General c. Hamlin, and in any business of
claims with which that gentleman was
identified, I never had any interest whatso-
ever. directly or indirectly. The remaining
affidavit is OF one George WashiDseon, who
AYERS himself to have been sergeant
in Company B, Seventyeizhth Regiment
United States Colored Infantry. never
received discharge paper from any George
Washington of said regiment. In connec-
tion with the document, you publish an in
dorsement or certificate of E. B. French,
Auditor, United States Treasury. to the Of
feet that the claim of Washington was
settled August 20, 1868, by certificate, for
s23l 20, and say, editorially, that lit is
therefore very clear that after obtaining
George Washington's papers Mr.. Packard
collected his claim of 423l 20 sgsinst the
government, and now holds the money in
his pocket" While it does not appear from
the Auditors certificate that the claim was
ever in my hands, will assume that .
George Washington of some other regiment
lodged his CLAIM: with me. 1' A
Itis to mo incomprehensible that an ed
itor shonld have permitted such . deisma-
tory article to appear in . public journal
when reasonable familiarity with the pub
lished statutes Of the United States would
have demonstrated the absolute falls shood
of any charge of embezslement. You
should have known that the charge that
had collected of the United States the
bounty money or back pay Of any colored
man who had served in the army of the
United States was false, and that it is i'm
posaible for any claim agent to collect and
keep money due from the United States to
any colored soldier. The aet of Congress-
approved March %, 1867, Fifteenth Statutes
at Large, page 26. required all suoh elaine
to be paid by the disbursipg officer of the
treasury to the Commissioners Of the Freed
mems ureau, and by the officers of that
bureau paid direct to the person to whom it
was due. You should have known that it
was impossible for mo to have obtained the
money of any colored claimant of back pay
and bounty, because the disbursing officers
of the treasury we're prohibited from pay.
ing the money to any but the actual claim
ant himself.
If the editor of the Democrat had known,
as every editor shonld know, the statutes
of his country, the SANDER, it is in charity
to be hoped, would never have been pub
lished.
In relation to the Feibleman case, refer
the Democrat to the attorneys in the case
Representing the creditors against Feible-
man, to witt Messrs. Austin e. Gibson, of
New Orleans, and Msssrs Harris g. Harris,
of Vicksburg, who are responsible for the
conduct of my officers toward Feibleman,
and as these lawyers are sufficiently ortho-
dox as Democrats they may be able to re-
fute this stale slander. That there was
apght irregular or savoring of misconduct
in the Feibleman case, or that have failed
to account for every dollar therein. is false.
In conclusion, here tender you . chsl-
lenge to discover and denounce any any act
Of mine wherein have misspproprlated
one sinele dollar, or in any way defrauded
any man, be he soldier or other wise; and to
the end that this challenge may be prsc-
tical, likewise tender for your scrutiny
the preserved records of my claims trans
actions, aud any other records bearing upon
either my private or public career.
l appeal to the American spirit of fair
play whether wanton cslumny in politics
shall avail as argument, or shall receive its
merited rebuke; whether, in fine, Q mans
good name is at the mercy of partisan
editors caprice. have no misgivings as
to the answer in November
Very rasnectfnllv