The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-03-22
montgomery Blair and rrsaseas L,.eol..

WASHINGTON, March IL.
Dear Sir-The World of q recent dste pub
fishes what purports TO be a note to President
Lincoln, signed by twenty-five senators, which, II
is said, was presented to him in 1854, with view
to procure my removal from his cabinet. As
several Of the sgners were then both political and
personal friends, and continued So and some
were not at the date aforesaid members Of the
Senate, ] think the paper is of doubtful authority
As my withdrawal from the cabinet has been
matter Of public interest, all real facts connec ed
with II bear even more forcibly on the argument
for which you adduced the senatorial letter.
will recall them briefly: s3
The Republican national convention, you vii.
remember, adopted a resolution in purport like
the senatorial note, saying, in effect, that. the
cabinet should agree with the president in polit'-
cal principle and appointed a committee to
designate the person sought to be removed ~ the
convention. l was the person whose removal
was sought; not, indeed as they pretended, be-
cause ! disagreed with the president but really
because l agreed with him. and had been active
aud earnest in thwarting the endeavors Of the
powerful men in the convention and in Congress
TO make the d0gnas which have now become the
platform of the radical party the platform of the
Republican convention, and 10 defeat Mr.. Lir-
c)ln's nomination, whom they then knew, as we
as since his proclamation pr0nouncing the Wade
and Davis b.il unconstitutional. opposed al their
schemes. Not approaching Mr. Lincoln, they be-
leved and openly declared that his oppositi
was due to what they call the Blair influence.
Fence offered my resignation when the resolr-
ton was presented by the committee. He sid
they bad demanded my removal, but that he re-
Piled that be would not sacrifice friend to APP
pease enemies. The pressure continued The
chairman Of the national committee wrote Mr.
Lincoln despairing letters. Fremont was con-
tiDued in the field new convention was called
TO meet in Cincinnati on the 30h of September
1864. Messrs. Wade and Davis, chairmen, re.
spectvely, of the reconstruction committees Of
the two Houses, issued a manifesto, denouncng
him as usurper, and charged him with opposing
Congressional reconstruction, and allowing the
Southern people TO amend the Constitutions of
their States and recognizing their State govern
ments under the Constitution of the United States
for the base motive of promoting his own ambi.
ton. At this time the radicals made motions TO
withdraw their opposition. One of the conditions
was the acceptance OF my resignation. insisted
that they should be granted, and my father Joined
very earnestly in this request
Mr.. Lncoln's published letter recognizing me
as dislnterested friend and faithful officer, my
speech at the Cooper Institute Immediately after
giving some of these facts, and cotemporaneeus
history fully subsi antiste all of them.
But can proof Of the hostility Of the radicals to
Lincoln be required when Mr.. Wade, who de
nounced him as usurper and confederate with
rebels for the base purpose Of subscribing his own
ambition, has been elevated by them to the presi-
deDcy Of the Senate, with a view to putting him
in Mr.. Lincoln's place, because he was aud Is the
true representative OF their principles and plansl
VI can any one now uouOt tnat tney struck me
down because / was an earnest and faithful friend
OF the president. to whom, and not to me, they
were hostile Mr. Lincoln fully recognized this In
his conversation with me at the time, and would,
II he had lived, have made il known TO the coun-
Try. He overcame his feelings for the time,
yielded his friend to the paramount public inter.
est involved in the election; but il must be re-
membered that he refused to sanction the Wade
and Davis reconstruction bill. which declared the
State governments of Louisiana and Arkansas
null and void, and assumed the power for Con.
gress to set up governments in the Southern
States, even whilst his election was pending; and
that in his last public utterances, on the 18th Of
April, he condemned the action Of Congress in re-
fusDg seats to the members from Louisiana and
Arkansas. He would never, therefore, have
yielded the Constitution he had sworn to de-
iepd- Yours, truly, NJ. BLAIR.
nsnton Marble Fsd.