The Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1870-1875, 1870-11-30
LIE coz MAFTRR AGAlN.
What PuFpOrts 70 be the Presidents
Account OF the Matter.


The New York World, of the I'D,
has the following dispatch from Gin
cinnati. 1t is probably a good guess
by somebody at the Presidents YER
sion of the matters discussed. Wheth-
er it is anything more will have to be
evidence. So far all that has ap-
peared shows that the President acted
for the best IN reference to the Nc
Garrahan business:
Cincinnati (2lstl Special to the World.l
On Thursday last President Grant
had an interview with gentleman
prominent in Official circles on the
sUbjsot of the Cox MoGarrahan claim.
The President desired him to make
public the following statement:
1t IS stated on the highest authority
that there never was the slightest dis
agreement between the President and
Secretary Cox on the MeGarrahan
claim in the administration of the In
terror Department Nota word passed
on the subject Of the claim, except
that when the Cabinet was organized,
In March, 1869, the President then
said to the Cabinet, aud particularly
to Secretary Cox, that be supposed
his claim would be brought before the
administration in some form. He
wanted thus early TO announce his
views to them, not believing either
claimant had we'll grounded titles,
but believing that both were tainted
with fraud, and that the Government
really owned the land. He did not
want the Administration to have any
thing to do with it, but to let the court
and Congress settle the matter. He
then and there, in the presence of the
Cabinet, directed Mr.. Cox to decline
to consider the claim until Congress
and the court made it imperative for
the Administration to act. From
that day to the time Secretary Cox
wrote his first letter OF resignation, he
(COx) never az much as intimated to
the President that the time had ar
rived for the Administration to act.
Having these facts In mind when ne
wrote Secretary Cox from Long
Branch, and assuming that the Sec
rotary did not intend to act until be
had conferred with him, the President,
nevertheless, feared that he might
commit himself to some line of policy
which Commissioner Wilson might
seize upon as a pretext to compromise
the Administration in favor of some
one or other of these fraudulent
claims. The very nature of his COM
munication to the Secretary shows he
never distrusted him for . moment.
He had his orders fully sixteen months
before, and the President could not
suppose he would disobey them. He
had good reasons, in the shape of writ
ten evidence, to dis rust Commissioner
Wilson, and warned the Secretary &C
cordingly. The Secretary's second
resignation cut off the explanation
promised. The prudence Of the Presi-
dent is commedable. The temper of
Secretary Cox was unfortunate. He
should not have committed himself
to one Of these parties without con
sulting the President or his Cabinet,
since he says IN his latter that 1T is a
measure of so much administrative
importance-one of the greatest likely
to come before it"--sO that he could
not withdraw from it, when requested
by his superior, without showing in
subordination and bad temper.
Second-The subject of managing
the Department of the Interior was
never discussed by the President and
Secretary, and the former never IN
terfered in any respect, either By him
self or through others. He may have
read it in the newspapers of the cay,
but he was not advised of what the
Secretary was doing. He certainly
did not interpose any objection to the
mode Of filling Offices IN the depart
meut. At no time did he express a
single view IN respect to the assess
ment of clerks for electiOneeri pur-
poses. He did say to Assistant Sec
EetaEy 49, that he thought the clerks
ousl il " s->s2er nitted to go home and
their pay; but he issue9 " 0uL . s1l.in : : :
the subject. He very pr6peFTIy
thought there should be no discrimi-
nation against those clerks in favor
of those in other departments, more
especially as there were, according TO
report, more Democrats appointed by
this Secretary than by any other
The suggestion was beneficial to both
Democrats and Republicans. Never
having read the Secretary's second
letter, except to see that it was
another resignation, when it was pub
lished he was as much surprised al
anybody else to find upon what ground
the resignation was put. There Is bu
one way of explaining or reconcilinl
these two letters. Having received
no answer to the first, and remember
ing the early and first stand the Pres
ident took against these two claimants
and the order he then gave ignorin
both, he knew he could not stand o.
that letter, aud therefore resorted t
the civil service expedient. He kneV
the President had never interferei
with him, but recollected some news
paper sensationalist had written tina
Senators Cameron and Chandler had
after seeing the President, compliance
Of the Secretary's mode Of administer
ing the Office; and this might do t
justify his new reasons for resigninG
These are authentic facts. aud tn
public must judge Of the Secretary
sincerity and merits.