Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1858-01-09
len. Pillow i'm reply 10 1t. Gen. Scott.
From the Nashville Union and Anne rican.

The n.a..,t co,trovarsy hstveeu General Scott
nd myself orisinated in the following statements
IN my address to the people OF 1enhesSee' VIZ
In apno,,n Mission to travel the sra treat
r peace M an ops 30 performsd srS The emou
hereto attached made Il im ossihe for the President to
e'ected that rosit'on Trist. But either
tru.tng ht ability, or judgment, prudence, or all
the SIS aarnni traton in hands alone.
BY his conasnttal LETTERS IL r,y Re 70
csdt relations with him as commissioner. TIE outy
serences and 70 consult me IN al H. negotiaton
autv was Imposed upon "a patriot and me deVoeo
the country and Of hi. GdSiniretia against any and
everyth ng which thought would r,afah Ire one or the
other. II viii hence be that while Mr. Trist vas the
ostenstbLs commissioner in fact, the Confidential
ocer Of the Government upon WHOM the President re-
Important negotiations Involving the peace Of the co1n
'ryc
IA was invited to a conference with Mr. Trst. On my
arrival at his quarters ound Gen. Scott there. Mr.
informed me that he hal opened negotiations with Santa
Anna, and had pretty well agreed upon the premnarie
of negotiations for peace. By those terms santa Anna
was to De paid, cash in kand Garnet nonev, $40 COO,
ana orr army was to march to the valley Mexico and
hshs battle before the cit If we seon armistice
10 De granted and commits toner's to treat for
peace. When peace should be concluded Santa
to receive one million dollars wore
Mr. Tist further Informed that had been
agreed to- but 1t question whether Santa An
"a or GEN Scott CATER the battle fough) should take
the mi alive and send The flag Of truce PREF aratory to
the armi tcesanta Anna in listing that Gen. scott should
SEND the Gen. scott ins the bat
Santa should so. He u Their said Gen Scott
haa furnished him the money, and that had paid the
$1,000 required to be paid and that General
had the in the dsbursing department the
army could raise the means, OF paying the million to
said he had invited the conference in pursus
Of the order Of the President and desired approval Of
asked Mr. Trist there any authorizing such
use Of the public money! He replied there not
then asked him the President had authorized UGH
Of it, He replied he had not; but he thought was
the best he could do.
ding aoFf bap uhI
and as 6f6e to the commander OF the enemys forces
and as dishonorng the and to our
army, at once protested agaIntt the whole matter
Gen. Scott justified aud defended the measure both up
the SEQ and as to the usage of
said corrupting Santa Anna for TIE fact
that he found in the asking bride was proof
that he was already corrupted.
In reg practice Government he said it
Of all Governments 10 elect their purpose when
necessary, by oney and that Government had
toned the practice be presents made by it to
the chiefs Of Indian tribes aud TO the Barbary powers
we're nothing brbes He further said that in the set
tlement of the North boundary question $780,
COO had been usedno know how but The officers OF
the Government unless it used bride the Maine
He mentioned other ms in which the Gov
srnment exp -nded large sums Of money in this
Finding Gen sc9tt clear as to the right of the
and earnest in his cooperation with Mr. Trist not
being familiar myself with the usages of other Govern
ments nor the practice of our own, doubted whatI
ought TO do and in difference his wishes and Judgment
suspended opposition, until days reflection
nrned my opinion OF duty 10 my country On the night
after the conference took place Gen. Scott Gale council
ocers to whom be ade known what had been
done in the OF negotiation and TO whom he
ed Substantially the views nd opinions above detailed
nectlon that Impressions
were right, went next day 10 Gen Scott and Air. Trst,
and est ed earnestly against the whole that
shey both said r1t and that they would abandon
The gotiaton though they sincere in their
purpose TO abandon it, and ali idea Of be OBJ
lained.
This statement drew from Gen. Scott a card, in
which he used the following language viz: 81
certify on honor that never, at any time paid to
tIen Santa Anna, or caused to bs paid to him. or
10 another for his use, or benefit, dollar more
Dn any account, in any way whatever"
This statement Of Gen. Scott's-eertifed to upo1
konor-apparently denying important state
nent in the extract above quoted, was intended
and so understood) to make direc, issue with me.
lie denied, upon honor, the payment of any money
10 Santa Anna. Either. therefore, the statement
n nv address was untrue, or his certificate upon
sonor-is false.
There was no one present at the conference
spoken Of in my address but Gen. Scott, Mr.. Trist
md myself. l knew, however, that General Scott
made substantially the same statements in regard
10 the bribe 1.-THE amount actually paid and to be
paid at the meeting Of General officers that was
made by Mr.. Tri in the presence OF Gen. Scott,
1t the private conference.
therefore procured from the records the War
Department, at Washington. and had published,
copies OF the statements of Generals Quitman and
Shields. Quitman proves that Gen. Scott said at
The meeting Of General officers:
He desired to them upon another subject of great
aeicacy and much importance That the prospects for
slight, but that he informed by
foreign residents in Mexic1, that this desirable could
anIy attained by The application considerable
um that the Mexican leaders expected the
sotations 70 DE attended by doUce that they not
IN the habit of moving without it, that the of money
such purposes waustihed by the of other
ous and that considering The great good would in this
Instance bng to our own country, he regarded the
moral and proper and did not how any sensi
Die Id think otherwise. He fur added
rst had power or in tructon to the three millions
voted by Congress or any part of it, to such purpose;
That however, It should be considered advisable, he,
General Scott had credit the assent req Of
dr. Trist, to Use million million and dol
to apply to this purpose sufficient to the
ueees OF the Negotiations that he had already eIPen
led ten or twenty thousand dollars which he regarded
tread thrown upon the He then presented audi
cad note from Mr. Irist on this subject asserting to-
Tot requesting, that the scheme should be adopted.
Gen. Shields statement was, in substance, about
he came.
This testimony of Generals Quitman and Shields
will be perceived, fully sustain every controvert-
ID point in the extracts from my address. They
,rove that Gen. Scott said, that negotiations had
been going on with the Mexican authorities,-that
hey required 'doucs~r" (bri6s) that he had al
eady expended ten or twenty thousand dollars,
which he regarded as "bread thrown upon the wat.
ers. and that he would raise million,
'r a million aud half more, and apply it to
his purpose sum sufficient to insure the success
IF the negotiation"
Regarding this testimony as co,eclsssive on the
only statement of that address which contra
iicted by Gen. Scott, submitted it to the public
without word OF comment; feeling il painful
duty thus to place Gen. Scott in d position false
10 truth, and so raising to the feelings and
honor Of a man occupying his position before the
country. / was content to vindcate the truth of
nv statements, and did not even point out the
utterly false statements TO which he had-upon his
lonor-certifed before the world.
Under these circumstances of embarrassment-
rom hich honorable extrication was impossible
prudence would have suggested silence
Is the only alternative left him. Had he taken
hat course, no further duty would have been res
luired of me, and a grateful people might-in |
harity to known infrn,ities OF chsracter-have
rawn the reH oUer this last solemn, false certificate
n hoDor-and under q sense of national shame,
ave sought to forget the past. But as often hap
ens with those seeking to extrcate themse Ives |
rom false position, be has Issued q second card,
q which, while be confesses-tctthou. shane-that |
e bad given hribe-(in regard to the very nego-
alton charged 10 my addrsss) -he evidently ex-
lie in the ides, that neither Gen. Quitman nor
hields proves that be paid the money to Santa
lima. He agrees that he paid the money, and as
6ri6s, to some one; but iuaspuch as these witt
esses do not say, in so many words, that il was
aid 10 Santa Anna, he feels entirely relieved of the
esponsibty Of bis conduct. lie seems to have
,st sisht of the fact, that the charge that he
ad paid bride, and thus dsh0nored himself and
his socitude to acqut Santa Anna of corrup-
on, he cor tesses his own corruption and dishonor.
II, in connection with negotiations for pesce he
aid the hrioe what matters it, so far his own or
Is country's honor is concerned, to whom the mo-
ey was paid! IL Is the fact, that be, the Com
sanding General, at the head Of q victorious army,
ndertook TO procure peace by corruptiug an i'm. |
ortant parsonage exercising a controlling info
ncs over the eDemy's army and government, that
onstitute the crime with which he is charged
nd which dishonors his country and government