The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-10-25
President Grants Denial of all Know
ledge Of the Conspiracy.
Secretary Boutwell, Brands the Stories Of
Fisk and Gould as FaIsehOOds.
General Butterfield's Letters to the President
and Secretary Of the Treasury.
The Sub Treasurer to Have an In.
vestigation.

with the recent disrepuable gold gambling opera
tions IN New York. furnish apology for preparing
despatch from this point based upon official lnfor
nation. No one here believes that there 10 q par
tice OF truth In the bold statements OF the gold
spirators that the President mad any completely
direct or indirect in the transactions; but when
ingenious and cunning statements are put forth
with clothing or circumstantality well calculated
TO deceive the unthinking public elsewhere If
allowed to go uncontradicted 1t would appear to be
proper occasion for careful inquiry IN the proper
quarters and for official denial If authorized. View
ing the matter In this light your correspondent
to-day called upon the President OF the United States
for the purpose calling his attention to the recent
publications and obtaining statement thereupon.
President Grant was found seated at his desk in
his private Office TRANQUILITY engaged in perusing his
letters and smoking that famous cigar The mental
observation OF visitor on entering the executive
chamber with such an object as your correspondent
had In view might be summed up thus. Well, If the
President Is the man represented by Fisk and Gould
he certainly looks as little like 1t any could
possibly be- This mental observation was certainly
fully confirmed by the subsequent Interview and
conversation.
The President on learning the object OF your cor
respondent smiled pleasantly and proceeded to con-
verse on the subject with the utmost freedom and
~
effort At evasion, which undoubtedly would have
been the had there been any CONSCIOUSNESS that
something injurious to mention ought to be
reserved.
The President pretty sweepingly denied all the
statements or Gould and Fisk ept so far as they
referred to his public expires sions regarding the
proposed financial policy OF the Executive. All the
assertions that he the PresidenN had been infu
enced by Mr.. COrbin In deciding whether or not gold
should or should not be sold he pronounced untrue
and remarked that though he had had great deal OF
correspondence with MI. Corbin during the summer
and subsequently, but he never lntimated in any OF
his letters what he intended to do or what would be
the financial policy Of the government Not soul
knew about his intentions, not even member OF
his Cabinet, save Mr.. Boutwell,, to whom he con-
veyed his wishes in private letters. Mr.. Boutwell,
was absent from the national capital good part OF
the summer, so was the President himself, and sepa-
rated from the Secretary by hundreds OF miles.
Therefore correspondence was the only way in which
he could communicate to the Secretary his views.
He used this means phe only one practicable under
the circumstances. Secretary Boutwell,! under
stood partly his intentions before separating from
the President and to receive final instra ctons
by letter. These final instructions or views the
President did communicate by letter, but allowed no
one connected with Gould, Fisk or any person OF the
kind to learn their nature.
From this you will see that all Gould's statements
about Corbns being aware OF the Presidents inten-
tons in regard to the sale OF gold are groundess,
and that Corbn, II indeed he ever did make such
representations TO the gold consplrators, did so
knowing that he was uttering untruhs. This Is
about the midest way of summing up the thing.
In regard to Fisk IN particular correspondent
is that he Is stating what he ought not to
star n Oil
Prince Of Erie.
In the course OF conversation your CORE spondent
remarked upon the bold attempt OF Mr.. Fisk to
obtain from the President advance Information
regarding the financial policy OF the government
The Presidents reply was substantially as ioows-
II don't know but should have felt insulted by
such proposal had 1t come from any other but q
person like Fisk But coming from man 80 desti-
tute of moral character | didn't think 1t worth
noticing"
SO much for brother Fisk Of Erie fame.
The Secretary of the Treasury had fuller state
ment to make, and more which can be given to the
public. He said that what he knew about the mat
Ter was principally OF negative character. He mad
various statements in the papers protesting 20
from Messrs. Fisk and Gould, out he paid little
attention to them. AS for Corbin, he believed him
to be knave and TOOL, and that he was used by
Jim Fisk and Jay Gould to further their speculaons
While the President was at Mr.. Corbin's house, the
Secretary thinks n is probable that Corbn may have
drawn him into conversation on the subject OF the
government sales OF gold, ana II may be that on
some occasion he may have dropped few words
unwytlngy which were rlagnilel, twisted and
made the most Of by CcrDn 70 advance mis- specuia-
tive interests. But that the sresisenG o. MIS- Grant
was in any way engaged IN Specializing Ia gold or
bonds or had any knowledge OF the combination
formed to bull gold the Secretary thinks IS utterly
false.
Mr.. Boutwell, thinks It possible that Corbin may
have gone to Fisk and Gould and represented to
them certain things that the President mad said or
was about to do. on the strength of the fact that
Grant was guest at Corbin's house. lie does not
think, however, that the President should be held
responsible for Corbin's action in this respect mas
much as he (the Presidentl not only innocent OF
having said anything for the comfort and encourage
ment OF the gold ring but was ignorant OF the con-
necton OF his brother-in-law Herewith.
From his first advent in Office, the Secretary says,
the President has DIen particularly hostile to the
Wall street specu ations AMI has at various times
taken counss! as to low they might be brought TO
grief.
When Secretary Boutwell, SAW the staten eIt OF III.
Frederick A. Lane, COUNSEL FOR Jay Could. olth
reference to Assistant Treasurer Bulerleid, he
thought II was his duty 70 cali eneral Eultefleid5
attention officially TO II.
tbs proper to state here that the Secretary at this
time had no suspicious OF General Butterleld having
been engaged in any ssecuiations or improper
transactions. He thought, however, that the credit
OF the department demanded that some notice
should be taken OF q letter prop osng 10 give cir
cumstantial account these alleged transactions,
especially as that letter appeared over the sigma ture
OF q man whose name was unknown to him and who
might be q person OF standing and repute. He,
therefore, addressed letter to General Butterned,
calling his attention to the matter and requesting
explanation II there was any to be made.