The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-02-05

Genhenlen-In your EDITION yesterday there is
paragraph copied from Northern paper propos-
| ing history of " How e. A. Pollard was AID.
pointed " in the New York Customhouse. trust
to your manly and ready sense of right-proofs OF
| which have had on other occasions and which
| are justly and gratefully rememoered-to afford
me opportunity TO correct the various false state
| ments which constitute that paragraph. Not that
l care for misrepresentation of the ne wspapers.
| They ere the common incidents of every public
career In literature or in politics. Bat desire
correction In the case because the false statements
| referred 10 have evidently been composed 10 the
dishonest interests of an individual who has design
| ed TO profit by them, and whose gamen on the
| creculty of Congress it may be important to ex-
pose. refer TO the statements OF Collector
| smyibe said to have been communicated to the
committee on retrenchmeDt; and for the couve.
nience Of review take these statements Sc
| Tidtim.
]. Mr.. smytbe alleges that my name was given
az +. NJ Pollard, which misled him as to the
character of the individual he was patronziHg
| This Is school, and very psltry one. 10 the
| three or four letters or correspondence with Mr.
| Smyihe before my appointment, and on that sub
| Ject, invariably signed my name In full, I" Ed
ward A. Pollard" as usually do. | had frequent
conversations with him; he spoke to me OF my
literary works; he referred to members of my
| family with whom he was acquainted; he knew
as fully and intimately who and what was any
other person did 10 the limits OF New York. When
came to get my letter of appointment, noticed
that my name was written in it as z. ". Pollard
through design it is for him TO answer--and at the
| moment called the attention of the c llector's
secretary (Mr. Leland) to the mistake in the hi
tia letter. and he replied, speaking to his subor
dinate, That is a matter to be corrected; :" and
| the correction was made under my eye.
| 2. AS 10 the tenor of the oath took: When il
was proposed to me saw nothing in il hesltated
10 subscribe, except phrase to the effect that
had not supported enemies of the United States,
etc turned to the secretary of the collector,
who was acting as bis alter ego on that occasion.
| and inquired as to the legal effect of the word
| "support;' saying that IL had happened that
lad not borne arms in the Confederacy; ii was an
| exemption that had never pleaded invidiously
| or TO my profit; it was an accident; and yet
| should have whatever privilege might ensue from
| it, had been an editor OF paper and the ques
tiGn was whether literary advocacy OF the Con.
| federacy came within the meaning OF the word
| Support" Had not the term a distinct legal i'm
port? Did il not describe some active perticipa-
tion in the war! | put these questions as for in
| formation on point Of law. The reply was,
"h by, Mr., Pollard, You are no more incapacitated
from public Office than would be Ben Wood, who
wrote against the ADMINISTRATOR, or Yallandig-
hsm who made speeches against IT."
| 8. Collector Smythe AYERS that he removed"
| me from office 10 consequence OF having learned
of my political antecedents. Here the falsehood
| of the paragraph sccumulates. A curious history
attaches here, and must now be given In some de.
tsil. The main TACT is that Collector Smythe, in
| stead of removing me, procured me to "resigu,"
on the Distinct and emphatic agreement that
might continue TO draw my salary; that as was
without fault aud that as he merely wished to dis
cucumber himself of some clamer about my APP
pointment, be wished me to relieve him by resign
Ing, aud on putting in substitute could secure
| my salary, or, st least, good part of it.
had returned Gin last December) from Virginia.
| where ] had been on leave of absence. when
Vas od at the Custom House that the collector
wished TO see me 10 his private room. He greeted
me with great effusion, and with cordiality |
| can scarcely describe. He continued: " Have
| you seen the New York Tines II is pitching
| into me for your appointment, and do you know it
| is seriously embarrassing my confirmation as
minister 10 Russia !n Ireplied: "Well. it is very
hard that The ne wspapers pursue me in such mean
way. have a right to live, and the work pay for
1t IS a. good as that OF any one else, BE.
sides, M. Smythe, really think these things are
beneath notice, and you know very well that the
Influence which got me this appointment is not
that likely to go back upon its friends for mere
newspaper clamor" ." know allthRt" he re-
piled; - really wish you well. and it is indeed a
shame that you should, without cause. be turned
ont Of an Office which you have not yet enjoyed
for two months. But / have plan," he con-
tinued: =" resign as at my request-be particular
to put it as at my request-and / sbsn't appoint
any successor To your place, and your salary eau
90 on.n mentioned that / could put in a subst-
tnte TO do the work, and was anxious thus to pro-
vide for young friend in Richmond. '"Just as you
please" be replied; " but resign. then wink
ing bis eye This manner is distinctly recoected)
:" you see the game shall make on these fellows"
In five minutes thereafter wrote at M desk in
the rotUnda a letter of resignation, and sent it
into the collectors room. rnT
The following night met some political friends
and restei what had happened. One of them re-
marked that had acted very fOolishy to have
resigned that the collector would not have dared
to remove me- considering what influence had
~ my back that he was one of the most artful
and unreliable of New York politicians aud that
now, 80 be had got my letter of resignation,
had no claim to show on him. and he might de.
ceive me. i was told: " You have signed away
your rights. and you will get nothing-you stupid
Southern people are 80 easily entrspped. and in
his case you have the keenest politician in New
York TO deal with" Alarmed az these suggestions
went TO the Custom House next morning TO OBJ
tain clearer understanding as 10 how long my
salary VAS 10 continue. The collector could not
be SEEM but was told that he had gener.
Ously decided that my salary should be paid up
10 the LIST of January allowing only the four or
five days which then remained to complete the
month
] saw st once the deception, and / was not
slow 10 resent it. wrote 10 the collector In plain
terms that he had cheated me out of my place;
! suggested that be had commenced his dpo.
matte career early by " dpomstizing me out
of my situation that he had played false, aud
that my self respect compelled me to avow my
sense of wrong TO himself, If not TO the public.
Mr.. Smytbe has never replied to this letter. |
now defy him 10 produce it. Ii will give the sufi-
cient history of the whole affair." and it will show
under what reprosehes q man protesting to be
honorable has been content TO remain silent, and
will suggest how much he has been constrained by
a Sense of cut. EDW A. pOIIAR