Daily Kennebec journal., 1870-04-01

States officials must be secured. The office
of A. A. Provost Marshal General of Maine
was then filed by an honorable gentleman
from Maine and an officer in the regular
army. To him this remarkable roll was shown
and his approval of it solicited. That APP
proval was denied and probably with some
expression of honest indignation. Not long
afterwards this officer was ordered to another
field of duty and his place supplied by an
officer from a Western State. Then again
appeared at the State Capital the man with
the once rejected list of names. And hence
forward it seems there was no official veto
upon the filling of quotas of cities and towns
with these names" The purposes of this
statement cannot be mistaken by any intelli-
gent gentleman. 1t is a base and wanton eff
fort to discredit and dishonor the then Executive
of Maine by meanly insinuatng that he was
instrumental in procuring the removal or dis
placement of Major Gardiner, that tn Sc al
! iedged credits might be endorsed, and allowed
to Maine. | think the Judgment of this House,
before | get through with my evidence will
concur with me in concluding that this state
ment of this commission is without any
honest foundation and had purely mis-
cheivous and unworthy objects in view i'll its
PRONUNCIATION.
For fourteen months this commission was
| in session in the State House in the discharge
'eN''
lied to put upon record anything not sustain
ed by facts. They were supposed to be men
who would impartially consider the rights of
the State and the claims of towns. Governor
| Conv was living as he now does within ten
minutes ride of their place of business; very
frequently at the State House and coming in
contact with them often. Stepping across the
rotunda of the capitol they could have had OF
cial information of the removal OF MAJOR
| Gardiner and the reasons therefor, by a SIM
pie inquiry of the accomplished Adiutant Gen
eral Murray Notwithstanding the proximity
of this office and the well known fact that
official testimony was there. notwithstand-
ing the frequency of meeting Governor Cony,
they never sought one iota of testimony from
anywhere, the AdJutant Generals office or the
Governor, to contradict or confirm their IN
| decent conclusions.
For purposes incomprehensible and incom-
patible with any honorable suggestions, they
determined to go to the people with report
voiscus with venom and gangreened with
unwarranted imputatons, and in defiance of
E the evidence so easy at hand. The gross
ness of the statement will be evidenced by
the official communications which will now
T read:
i ''WAR DEPARTMENT.,
Pro Mar. Gerr'ls Office :
WASHINGTON. ID. C., 21 Nov. 1864.
His ExcELLENcY SAMUEL CoNr.
Governor. Augusta, Name
SIR:-It has been deemed necessary to re-
lieve Major j. W. 7. Gardiner from duty as
Act Asst. Prov. Marshal General of Maine
The condition OF Major GARDENERS health
has it is apprehended, prevented him from
giving the amount Of labor to his official du-
ties which will hereafter be required.
Major r. NJ. Littler, the officer detailed
to relieve Maj Gardiner, has been selected as
a competent and worthy officer, and as such is
commended to your Excelency, with the re-
quest that you will lend him such assistance
and cooperation as may enable him to dis
charge his duties satisfactorily to the Govern
ment and the State.
/ have the honor to be, sir,
Very respectfully, your obt servt.
i JAMES B. Fry,
Provost Marshal General"
To this communication informing the State
authorities that Major Gardiner was .'relev-
ed" not ''ordered to another field of duty
the Governor Immediately wrote to the War
Department vigorously advising against the
displacement of Gardiner To this protest of
Governor Cony, the Department rejoined:
'WAR DEPARTMENT,
Prov. Mar. Gems Office,
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Dee /, 1864. )
'HIs ExcELLENCY, SAMUEL CoNr,
I Governor, Augusta, Maine.
4 Il have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your letter of the oath ult. in which
you state as follows: referring to the relief of
Major Gardiner.
1T seems that the wishes of Chief Magis-
trate of a State in the selection of an officer
charged with such delicate duties as those
devolving upon an Acting Assist. Provost
Marshal General, and with whom he is
brought much in contact, are not regarded as
entitled to the consideration had supposed
and which l still think is due to the relation
and dignity of his position"
| beg to assure your Excellency that it
has not been the intention of this Bureau upon
this or any other occasion, to treat the Exec
utive of Maine with want of reconsideration, and
it was subject of regret that the views of the
State Executive and Department did not coin
eide in reference to the relief of Major Gardi-
ner. 1t is true that the duties of Acting Asst.
Provost Marshal General are delicate and
the State Executive is necessarily closely
connected with the officer detailed to perform
them but when you bear in mind the response
bilitics that | have to bear, | think you will
not regard it as unreasonable in me to urge that
my wishes be consulted in the selection of
Acting Asst. Provost Marshal General, es-
pecially as the District Provost Marshals, and
all other officers and employees in the differ
the political influence prerailing therein.
am sir, very respectfully your obt. servt.,
/ JAMES b. FRY,
/ Provost Marshal General.
Such is the testimony that the State throws
back upon this commission" vindicating her
chosen Administration from studied but
groundless imputations. This commission
was in session, as have before remarked,
fourteen months, to perform a specific labor,
not to impeach records; not to arraign and
attempt to dishonor a past administration OF
the State whose magnificent record of 1864
was vindicated by two subsequent elections
by quite unparalleled majorities. They were
here to 'Equalize the War Debts" of towns,
work which they left most incomplete, in
,hcir apparent anxiety to stain and discredit
tai administration and to throw dirt upon
individuals. During all these months the
people were patiently waiting the Equaliza-
ton of the War Debts while this ''commis
sion" seems to have spent most of its time in
drawing fancy pictures of public and private
character. Instead of an open and dignifed
adjustment Of the claims of towns. they sat
practically i'll secret, listening to the gossip OF
l.l,. toI tlo Aa1 nj th.n