The Placer herald., 1869-09-04
Dents Letter to Boutwell,.

Much has been SAID 10y 'he teies'"P"
Lewis Dents (Gran.'s brolher.iu Is") letter
to Boutwell,, Secretary Of the Treasury. we
give the letter 10 foil below:
George 8. Boutwell,, Secretary OF tne
Treasury-Sir. | shall msks little apology
for asking your attention 10 my letter. aou
| less for the nature Of its contents. lou
wee The first 10 deny the political 'f'non
doxy of my friends and myself, and oy al
the rule. Of the forum am entitled to De
fense. Again, you hold an office Of me ne
| public, and your ats, therefore, are Ieglti-
! IN ate subjects Of criticism by lbe hamolest
cit zen thereof But in some respects we
are alike. For instance, we are aspirants
for place, with this difference; you aim 10 Dc
the next President, with every assurance OF
success. except in the opinion Of 'be people;
while l seek an humber place, with my
! hopes 10 disastrous eclipse, except 10 Inc
| judgment Of Mississippi. So in tie Proba-
bic events Of the future, we both stand ad-
verse to the judgment Of the country. 10
the pursuit of your ambition you are un-
| grateful AID unscrupulous as to the means
Of success. Your organ, the New lork
Sun, iu the seme brealk Iidicu'es the capa-
city Of your master, and dwe!ls vi en-
phass on your peculiar fitness for bis ofce.
Your excellent tool, Tullock, became so
reckless in the manipulation Of your depart
ment in the Interest Of your ambition and
so defiant Of the wishes Of the President
and the country, that TO save yourself from
an explosion Ct popular indignation, you
found it convenient to transfer him to an-
9th er sphere Of scandalous activity, where
his talent might be exerted with equal effect
and less etfrontery. Virginia, Tennessee,
Mississippi and Texas, not to mention any
thing 50 humble AS my self were distractions
in the way Of your success, because through
President Grants Intervention in excluding
the proscriplive clauses from their organic
law, these States are brought into the Union
and firmly welded to bis support Now,
this is in direct conflict with your systema-
tized plans. for what General Grant gets 10
the next Presidential election, clearly Bout
we'll will not get; and, therefore. you have
denounced the conservative Republicans who
are for Grant, that you may obtain the pros
criptlve Republicans who are for Boutwell,.
And, by some strange, dexterous, manage
ment and occult political strategy You have
so worked upon the confidence Of the Preei-
dent as to cause him to flourish the club
with which you intend to break bis bead, by
inducing him to join you 10 denunciation OF
the conservative Republicans party crea-
ted by his magnanimi!y. and triumphant
through bis encouragement. But, sir your
purpose is easily discernible, and has a two-
fold object, namely to destroy the National
Republican party in the South, and then to
reconstruct from lis shattered fragments a
Boutwell, party. with no Richmond in the
field to strike four your crown. Bot If you
cannot succeed in this scheme Of desperate
enterprise, you mean to run-a result from
present appearances much more likely to be
reached. Your offc al invention for Wells,
for instance, gave 80 600 majority to Walk,
er. Your letter to Stokes gave Seuter to
Tennessee by an overwhelming vote Of TO-
O0o Your marvellous political sagaci,y
now in action in Mississippi and Texas will
repeat your calamity and again overwbslm I'm
you with discontinue and defeat. Superadd
to these results OF your unspproacbsbe fol
ly, the imposition on these States OF your
iron clad OATH and the alienation is com
plete, landing them all in the outstretcbed
arms Of Democracy. But the consequen.
ces of your folly do not end here. Ohio
and Pennsylvania and others will follow
Decide their political status in October and
the North will echo back the condemnation
of the South, and peal in your ears this
fact, that there is still LETT enough of The in.
corrupuble virtue of Radicasm to rebuke
you for wanton repression OF that most
sacred right, the elective franch ise. But
sir, this will not deter you from your mad
course. Ycu will still persist until every
prop that supports our party is stricken
away, and the whole grand superstiucture
tumbles about our ears in hopeless ruin
When you were appointed Secretary Of the
Treasury and unanimously confirmed by
Senate of every shade of political opinion
did you not take an oath to administer your
office impartially and for the exclusive objee
OF Its creation; TO collect the revenue and
control the finances Of the country? Is
not that off g the property of the nation,
and yourself only clothed for time With
little brief au,hori'y9 Then, sir, how do
you explain the perversion Of It's legitimate
uses and functions into a means and instru-
meot OF oppression, and compel the cleo
ton OF obnoxious rulers upon the people of
the South ? Is sucb a course consistent
with your oath Of Office, or do you call this
great mora! idea But, Boutwell, though
you have thus frosliuted the powers Of
your office for purposes of oppression with
out the warrant Of conscience or law. it may
be that you can tell me by what authority
you assume TO pronounce upon my political
orthodoxy. Who constituted YOU The infaI.
lible Pope Of Radicallsmi Who gave you
authority to hurl the political apahemas o (
the party3 Aeain-what right had you to
commit the az administration to your policy 7
Have you to learn yet that you are only
part of the Administration, and not the
whole of it, though your friends believe lha,
a monomaia has seized your mind on that
subject, and that you verify believe yourself
the State. Very respectfully.
LOUIS DENT.
T