Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-01-29
thought of by any one except this
paid maligner of private character.
TRIBUNE PAID LIES

thought of by any one except this
paid maligner of private character.
TRIBUNE PAID LIES.
81 cannot enumerate all the similar
falsehoods sent by this correspondent
to the half dozen newspapers he writes
for. There is scarcely an issue of the
New York Tribune that does not con-
tain the most shameless falsehoods
about Col. Vilas-all Of them pure in
ventions and not the semblance OF
foundatian exists for any of them.
They are simply put in, in pursuance
of the conspiracy, to defame this con-
scientious official.
CURTIS THE IMPUDENT.
"You may probably have noticed
also the letters of VIM. E. Curtis in
The Chicago Inter Ocean and in other
papers, ia which, by ingenious and
plausible lies, he forwards the same
general object. If you recollect, The
Sunday Inter Ocean of Dec. 81 con
tanned one of Curtis best efforts in
that line. lie went on to state, with
great minuteness, how Col. Villas of
Tended the postmaster general OF the
japanese empire, during his visit to
Washington recently, by refusing
and neglecting to call upon that Off
cial of friendly nation, and leaving
him to be shown through the post
office department by a clerk, etc.
There was not a syllable of truth IN
these statements. Col. Villas never
knew that that official was in Wash.
ington until after he had left. He
called at the postoffice department
in company with the japanese MN.
lister, whilst the postmaster gen-
eral was attending a cabinet meet
ing, and Mr.. Stevenson, the first
assistant postmaster general, received
them and went through the depart
ment with them. Neither Col. Villas
nor Mr.. Stevenson knew Of the pres
ence of this official in Washington
until the call at the postofiice depart
ment. The japanese minister lives
near the residence of Col. Villas. They
exchange visits frequently, and are
upon the most friendly and cordial
terms. The affront spoken of was
manufactured in the brain of this
correspondent, and was paid for by
the Pacific Mail combination. Cur
tbs, also, in the same letter, referred
TO visit to the postoffice department
by Joe Cannon, representative In
congress from Illinois, and stated
with great minuteness the offensive
language Col. Villas employed towards
Mr.. Cannon, and rushed him out OF
mis- presence, ETC., and locked the door
on him. The whole statement was a
pure invention; such a thing, nor any
part of it, nor anything akin to it,
ever occurred. 1t was simply lie
manufactured out of the whole cloth,
and was paid for by the Pacific Mail
company omblaatlon.
'"This man Curtis is the author OF
the article in The Atlantic Month
ly, on the subject of the right of the
Pacific Mail company to this $400 0O0
Before it was published, he called al
the house of Col. Villas one evening
whilst he was absent in consultation
with the president, and left his card
with Mrs Villas, to whom he stated
that he was about to write the article
for The Atlantic Monthly, and told
her that, although he intended tc
write and publish the article, if hel
husband had anything to say on the
other side of the question, he would
call at certain hour the next day al
his Office, and that he would listen tc
him. A boot is the best remedy foI
that kind of cheek.
This Curtis, you know, was the
editor of The Inter Ocean some years
and the same man that Logan mauled
so numerically in the senate, when
his nomination as secretary for 8
South American commission came VI
last year.
THE RING MESSENGERS,
"All this stuff with which the pa
pers are filled, IN respect to the post
master general, has no foundation
whatever. 1t is all in pursuance of 8
scheme to down Col. Villas. Why,
these people infest his office as soon
as 1t is opened to the public with ennis,
saries, not only to watch for little
things out of which to weave a great
net Of calumny, but to do things to
set visitors against him. Recently
Mr.. Erskipe r. Phelps, of Chicago,
late president OF the Iroquois club,
called to see the postmaster general
and gave his card to a man standing
at the door TO take to him. The sup
posed messenger started to deliver the
card and in short time returned with
it, and told Mr.. Phelps that the post
master general said he could not see
him, ana was surprised that a id
Chicago greeny would expect to see
him when he was SO much engaged.
MIR. Phelps left, amazed at the mes
sage, and he turned the matter over
and over in his mind, and himself
came to the conclusion that there was
something wrong. He finally learn
ed that Col. Villas never saw the card,
did not know that Mr. Phelps was in
Washington and never sent him or
any other man any such message.
''Ex-Mayor Hogan, OF La Crosse,
was recently in Washington, sent a
card to the postmaster general and
received almost an exactly similar re-
ply. Col. Villas never saw Mr. Ho-
gan's card and never sent him any
such message, Col. Villas and Mr..
Hogan are friends. The latter enter
tanned him at his home and it is not
at all likely he ever received such
treatment. | have not inquired into
the facts, and do not intend doing so
because it is impossible for Col. Villas
to answer all these inquiries.
Whyl you don't have to send in
your card if you want to see him at
the department, This is the best evil
dence that no such message was sent.
Col. Villas does not require the card of
any one to be sent to him in order to
be seen. He is the only cabinet Off
Ger who ever did, to my knowledge,
adopt the plan of having his doors
wide open to everyone, from the time
of opening the office in the morning
until half-past l. There are no guards,
no messengers, no restrictions of any
kind. The whole arrangement is
democratic to the largest extent, and
everyone has an equal chance to con-
suit him upon matters connected with
his department, every business day
during the hours stated.
Now, is not this the most infa-
nous lying you ever heard of9 The
animus is plain. Here is clear case
of where it pays to lie. l have refer
red to Col. Villas stoicism about it.
But he is not SO Indifferent as to be
idle. He has not yet replied, but he
viii by and by, and he will reply TO
those who nav mot IN the hiraa Inenl