Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-03-06
that this reliance on the Executive as

sistance seems to have failed.
Whether Fisk fabricates these state
mepts or not, it is certain that the
q c0nspirators " relied on this aid to
the last. Whether they had sufficient
reason for such reliance, we do not
now consider, nor is it necessary,
ia our view, to consider at all.
Nor does Corbin, in his testi-
mony, expressly deny that this
reliance was part OF the plan
While we are as ready to accept Fisk
statements as those of COrbin-and no
more ready-We find in this matter
that C0rbin, the hrother-in-laW OF the
President, arranges frequent meetings
for Gould with the President; that
both upon the steamboats, OF Gould
and Fisk, and in Corbin's house, the
fullest communication takes place
with the President. 1t appears, also,
that Corbin designed to present Mrs.
Grant some stocks as early as July,
only to please his sister-in-laW;'
and although Mr.. COrbin could not
see "what little intended gift in
stocks. last summer, had to do with
gold fluctuations" the House and the
people will not fail TO see that 1t was
not altogether an insignificant gratJlity
by a loving brother-in-law to please
his sister-ip-law. 1t had some little
taint of selfishness, though 1t may be
the designer was unconscious OF It.
Why Mr.. Corbin should call in his
wife to the last agOnizing interview
with these schemers, before they
went to Washington on their
pilgrimage, it is rs much OF
mystery as the hasty dispatch Of let
teTs to the distant President. The
mystery is only solved on the theory
that the schemers relied on Govern
ment aid to the very last. We are
left in the dark as to how the Presi-
dent learned Of Corbin's gold specula-
tiOns, so far as ne was from the scene.
We are at a loss to understand the
violent appeals made by COrbin in the
committee room to the Almighty
against a member Of Congress pene-
trating by questions into his designs
Is TO the purchase Of bonds, etc, for
the Presidents household, and equal
ly at a loss to understand why he ap-
peals to the resolutions of this House
to protect him from answering queS-
ticns bearing on such designs; and
still more puzzled at his prevaricatiOn
and evasion il n0t a1s8 ering the fol-
lowing questions as to the authorship
of the ISIS" letter, unless on the ny
potlesis that all the plotters in this
selfish scheme, ilclEding C0rbin him
self, relied on the assistance Of the ad-
ministr8tiOn:
q. Did You after that show any let
ter to Mr.. Gould received from any
member OF the Presidents family
A. did yes; l should say that that
is not the phraseOlogy /; 1 did not
show him any letter, but read to him
so and 80.
Q. What old ycu read to him ? A.
Wei, l do not know. Let me try
my memory; in was letter written
TO my wife, written in great distress.
BY Mr.. Jones-Written by whom ?
a. It was written by SIS"
Q. Who 4. It was written in a
hurry an afiectiOnate letter written
in haste.
Q. Who wrote the letter? A. ! am
answering as specifically as human
phraseOlOgy can do il.
Ry Mr.. Judd-WhO dOyOu mean by
ISIS ~ <. I am explaining.
Z. You can state the lamei =. l
am explaining and can not do it any
better than l have done it.
=. VIII you answer that question ?
4. 1 will l viii not evade it nor am
L capable of evasion.
@ Who do you mean By Sis %
A. | mean Just what / say; that was
the signature to the Iotterj l am so
agitated, and l wish the Committee
would notice I am a little excited,
very weak and very nervous; I am
perfectly broken down, and there Is
but q wreck left; a letter came there,
as was saying, signed Sis lave
no doubt about it, because that IS tho
way in which those western ladies'
write. They sit down and
write a note and sign, in haste.
Sis" / never received a letter b,Om
her, and cannot swear to the hand
writing of it, but have no doubt of il.
There i5 not a particle of doubt but
that COFbin was interested, and his
role was that o. procuring the aid Of
the President for his theory. Butter
field himself frankly states to Gould
" that he knew the views and policy
Of the government were that they
would not sell any gold until after the
crops were sent TO the market" Who
contributed TO this policy, unless it
was Mr.. Corbin? That this was the
policy impressed upon the President
BY this pertinaciOus scheIner, is placed
beyond the shadow Of doubt by the
correspondence between the President
and the Secretary Of the Treasury.
The President, either from conviction
of the feasibility and utility Of the
crop tbeoEy, or from his Indifference
and inattentiOn to tie designs under
living it, accepted it. lie never iR-
fenced that gold should 90 down.
Gould did not expect it. In this was
the realization OF his plan. CBCOp-
sciOusly, O. consciously, the President
in his letters To Dir. Boutwell,, worked
In unison with the conspirators.
GOLD RESERVE.
1t is impossible to prevent large
amounts Of gold from remaining in
the Treasury, especially under our
present system Of tariffs snd public
debt. 1t is a pertinent inquiry, there
fore, which the minority desire to
make: How much gold should be re-
tanned in the Treasury as a reserve,
plus be disposed Cf2 These are among
the difficult questions which arise in
the administration of the Treasury
Department 20 the present Unfortu-
nate and anomalous condition OF the
currency. 1t IS important to know
how the present system originated.
The views and actions Of the recent
Secretary, Mr.. McCullOch, ia dealing
with them are thus explained in his
reports TO Congress: In his report Of
December, 1866, he remarked tina. in
order 70 secure steadineSs in the mar
ket. while business was conducted on
a paper basis, there must be power Ia
the Treasury to prevent successful
combinations TO bring about tiuctua-
tons for purely speculative purposes.
He thought specie payments We're not
to be attained by an accumulation OF
coin in the Treasury. 10 be paid out at
a future day in the redemption Of Gov
ernment obligations; but rather by
Quickened industry, increased produc-
ton and lower prices, which alone
could make us a creditor and not
debtor nation.
In his report of December, 1868
(psges 48 and 49,, he used the follow
ing language:
E" 1t was, and constantly has been,
therefore, the aim of the Secretary so
to administer the Treasury, while bor-
rowing money and funding the tenn
porary obligations, as to prevent
commercial crisis and to keep the
business of the country as steady as
WAS DQssihla on the basis of an ire