The New York herald., 1870-01-20

already prepared nc had submitted tho question OF
war or peace 10 their decision. But tho xdvice Of
Tho Law department, supported ny powerful argu-
nna shn M nv Usss was rerpt.n IN.
substance OF The message 70 modined receive0 Mr.
btanlon's hearty cndorseent'in everything tnat re-
gaided seccss0n. ana Inc treatment " Oaght W re-
CcEe.
Soon after this General Cass retired. ! was re-
9uested TO take The Stato Departments aud Mr. stan.
ton was appointed Attorney General upon my de.
car,ng mat / MAS unwilling 10 leave the care VI
certain causes pending In the supreme Cours 70 any
hands DuL hla. This Appointment alone, wlthouS
any other proof ought W SATISFY any reasoning mlnd
tnat all have said VI Mr. osanOn's sentiments must
o. Eue. NO man III his sooer senses can believe
that would have urged, or that Mr. BUCHANAN
would have made. tho appointment II We nad aot
bOth known with perfect certainty that ne agreed
with us cnureiy on t1oso IunuanenLai doc.
sriDcs or constitutional raw 10 wniCn we
were committed. TDo fainIsst srspiclon OF tho
contrary would nave put the Attorney Generals
enlce AZ tar Deyond ms rcacR as The tiaone
q france. We LOOK ntln for what no proessed 70
be "a True Trend vi I've Cnlon; devOuS believer ia
tue constitution; y faitAfui man VINO would upt vo-
late hn oalh oi Office ny wnIul dls0Dcdienco 70 Inc
us. IL he Abandoned those principles la 1907 the
change, however sudden Rnd unacco IN. able, not
Satisfactory evidence taas he Was an nnpostor and
ic dii not ind Mr.. Holt ana General Dix contend
ms alone Tor contcndng at aD against Tie Preaiaent
and tue rest or Le administration. Mr.. Holt OH the
81 Of Aarcn, 1854, appended ~ MIS- letter VI rcsg
natlon strong expression of MS gratitude ior
tne 'nrin and generous supporr' which MIR. Bu-
clanan had constantly extended 10 niln aud pays
warm tribute W the "enliglitcned stateslnansnip
ana ulsned patriotlsnn oI lne Outgoing Prcsldcui.
General DIX was not there a all wnen All. stanton
came H. he was appointed mOn.n afterwards,
when there was no 0isaHreeMcnL Al the CABINET.
He t0ok up MS residence aS the Irasidcnts
meaiper Of Ills Iainiy, and renamed there during
the whole time OF his service as head Vi the
Hury Department. he performed nis dutles iailn-
Iuliy, firmly ana in way winch met win universal
apprvDallon. 1 do not recoecJ tnaL ne nad Que
word VI serious controversy either with the Pres-
dent or with any body else. IT. therefore AIR. stan
ton was ~ any Time engaged Ia dfaSooA.ils tue
President AID factoring has coieasues ne couid not
nave hau Mr. Holt and Gencrak DIx Tor MS u4caers.
There were disputes and SERIOUS dilerences of
opinlon III tae CABINET during tue period OF Mr..
oLanJons service; DuI his snare IA lnein has nVI
been truly stated. / am not writing the history Ol
those times, aud therefore say moaning OF what
otners dd or iorDore to 90, exceps Iar may
necessary 10 Snow Mr.. SLaltOn'S acts and UmissouS
Al their true llgl..
Before the election 1t waAdctermlded that the forts
Ia Charleston narOor shoid We strengthened 81 ~
u make them lnpregnaDle. The order Was givcn
out the execution OF II was unaecoantaDly put On.
WAS acQalesced tn Dy tDe President NO
signed. Two weeks Afterwards Mayor Anoer-
son, commanding Fort Moultre aud apple-
nending an attack, threw his garrison into
Fort sumter. simultaneously came celtaln COM
missloners from South Carolina denianling lEe suf-
zeder VI the latter fort 70 the state. Ihe character
OF the answer Lnat snoLld be CIV en- ~ the cOmi,s
glOners an0 the QUESTION wneIner Fort SUMTER
should be flrnisneo with nlen ana PROVISIONS were
discussed lor three days, each uay running FAR INTO
tne nlgnt.
On the one side 1t was insisted that the surrender
OF Ine lOrLreBs Was 30 utterly lnconpatule wiA
pIalnest duLy tnat lie demand iLseu was = gross
sui. 10 leave II IN condition WHICH wva,d eAauie
worse, Tor tnat would De merely another lnooe Of
making the surrender, and worse one.
TNa MAJOR EMERSON shaa.9 smerei ans G aeos ~.
medateiy reinforced that ''nis castAc's sLrenvtn
would laugh siege 70 scorn," ana tneu no Attack
would be made TnlB last. llsteaa Vi Ueng danger
GUS. was the only measure tnat gave u chance VI
safety; II would not bring on hostlities, OuL avert
them, ana. II war must come ~ AL events, the pOs
DINER tOrts the narbOr aud the city, would De VI
calcuiaDie value TO the government OF tue Union.
10 this tnepe was absolutely nO answer, except
what consisted In saying that tho fort cuuLu not
relieved without dirculty Aud Danger Of SUCCESSFUL
aIrOnt, ald tnat n WAS Iantamouns ~ u lnreas Of
coercion. The replication WAS easMy maoe--
at resistance to Q sAip-of-war, tue statements
made OF the hostile power were me g Drag; South
Carolina took offence at our prepara.ion Tor tue
safety OF our own men ana our OWu property sue
must already be III temper W make RECOMMENDATION
mposslblc and Is TO Coercion lei her take care not
10 coerce u.s. And she would 10 sale enough.
At length the President produced decision In
the 1Orn or an answer 70 me connissioners. Wnlie
IL was FAR from satisfactory W the southern mem
bers 1t filed US with CONSERVATION aud grief.
Then came The desperate struggle Vi one alone to
do what all mad laLed To effect. AZ was painful In
the extreme out unexpectedly short and decLAlve.
The President gave W nls nrst ground, yielded the
points which ne had seemed iuosG teiacious; the
answer to SCUM Carolina Was essentially Changed,
and II was agreed that Fort Sumter SHOULD have nen
and prOvslOn5.
During THESE discussions Mr.. Stanton was always
true, but Lne part he TOOK was oy means lead
ing one. lie SAID many times that he was there
only tnat l might have two votes Instead OF one.
On no OCCASION was there Inc silgnGe5I conflict
tween hIm aud me. he exhibited none Oh lne
c0arseness which some OF his later friends nave
attributed to him. lie never spOKe without the
greatest respect for his col.eagues and the pro-
foundest Difference TO the Presaence. lie said no
word to The President about resgning. He tod me
that he would resign II did; but when certain
cessl0ns were MAZE 70 my wishes he expressed nin-
self perfectly satsted. tie did not furnish atom
OF the influence which brought tue President round
on the answer co South Carolina. Nor dId he ever
propose or carry any measure ol his own. directly
indirectly, relating 10 the secession troubles lie
uniformly professed to be as anxious for The pre-
servatlon oI the public peace AZ any man there.
1t would be q wrong 70 the memory Of Mr.. stanton
not to add that, 30 lar as know, he never gave
cOuntenance or encouragement to those fabulous
stories Of his behavior.
JEREMIAH 8. BLACK.