Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-02-05
WASHING TON NEWS AND GOSSIP

The Scott and Davis Cont roversy Here.
with appended the reader will find a summary
of the late controversy between General Scott
and Secretary Davis, for which We are in
debted to the agent of the Associated Press al
thispoint. Itpresents the issue between them
in nutshell. We shall shortly take CASTOR
TO review the documents from which this sum
mary was made, at some length. At present
We have only to say that the correspondence
shows clearly that the Secretary of War wa,
gcsded into the controversy by the Command
ing General which is not stated in the sum
mary:
The correspondence between Gen. Scott and
Secretary Davis is quite voluminous. From
hasty examination Of the vi rious documents
IL appears that Gen. Scott declined to give
open and specific information to Mr. Davis re.
gardiDg the expenditure Of the secret service
money IN Mexico, believing that no obligation
Of public or private honor, according to the
usages Of nations and armies, required him TO
disclose names and circumstances. He, how
ever, expressed a willingness to give such in.
formation for his private ear alone which the
Secretary said be wss willing to receive in
confidence In November, 1855, the Presi-
dent Of the United States writes to Secretary
Davis, saying in substance: ''Gen. Scott states
two grounds on which be has learned that
hesitated to allow the five per cent. commits
sion 1t Is proper to remark that ne has been
misinformed or misapprehended my position.
He himself fixed 3! Per cent which he M At
properly receive for his disburse ments in Mex
lco; and balance struck upon that bssis,
wac the subject Of conversation between Us. -
Nr. Davis, in response to tie President, il e.
forms him tbst Ger. Scott had charged hin :
self with the sum of S261 ,69l, all OF which, G.
cepting $50, 000, were levied and captured in
Mexico, and took credit for disbursiDg s255,-
54l, leaving s6,l55 withheld by Gen. Scott en-
his account. This balance the President au-
thoIizsd Gen. Scott, through the Secretary of
War, to retain.
Gen. Scott, in letter dated New York, De-
cember, 1855. writes that there are two items,
making Sll, SIS, against him as not admitted
or disailOved by the President, on secoun. of
i've per cent charged by him on all moreys
dls6ursed. He says it was entirely within
the competency OF the President to allow that
charge and he asks that suit be brought
against him by the Government TO recover tbe
amount claimed to be due by him, nearly
-, 0c0 But the President declined to enter
suit There are many explanations relative
10 these figures, but the financial parts of the
transaction cannot be fairly understood By
this mere reference To the subject.
Among the documents i. the opinion OF At
torney General CuihiDg, dated January, 1855,
70 the effect that the act creating the grade of
Lieutenant General does not confer upon Gen.
scott all the authority which was imposed by
the law Of l3qS upon Washington, who was
thereby made the commander Of the armies
while General Scott was appointed Lieuten AZ t
6eneJsl by order Of the President of the Cn.
TED states. 1t carries retrospective pay and
emV.uments, but not retrospective authority.
Gen Scotts correspondence with the Office rs
t the Government goes back as far as l54o,
and that between him and the Secretary OF
War during 1855 contains the following Yea
lures: Mr. Davis, on July 18th, says: 81
leave Unnoticed the exhibition Of peevish tenn
per In reply TO an inquiry from this depart
msnt, etc General Scott replies, July 80 /:
" IL would be easy TO show that the whole le;-
ter In which you charge me with exhibiting a
peevish temper is as flippspt in its statements
and logic as IN that accusation" Certainly
as Secretary Of War you have done enough to
warrant more than a suspicion that from the
trst you have considered il your special mis-
SION, by repeated aggression on my right. AL d
1eellDgs, to gosd ne into come perllOus atti-
tuoe Of Cfhcial opposition
ITO prove my long forbesrance, for at % y
time OF life all angry discussions are painful,
L VIII now proceed 10 enumerste some Of the
provocstIVns alluded to, without dIlatiGg in
this place On yCur partiIan hostility ~ the
bIevst OF liCVtensn: general, and to the com
IeDsstIon Congress intended 70 attach ther, .
to" The General then alludes to one of the
secretary 9 "csptiOus retorts" and his "cspp-
ing the climax by usurpation and absurditY -
DE likewise Gays: Following out your per-
sopal rebuke IN the letter Of the 18th, -FOUR
object, IN violation Of principle, Is to crush ne
into seryIle obedience TO your self will L
know your obstinaey. and know also what is
due 10 myself ss man ard a soldier; and If
am to be crashed, prefer il at the hands Of
my military peers"
The SECRETARY rsjoins, in an unofficial note
dated August 2i Your present accusation
charges LIE with usurDation for the most In.
worthy ends and imputes to me motives in
consistent with fetal integrity, is considered
bssely naleyolept and pronounced utterly
false -
Gen. Scott replying, Aug. 8, says: "I have
received Lote from You dated on the I'd inst.
which you seem TO desire IN TO consider as IN.
Smcial Ishsll not comply With your singula
fancy, &c you can have 10 legitimate claim 10
address NE except as Secretary Of War. Ac.
cordingiJ, shall treat your communication
rhsthsr designed as private and .currilous O,
seiuolc Lnlssiyes Of arrogance and supercil-
lousness, as equally Official. There are beau.
ues IL them hlch ought not 10 he lost, and /,
shall not DC my fault # do not render Won,
part of ihls correspondence a memorahls an.
ample to be Stunned by your successors -
10 thls The Secretary replies, Sept 7 :"No,
am to DE at all deferred from full eyno.n,.
Of the grourdlessness Of your charges or =,
the threats you make OF rendering nv n.,, =,
this correspoDdence a memorable examine 20 h.
stunned by my successors This is the m.ar
est brsyadO IN one who himself sfords m,
most memorable example on the records O
this Department, of sane controversiali.t dr
fsated and false sccuser exposed
The EuIdsll Case -GOtham is all agog sbou
this affair. What with the probability Of be
Ing gGTr0tsd in the street if one walks out G
al evening, and the imminent risk of beil
garroted ard stabbed besides if one stsys a
home, the good people of New York seem at
loss TO know to what saint TO devote then
selves. We respectfully advise such of theI
as Tad their present condition intolerable
emigrste to the slaveholding States, where lif.
liberty and property are much more secur
man they are at New York.