Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-03-18
AYALUABLE POLITICAL SCRIP.
Letter of Montgomery Biair-Mr. Lin
colin Escaped Impeachment only I'm
gHa Grave

letter Of Montgomery Biair-Mr. Lin
coin Escaped Impeachment only a
Ehe Grave.
WASHINGTON, March, 12-DEAR SIR
The Rorld of a recent date publishes wha
| pnrports to be note TO President Lin
| coin, signed by twenty-five Senators, which
1t IS said, was presented to him in 1864
with view to procure my removal from
his Cabinet. As several Of the signer
were then both political and persona
friends, and continued so, aud some were
not at the date Aforesaid members of the
Senate, l think the paper is of doubtful
authority.
AS my withdrawal from the Cabinet has
been matter Of public interest, all real
facts connected with it bear even more
toreibly on the argument for which you
adduced the Senatorial letter. / will re-
call them briefly:
The Republican National Convention.
you viii reieeml'er. siopte,f 4rss> .tisIU!i
~ l'nlP0tt ike the Senatorial note, saving
in effect that the Cabinet should agree with
the President in political principle, and
appointed a committee 10 designate the
person sought TO be removed by the con-
vention. | was the person whose removal
was sought not, indeed, as they pretended,
because disagreed with the President, but
really because agreed with him, and had
been active and earlest in thwarting the
endeavors Of the powerful men in the con-
ventiOn and in Congress to make the doqlnas
which have now become the platform of
the Radical party the platform of the Re-
publican Convention, and TO defeat Mr..
Lincoln's nomination, whom they then
knew, as well as since his proclamation pro-
nouncing the Wade and Davis recopstruc-
ton bill unconstitutional, opposed all their
schemes. Not approaching Mr.. Lincoln.
they believed and openly declared that his
opposition was due to what they called the
Blair influence. Hence offered my resig-
nation when the resolution was presented
by the committee. He said they had de-
manded my removal, but that he replied
that he would not sacrifice friend TO an
pease enemies. The pressure continued.
The Chairman of the National Committee
wrote Mr.. Lincoln departing letters FIRE.
mont was continued in the field. A new
was called to meet in Cincin-
natl on the 30th of September, 1864.
Alessrs. Wade and Davis, chairmen re-
respectively of the Reconstruction Com
mittees of the two Houses, issued a mani
iesto, denouncing him as a usurper.
and charging him with opposing Con
gressiOnal reconstruction and allowing the
Southern people 10 amend the consti-
lutlons OF their States and recognizing
heir State governments under the Consti-
luton of the United States for the base
motive of promoting his own ambition.
At this time the Radicals made motions 10
Withdraw their opposition. One of the con-
iitions was the acceptance of nv resig-
nation. insisted that they should be
granted, and my father Joined very earn
sstly in this request.
Mr.. Lincoln's published letter reeog-
lizlng me as a disinterested friend and a |
althful officer, my speech at the Cooper
Institute Immediately after, giving some of |
heae facts, and contemporaneous history
ally substantiate all of them.
But can proof of the hostility of the
Radicals to Lincoln be required when Mr..
wade, who denounced him az a usurper
md confederate with Rebels for the base /
purpose OF subscribing his own ambition,
las been elevated by them to the Presi- /
Iehey of the Senate, With view % putting |
i'm IN " As.1S,a's place, bSeansp ~ /
vas and Is the i-f.s reprS8entstive OF their |
principles and plans? Or can any one now |
Ioubt that they struck me down because | |
vas an earnest and faithful friend of the |
President, TO whom, and not to me, they |
we're hostile? Mr.. Lincoln fully recog- |
lized this in his conversation with me at !
he time, and would, if he had lived, have
made it known to tho country. He over
anne his feelings for the time, yielded his
rlend to the paramount public interest (
involved in the election; but it must be
that he refused to sanction the /
Wade and Davis reconstruction bill, which |
declared the State governments of Louisi-
ina and Arkansas null and void, and as
umed the power for Congress to set up /
governments in the Southern States, even |
whilst his election was pending; and that
n his last public utterances, on the 18th of |
april, he condemned the action of Con-
,ress in refusing seats TO the members from |
louisiana and Arkansas. lie would never,
therefore,, have yielded the Constitution he |
lad sworn TO defend.
Yours, truly, NJ. BLAIR.
Manton Marble, Esq.