Stearns' Defence?

Mr. Stearns uses up a column and a h;ilf or two columns In eaeh of the democratie papers of tlie district in defendlng himself azainst the facsimile letter pubiluhed laat weck, wrltten to Hou. Zacli. Chandler, in 1876 quoting from the records of the war department thut lie, Stearns resigned "tor the good of the servioe." One man we met next day aftcr the letter was published, said it was "a lie, made out of whole clotli, and that every paper publishing the letter would have a libel suit on hand in than twentyfour hours after such puhlication." In regard to the charge Mr. Stearns says la bis paper the Adrián Press: This Is correct. Mr. Stearns reslgned at the request of Coloih'I Browu. 80 it is true ! aud there are no libel suite ! Good, so far. Then Mr. Stearns devotes nbout a column more of bis defense to telling liow (ie recruited snme men and tliey were asslgned by the Colonel to othcr cnmpauies tlian where he, Stearns, desired to have them go, and by whieh nssignment '¦hrothers were separatfil, and fïimds and tent-mates parted." 'l'hen Mr. átearns continúes the story in his own d tense: Lt. Stearns, subsequently mude useof soine very bitter language reiardln the Col. Ile hacf been a warm supporter of Uen. McClellan, and as war correspondent ot the l'rce I'rtiss, tiad scored Brown, aud the latier Vftdl bduiul to ruin him 11 posslble. Stearns was summoned to headquarters and questloued as to whether he liad reponed the Colonel as beiog tuo full of wliiskey to do hls dut v Mr. StOiirns sald ho made that statement. Ihen carne a war of words In whlcli I.t. Htearnn denounced Brown as a coward. drunkard. llar, and dlrty doe, and dared hun to take off hls eagles, and settle the inutlor tben and there. Mr. Stearns, it must be remembered, was a lieutenant, and he was desirous ot rigliting for soine comrades wlmm he had Induced to ealist, au alleged wrong, with the Colonel, and this is the w.iy he took to do it? Bullying, bmwbeating and writing to the Detroit Free JLVess scathing letters about his superior olHcer! the very man whom he desired to have do justice by the men! Was not thit 11 curious method? Then what did lic dor Why, ratlier than suhmit to the rules of war, and be courtinartialed for his otitrageous condnet, he resigned, and the íesignatlon was accepted ''for the jrood of the service." And what would the service be, allow us to iisk, if stich conduct as Mr. Stearns unblushingly boasts of was permitted in the army? Wliat punisbment would Lt Stearns have infllcted upon a Corporal or Serjinant wlm w.vnlil liave treatcd him as he boasts of treatiiijE the Colonel ? Would he Jiot have bad lilm In mr psu-Kl lion-o in n lioly mllHUe, and eourtraartialed to boot ? But how atiout Mr. Stearn's abused comrades? They couldn't resign when he did and get out ot it. They bnd to stav and tight it out under that awful Colonel, without Stearns' help! He didn't stand hy them in their trouble very well, did he? Hu wasn't a very eirnest and good Iriend to tie to after all, was he 1 Theu anotlicr polat ot the deiVusc seeui8 ratlier lame. We quote: This ezplonatlon Is made, not to nnswer the Times, but to show the voters ol the uecoud district, what dastardly, dl-honorable means are resorted to, whereby to secure votes. [f the eiplanation is not made to nnswer the Times, why say anything about it? Why not let it pass as beneath notteo? We quote agaln: Mr. Stearns has au army record he is wllllng should ro to hls chlidren, as evldenee of hls devutlon to the iiag. II this laft is tme, how comes it that t is "dastardly and dishonorable'' to lay that army record before the people as it is on the records of the war department at Washington, aud :s Mr. Stearns himSflf adraits lt U? In conclu-ion we suoukl llke to as!; a question or two : Ia Mr. Stearns a member of the G. A. II? If so of what post? And how did he get there? If he is not a member of the G. A. R., and if their laws do not allow them to accept in nicmbeiship a man who lelt the army "for the good of the service-, " bul right has he to wear a G. A. 15. button ? Did Mr Stearns ever go back or atteiupt to go into the army .igain, and under a better Colonel, lmve a different sort of a discharge stuixl to his credit at the war department ? Or did he stay at home after once getting there? And, if it in 1 tact, tliat he, Stearns has an "armv record he is willing should go to his childien as evidune.e of hls devotio 11 to the llag, " how much piomler would ki chüdren be of kim, if he had hunded them down llio record of the 111 111 wlnnn he el lims to have denounced as a "cward, liar, drunkard and dïrty ilt-'.1' We quote from tlic best and most authentic work on the subject, "Michtffan In thu War": "Brown, Slraeon H., at. Cllr, Major Slztta Cavalry. Oct. 15. 1802 Colonel Kleventb Cavalrv Ang. 14, l(ö. Urevei Brlundler (eneral U. 8. Volanteer 'kou jikkitorioos conudct ai the fíntlle tf Marión, Va.' Resignad, June llth, lw. " Another polnt of a lltlle different complexion, but a poiut just the same: In 1880, Prof. Mosi-s Coit Tyler, then a member of the Universlty faculty, pnesided over a repuMlcan coiinty coovep tlon, beid at the court house in this city to elect delegues to the state convenlioti, and made a felicltous littlc tpemb prafclog Gun. G'irlirld, wliicli act In n-i iy interfei-ed with tri drrtteS. Tire Detroit F ree Press and other democratie paper (we presume the Adrián Press ilso) rtmde 11 gieat bowl aipuiil profeMOre of the university, piitl by tne state, meddüng wilh politics I?ut here we have an olli ( r of the l'nied States, not onlv "eglectitti! I is duty week after week, but actiially golng about the country and abusuir the men who hel y pa; bU bI iry, simply bcause they inoto the ofBcial records of the war department In bis particular case. Would it uot be far more consistent for Mr. Stearns to attend to the Adrián postofflee?