The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-11-27

policy wa. to keep quiet When, however, air.
ed you in the newspapers, as l felt it my duty |
the people of my state TO do you felt called upon
to defend, not yourself, oh no but Mr. Lincoln
What wise and protecting thought!
have said / found the papers with the chief |
clerk. l requested of him a copy of Mr.. Lincoln .
letter. Herefused it. i read it over several times
until 1t was firmly impressed upon my mind. - |
Shortly after L examined it closely again with Ma
thaniel Wilson, Esq, assistant u S. district attor-
ney for the District of Columbia, who stands too
high for his integrity to be questioned, and imme-
diately after wrote it down from memory and l
must have a correct copy. To this copy Mr.. Will
son appended the following certificate the same
half sheet of paper.
This may certify that a communication
from A. Lincoln to the secretary of the interior,
written on the back of yellow envelope. | read
II several times and have distinct recollection of
Its words and believe that the above I a correct
copy of the same, containing the precise express
sions used in the original paper. The paper made
a strong impression upon my memory, and L can
not be mistaken as to the opinion | now express.
''NATHANIEL WILSON"
Col Whiting, l was told, the present faith
ful chief clerk of the interior department,
says he remembers very we'll to have seen
Mr.. LIncoln's letter among the papers-so
| that the fact of his having written and trans
mitted it to the Secretary of the Interior"
not only appears from the letter which the
president subsequently wrote to me, but from
the undoubted evidence of those who saw it,
| But now, sir let me bring the matter
| little closer home to you. The testimony of
Judge Otto, your assistant secretary, l do not
suppose you will dare to question. The let
ter of Mr.. Lincoln, or the envelope upon
| which il was written, was distracted from the
| files and carried away. Who did it j.? and
| what has become of it? | will now show
more conclusively, if it were possible, than
/ have done that you are the guilty party.
/ In nf laa at / led md un
Olto with Hon. VIM. Il. Morrison, of the
! Bellevile district, and verbally requested of
| him a copy of Mr.. LIncoln's letter, which was
not then among the papers. He seemed en-
barrassed by the request and said he would
have to see the secretary (meaning yoursefl
before he could give me an answer. On the
next day | made written request for a copy,
| Col. Morrison doing me the kindness to delv-
er my letter.
To my request Judge Otto returned the fol-
lowing answer to which his signature APP
pears in his own hand writing. / retained
the original for fear that if placed it where
you could get bold of it, it would go the way
Mr.. Lincoln's letter went. 1t has never be-
fore been published
DEPT THE INTERIOR,
WAsHINGToN, DE- c., March 30, 1865.
RI am informed that you obtained from the
general land office copy OF the opinion OF the at
! torney general OF the United States for which you
/ applied 10 this department.
The note addressed by the president TO the sec
rotary of the interior, some time IN August last,
and TO which you referred TO yesterday, is regard
| ed BY the latter private communication and II
has never been placed on the files of the depart
ment. 1t is not in my power, therefore, to comply
| with your request for copy of 1t.
am, sir, very respectfully,
Your obedIent servant,
w. T. Orro,
| Assistant Secretary.
Hon. Isaac y. Morris.
This letter, which you had probably for
gotten, drives the last nail in your coffin, MIR.
Usher. Ii admits the receipt of the letter
from the president, and says 1t was addressed
to the "secretsry of the interior'-rot to
John p. Usher, whose name nowhere occurs
IN it. Yet, sir, while your assistant secre-
tary acknowledges the fact disclosed by Mr..
Lincoln in his letter to me, that the one he
sent with the papers to the interior depart
ment was an official document, you have the
hardihood TO tell your assistant that you re-
garded 1t las private communication 30
you" Private, indeed, | have already
shown it was official. By claiming it as ''pri-
yate," you are the man who has sought to re-
fleet upon Mr.. Lincoln-not me-by causing
your assistant to say, which is his meaning,
that he had written a private not TO you in
regard 10 the claim of Illinois, which he was
unwilling for the people of the state TO see -
This il a calumny-a base caiumnv upon his
, name. Had be said in the letter of endorse
: ment this. My impression of the law has IN
. dergune no change--I think the law is
AGAINST the state" his note would not
long have been regarded by you as private"
, The body Of il and the signature are both in
, Mr.. Lincoln's handwriting. 1t Is true it was
) not marked filed" but neither was any 9TH
? er paper of the case.
| Concluded tomorrow