The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1877-03-22
From the Albany Argus, March 10, ls77.l
COLONEL PELToN AND HIS Ca
LUMNfAToRS.

COLONEL PELToN AND HIS Ca
LUMNTAToRS.
Though q lie will travel a league
while the truth is putting on its boots,
that is no reason why the truth
should not put on its boots and pur-
u the lie as fast as it can. 1t is
under that conviction that we give
place to-day to a vindication Of Mr..
Pelton which appeared in the New
York Herald of the Sth inst, and
which gives from the lips of Mr..
Pelton himself a full statement of all
the facts by which his name has been
calumniously associated with an al
legged attempt to purchase a Republi-
can elector in Oregon.
By this statement it appears con-
clusively:
First. That none of the Republi-
can electors who were in Washington
and examined before the Senate
Committee pretended to have been
approached with an offer of a bride,
which is scarcely credible if such an
offer had ever been addressed to them.
Second. That no money was ever
actually sent from the East to Ore
gon.
Third. That credits we're opened
in New York to meet the contingent
expenses that might arise in the
legal struggle which was expected to
come off before the Oregon Courts,
but none were ever used.
Fourth. That whatever money, if
any, was used, was raised in Oregon,
and by the people of Oregon,
and was appropriated not before but
after Cronin had been designated as
the elector by the Governoro of Oregon
to pay his expenses in coming to
Washington, and in paying lawers'
fees for arguing and presenting his
Casa perfectly legitimate and
proper expense.
Fifth. That Mr.. Pelton never saw
what is called the Portland dispatch,
signed Kelly and Patrick.
Sixth. That he never heard it in
timated by any one that Gov. Grover
or any one else in Oregon was to
be paid or to receive anything for
his action, or that Mr.. Cronin was to
be paid anything ever for expenses
or for any other purpose until long
after the December dispatch, and
never heard that any money was de-
sired for such a purpose until he saw
the evidence before the Senate Com
mittee; and,
Finally. That Gov. Tilden never
received any kilograms in reference
to the Oregon business; never knew
of any money being sent there or
raised there, or that any was requir-
ed.
No one who knows Mr.. Pelton, or
had any opportunity of approaching
his singular discretion, good sense
and manliness of character ever sup
posed him capable of doing anything
that was dishonorable. Unfortunate
ly a successful consummation of the
conspiracy which was formed immed-
lately after the October elections in
the brain of the then Secretary of
Interior, capacious of such things,
rendered it necessary to strike an
other, and, if possible, effective blow
at the character of MI. Tilden; and
the Oregon dictatorship, with the aid
of a superserviceable telegraph COM
pany, seemed to furnish the most cor
venient and effective weapon. 1t did
not matter to the conspirators how
foul the blow might be, how false the
charges, how many characters were
ruined by it, provided they could
command the attention of the public
for the few days which yet remained
before the completion of the count.
1t was a base and inhuman thing
to do, but in the long run calumny
only Injuries those who propagate it,
We place this yindication before oul
readers as a matter of simple justice
to Mr.. Pelton, and avail ourselves
of this occasion to say that in oul
judgement it would be very difficult
to name any person who could have
discharged the onerous and delicate
duties which have been imposed upon
Colonel Pelton during two or more
) years in a way to entitle him in al
equal degree to the respect and graf
itude of the country.
Now that Mr.. Pelton's character
is indicated, would it not be as well
for Mr.. Dorman B. Eaton and his
comrades in the Union League to eX'
plain the purpose to which Mr.. Sec
rotary Chandler wished to apply the
. $4,000 which the Union League was
asked to furnish a few weeks sitter the
election, and while the conspirators
were holding back, under pretenses
T of counting the returns from Flori
da, Louisiana and South Carolina!
That was a large sum to call for al
such time, from such a quarter, and
it would be very edifying to know
how much was raised and what be.
came of il.
There are seven in the Cabinet
Devens supported Greeley; of this
there seems to be no doubt. Schurz
we all know supported Greeley, be
ing in fact, a great headlight in the
Liberal movement. Key, to my
personal knowledge supported Gree