The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-08-17
DEWEESE 70 THE FRONT.
He Replies to the.Leader's Attacks
on Him, and Holds up to it Local
Mirror into which it can Look.
DEWEESE THANKFUL UNDER THE TEMPTA.
TIONS TO WHICH HE WAS EXPOSED THAT
HE Is NO WORSE.
A Rich aud Racy RejOnder, and Desire to be
Good In the Future.
A CARD.

A CARD.
The Leader on last Saturday saw fit to
devote half column of its editorial mat
ter to what it termed specimen Refor-
mer, and to CT arge me with some short
comings. Amongst other things they
say l twice bought my way into Congress
This is true in this respect, as the chief
editor of the Leader should by this time
well know after his persistent chase after
the Swiss mission, that you get nothing
from the Republican party but what you
buy and pay for. l was twice elected to
Congress by the Republican party, and
on both occasions | was compelled to
buy the leaders of that party to keep
them from selling my election. 1 paid
James H. Harris 81 900 to keep him from
boiling two weeks after my first nomina-
ton, and $4,000 the second to keep bin
from supporting Seymour for President
in 1868. | also was compelled to pay
John A. Hyman, now Republican mem
ber of Congress, $4,000 for his influence.
| paid G. l.. Harris, the chairman of the
Republican State Central Committee of
North Carolina to keep him from selling
my election to my oppohent-in short |
was compelled to pay money for any IA
yor l ever received from the Republican
party Their Offices appeared to be in
the market for sale, and | purchased
them like any other doubtful stock on
which speculation is made. l knew of
no friend of mine who had any favor
from either his party or its leaders he
did not pay for. Icould instance num-
ber of members, both north and south,
who paid for their places, and in some
instances did not get them one notori-
GUS case i'll this State, less than two years
ago, in which the Office was paid for, but
the delivery failed. Then is it such a
crime for me to have done what my par
ty was daily doing?-and the investiga-
tions show that this was the rule and
not the exception. He further says that
the swag of corruption is in my pocket;
now let us see about that may per-
haps have done some things that were
wrong in the company of such men, and
daily associating with such characters as
Bill King, their Postmaster of the House,
Railroad Blaine, the Speaker, Rev. Gen.
Garfield, of Credit Mobilier and De Col
lier fame, with the Rev. Senator Patter-
son, Drunken Zach Chandler, Attorney
General Williams, Postmaster General
Creswell, with Babcock for private secre-
retary of the President, and Belknap for
Secretary of War, and even the immacu-
late Grant himself, loaded down with
swindles and steals, was it to be expect
ed that |, a green country boy, just out
of the army, with no experience in life,
with these shining lights for leaders,
that l would not do something wrong?
and God knows 1 am only surprised,
from the company l was then daily in,
did nothing worse. There is one sin
you cannot charge me with, and that is,
l did not sneak behind the altar or my
wife's skirts to shield myself as some of
the others did.
Again, you say "do you suppose you
could come into a community like this
and masquerade undetected in the guise |
of a moralist ?" 1 may be mistaken, but |
| supposed that a community that would |
tolerate such paper as the Leader after
honest Ben Wade's denunciation of it,
that would twice nominate DeGollier
Parsons for Congress, who was noted
and notorious lobbyist, who would send
such man as O. j. Hodge twice to the
Legislature, and make him President of
the City Council over such men as the
Iamented Mr.. Ford, who would endorse
the turning out of the postoffice such men
as honest John Allen, and fill his place
with such a notorious character as the
present incumbent, who would keep in
office and defend such a federal office
holder as the very clever one who want
I'd member of his own party to con-
,pire with him to rob Dick Parsons out
of $4,000, under the cover of keeping
lown dissensions in his party. Now,
Jay this, when you and I saw this, and
he community bore it without murmur-
ng, and gave an increased Republican
majority under it, 1 then thought that
his must certainly be the city of refuge
or broken down and dishonest offichol-
lers. Associated as l was with such
men as 1 was daily brought in contact
With, seeing them sell their influence and
heir votes, seeing them support Credit
dobilier rings and Indian rings to see