The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1866-10-03
Letter From Washington.
Especial Correspondence Of the Picayune.
WASHINGTON, Sept. II, 1866.

Il
WASHINGTON, Sept. IL, 1866.
President johnson sent for the Secre-
tary of War, the Attorney General and
Judge Advocate Holt, this morning, aud
had long and serious conversation with
them. Stanton and Holt wentoht together,
leaving the Attorney General with the
President, and it was remarked that their
countenances indicated the interview had
been anything but pleasant one to them
1t is not difficult to tell why they had been
thus summoned to the President. During
the Presidents absence, Holt had publish
ed in the Chronicle what he called vim
dication of his conduct in the case of
Jefferson Davis; but instead of vindicating
him, it condemns him. and proves him to
be utterly unworthy of holding the position
he occupies. For more than year past,
both he and Stanton have suffered them
selves to be made use of by the Radicals in
the attempts that have been made to con-
meet Jefferson Davis with the murder of
Abraham Lincoln. When all other at
.tempts to do this had failed, the Radicals
bought wretch in human form, who call
ed himself Sandford Connover, who had
been special correspondent of the New
York Tribune, and whose " loyalty chow
that word does stinkI} was vouched for
and endorsed by that paper. This villain
was plentitully supplied with money, and
with part of this he hired other wretches
like himself. Connover and his crew then
came before Mr. Holt and the House
Judiciary Committee, and swore circum-
stantially and positively that Jefferson
Davis was an active accomplice in the
murder Mr.. Lincoln and, on the strength
Of this, Mr.. Boutwell,, of Massachusetts,,
made his long report to that effect against
Mr.. Davis, just before the adjournment Of
Congress. Stricken by remorse, however,
the lesser villains have recently confessed
their imposture and perjury, and exposed
the whole stupendous fraud, and Connover
has fed from the country,
This of course placed Mr.. Holt in an awk-
ward dilemma, and lie attempted to ex-
tricate himself as abeyc. His vindicatieIl,
however, only amounts to confession
that he was deceived by Connover. The
New York Tribune now admits all the
above facts, but states plainly that Holt
himself furnished Connover with the money
wherewith to hire the other rogues and to
pay for his own perjury. 1t says, further,
that by the confessed perjury OF Connover
and his accomplices the whole fabric of
pretended evidence against Jefferson Davis
lalls to the ground. Y
President Johnson did not see Hollis at
tempted gindication until he reached Gin
cinnati on his way home, and hewa great
ly moved by it. He saw at once that,
pntting the most charitable construction
upon it, it was simply o confession that
Holt had been duped, while all the facts
indicated that he had been willing dupe,
ifnothing more. Mr.. Holt therefore, has
been brought to book for his completely in
this dark matter; and as President john
son does not wish to give any countenance
to transactions which require such swim
dication," the probability is that Holt will
have leave to take down his hat and jacket
from the official pegsand seek employment
elsewhere; and that his Bureau of Mill
tary (in- )Justice" will be swept away with
the rubbish of the abolished Provost Mar
shal's Bureau. As for Mr.. Stanton, sup
pose he has been sly enough to cover up
his tracks in the matter; bntNemess is
UdTu dltcI ttHt Ssth ooAOtf coy thtt
his official days will not be o in the
land. sr ~2
In Mr.. Lincoln's days no clerk in any of
the departments was allowed to have any
opinions of his own. To be a Democrat
was to be disloyal !" and to deny that the
President was the Government" was the
signal for instant dismission. Mr. Stanton,
MI. Harlan, and Mr., Freeman Clark, the
Comptroller ofthe Currency, have managed
these things differently; and dozens of the
clerks in the War, interior, and Treasury
Departments are now violent in their
denunciation of the President. There will
he regular clearing ont of these gentlemen
in a few days. No efficient clerk will be
dismissed for his opinions, however radical
they may be. But some 300 or 400 noisy
Radicals will be dismissed, to giveplace for
the promotion and appointment. or men
who have respect enough for the President
not to denounce him in offensive terms.
KINDERHooK.