Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1892-10-28
Mcveash to Esan.
RESP ONSIBILITY PLACED FOR THE ATTACKS ON
THE MINISTER'S CHARACTER.

RESP ONSIBILITY PLACED FOR THE ATTACKS ON
THE MINISTER'S CHARACTER.
Ex-Attorney General Wayne McVeigh has
written an open letter to Patrick Egan, U.
5. Minister to Chile, in relation to the latter's
| abuse Of MI. McVeagh because he alluded to
the appointment of Mr.. Egan as an
| insult to the nation to which he was assigned.
Just now, Mr.. Eagan assisted by Mr. Reid
| and the N. Y Tribune, is trying to influence
the Irish vote and is posing as a martyr claim
| ing that he is prosecuted because of his ma
! tionality. MI. McVeagh in his letter places
the would be martyr in very ridiculous light.
| The following is the text of the letter:
| To the Hon. Patrick Egan-Dear Sir: am
| glad to see that you intend at last-even after
| nine years-to reply to the attacks upon your
character, but am sorry to see that you per-
| sist in calling them my attacks. and this false
| hood leads me to fear that you may repeat the
other falSehood that my statement that your
appointment was an insult to Chile was in
tended as reflection upon you because you
abandon these two sheer and absolute false
hoods, l give you the fullest liberty to abuse
me to any extent, OF say anything about me
you choose for what you say of me cannot
possibly do me the least harm, and would
really be, to my mind, a kind of eulogy of me-
AS furnished in my speech at Cooper I'm
ion the exact dates when MI, Reid and the
Tribune made their very serious and repeated
attacks upon your character you will, TRUST
see how necessary it is for you to treat them
as his attacks, not mine, and to answer him
and not me- And ii you answer him satsfac-
torily you need not bother about me; as you
must pardon me for saying never even heard
of you until the 7ribune gave me the informal
ton and L have neither desire nor reason to
think i'll of you except what is due to the Tri-
6Une's denunciaton OF You. If you can con-
vict Mr.. Reid and the Ir55atns of falsehood in
making them l will accept your justification
with pleasure, but l must continue to think
you were rather tardy in SO grave and serious
a matter.
AGOOD DEAL IRISH HIMSELF.
And then, do abandon the false pretense that
my objection to you was because you are an
lriShman. You see that pretense is childish
as well as false for l am good deal of an
Irishman myself, as we'll as counsellor-of
the Hibernian Society of this city, while some
OF the best friends OF my life have been Irish
men; Ny objection to you was solely because
Mr.. Reid and the Tribune said you were not
an honest man, and don't like dishonest
man, no matter where he is born. If that &C
cusatiOn is not true. then [ will have no OBJ
lection whatever to you.
Whatever you may say now you must con-
fesS you had justified people in forming yery
unfavorable Judgment of you. You remain
ed silent, so II as ever heard, tor nine long
years under Mr. Reds statement in the 1ri-
batne that vol were "a sham patriot" and that
you could give no satisfactory explanation of
what you ha done with the $4,000 which
had been en- rusted to your care for the Irish
cause. An then. SO far as l know, you re-
manned Sile 1t twelve long months under the
additional attacks upon you in the Tribune,
saying that you were sure to be recalled and
that "a new American representative at the
Chilean ca ptal was urgently needed;'' and
far worse. that you had once fled "to avoid
arrest and trial ON very serious charge
DID NOT ATTEMPT vINDIcAT1oN.
Now, all the Irishmen know and esteem
and there are very many of them if so attack
ed, would have called Mr.. Reid and the IT5-
bat'ae to prompt and stern account, requiring
them either to prove their charges or to re-
tract them, but you alas! did neither. On the
contrary, You meekly endured all these
charges, and to my amaZement, you appeared
on Mr.. Reid porch week ago advocating
his election to the Vice Presidency, thus, to
my mind, practically contesslng the truth of
ing l therefore felt at perfect liberty to call
your appointment an insult to Chile,
SO you see, Mr.. E san, it does notat all mat
ter how poor an opinion you entertain of me
or what you say about me. The only ques-
tiOns which can interest the country are three:
Were the accusations of Mr.. Reid in the 7ri-
bune against you true? If they were not true, |
why did you wait so long before refuting
them? And why do you divert your attack
from the real author Of your troubles to me.
whose only oirense is that Of believing what
Mr.. Reid and the lribuue told about yog?
But, repeat, if abuse of me will relieve
your mind, abuse me to your hearts content;
but don't suppose any dust can be thrown in
the eyes Of the public. 1t you can give salts
factory answers to the three questions have
asked you will be completely yindicated, but
nothing else Will be, believe me, of any real
service to you. WAYNE McTEAeH.