r warfare without the
ability to discover a crevice in his coat of mail, the arm of the puny
assailant falls paralyzed to his side, and his intended victim laughs at
him in a tone of scorn, in which the whole community participates.

_William B. Reed_ to prate of patriotism! _William B. Reed_ to declaim upon
honor and patriotism! For the chimney-sweep to prate of cleanliness would
not be more anomalous. With what grace does the defence of the United
States Bank come from this "McDonough" of the Chronicle, when we know him
to be the veriest lick-spittle that Nicholas Biddle, in his day of pride
and power, ever retained in his service? As the friend of Nicholas Biddle,
as his purchased tool and agent, rather, Mr. Reed has never, for an
instant, hesitated to sacrifice to the promotion of the interests of the
Bank, every public trust which for the time being was confided to his
keeping. Why is it that Mr. Reed has never yet explained away or answered
the very extraordinary and _specific_ disclosures of _bribery_ which a
correspondent of the Ledger made against him in the summer of 1841?
Disclosures so astonishing that the eyes of the public, although long
accustomed to look upon the doings of the man with distrust, dilated with
astonishment. He was accused by the correspondent of the Ledger with having
as a member of the House of Representatives, _accepted bribes from the Bank
of the United States_; the several amounts were specified; documents were
even refered[TN] to; and yet Mr. Reed, instead of maintaining his good
ground and confronting his accuser, flies the city, absents himself for
some time upon the plea of a previously arranged excursion of pleasure; and
when, after his return, driven at length to a show of explanation, he
parades in print an evasion of charges, so paltry that its sophistry would
degrade the merest pettifoger in Mr. Biddle's Court of Criminal Sessions.

But since Mr. William B. Reed, alias Mr. U. S. B. McDonough, is so pure a
patriot, and has such a holy horror of "treason" and "traitors," I will
give him a few facts upon which to reflect, and with which he may enrich
and illustrate his future lucubrations.

_Fact No. 1._--That Mr. William B. Reed is, or claims to be, the grandson
of General Joseph Reed, of Revolutionary memory.

_Fact No. 2._--That Mr. William B. Reed is feelingly alive upon the subject
of his grandfather's memory, and has devoted the labors of nearly his whole
life to establis