Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1870-12-21
For the CHRONICLE.
GRANT-.-COX.-.WHYDID THE LAT
TER RESIGN MeGARRA-
HAN CONTROVERSY.
For the CHRONICLE.

@AAa Rs-AA opp
while much has been said about the
real cause OF the resignation Of Secretary
Cox, the conclusiveness OF b PROOF,
found in the correspondence between that
officer and the President, on the subject,
has been overlooked. Let me, for a
moment, review it The letter Of resig
nation is dated October 5, and in it the
Secretary SAYS he is credibly informed
that a somewhat systematic effort will be
made before the reassembling of Con-
gress to force a change in the policy Of
the Interior Department; that the re-
moval Of the Indian service from the
sphere Of ordinary political patronage
has been distasteful to many influential
gentlemen in both Houses, and that to
enable the President to carry out his
purpose successfully he ought not to be
embarrassed by other causes of irrita-
ton in the same department. He then
states that his views of reform in the
civil service have brought him more
or less into collision with the plans of
active political managers, his sense of
duty obliging him TO oppose some Of
their methods of action, through the de-
partment, and that while he believes
public sentiment will sooner or later
sustain those efforts at needed reform,
he should not overlook the fact that
for the present they involve OppOsi-
ton which it may not be for the inter
est Of the administration to provoke,
and as his personal tendency is to be
rather more than less persistent in the
I'LL - & aAmmmamHW#aA hn
deems it his duty 70 place his resig-
nation in the Presidents hands. The
letter then refers to the S~ecretary's pri-
vate business, but in no sense makes
that q ground for rendering his resigna-
ton. The receipt Of this letter gave the
President the opportunity OF doing one
Of three things. OF assuring h Sec
rotary that in the reforms alluded to he
had and would continue to have the full
support of the Executive, and declining
to accept the resignation; 2 OF disclaim-
ing any disposition to avoid b opposi-
ton alluded to by the Secretary, IF he
was really in accord with the Secretary's
position,) and still accepting the resig-
nation, IL for any reason he himself
desired q change in the department. and
s.. OF accepting the resignation without
any qualification, thereby admitting the
matter TO be exactly as the Secretary had
put il. He chose the latter, accepting
the resignation without reservation and
now, il seems to me, that if Presidents
are held to the same rules that bind
other parties, he, as well a the retain
ers, wOrshippers and hRngers-On about
the White House, is estopped from deny
ing that the cause put by the Secretary
was the true cause and further, that the
I President did tacitly admit that he was
not ready for the civil service reform
issue. If further proof were needed on
the former point we have the Secre-
tary's positive assertion that the true
cause OF his resignation was stated in
that letter. To those who know him
personally, this would seemto be sufh-
cient, while to those who do not, it
need only be suggested that the man
who dared to write the famous Ober-
lin letter. in 1865, when 3 candidate for
office, would hardly be casting around
for some false ground TO assign for re-
signing Office in 1870.
But the President, or some OF his ad-
Visors, finding, upon a publication OF
the correSpondenco, that in the public
view, the Presidential foot had been put
into il, and that the country was applaud
ing the Secretary at the expense Of the
President, caused the correspondence
between the President and Secretary
] N0A away LdLA III 1AH Isl AAN@@AL aAANN
months before the resignation, concern
ing the McGarrahan claim, to be pub
lished, disappearing and perverting
the Secretary's letter, and seeking 10
befog the whole matter and lead to the
! conclusion that something else han the
cause stated was, after all, the reason of
the Secretsry's retirement. This most
ingenious ~ document remarks that
with regard to that part Of Mr.. Coxs
1" letter 1.-THE letter of October 81 which
&" seems to imply an interference on the
mart OF somebody with the Indian
4" policy Of the administration, it should
" be understood that the President had
enc issue with Mr.. Cox on that subject,
{" nor did he permit any outside inter
SO ference As though the Secretary's
letter had intimated that there was some
issue between the President and the
former. The letter will be searched in
vain for a word which will bear such
Interpretation.
This "ofioiRl explanation" further
states that il is generally known TO the
- country that President Grant is the
"author Of the present policy OF the
government towards the Indians, and
/" the people may rely on the fact that no
&" departure will be made from that policy
"while he is President, no matter what
{" changes may take place in the Cabl-
snet.n Of course it was generally
! known that the President was the author
of that policy. The Secretary, in his
letter of October 3, speaks Of it using
the words, ain order to enable you TO
50 carry your purpose out successfully
"a Won ought not to be embarrassed by
any other cause Of irritation" &c, and
the Secretary, therefore resigns to relieve
the President Of those other causes o.
| irritation.
Further on this same explanation
saws: In regard to the reforms IN the
"a civil service, allusion to which was
1" made in the last letter OF Mr., Cox, it Is
well understood here and elsewhere
, "by all who have anything to do with
"the Executive Department Of the gov
; " eminent, that since the inauguration
Hof President Grants administration
I" particular attention has been given &c
&" this matter &c. Certainly the admin
istration started out with that as part o.
its policy, and Secretary Cox had the
= right to expect at the outset that ht
would be fully sustained in every legiti'
mate effort looking in that direction
; But when he saw, as everybody saw
2 that the politicians were proving toS
much for the President; that nomina
ton after nomination was made 10
important Offices for partiZan reasons
. merely. Ia notable example being thu
= New York city changes, where a patri
: otto Union general was displaced from
the Naval ONCE to give room for Ton
I Murphy, a notorious pOlitcisnD anC
: that the men who made politics a trade
D were gradually, but surely, acquiring
p ascendency with the President, the Sec
, retary had the right to presume tina
when the guns OF these traders wer'
brought to bear on the Interior Depart
? ment, the place would soon become to-
. hot for occupancy by any man OF sell
j respect. His letter of resignation gaYi
> the President an opportunity Of disabus
e ing the mind of tho Secretary and th'
country on that point, if n error, bu
=, the President chose to admit the Score
! tary's presumption correct and It Is to-
late now for him to seek TO escape tn
dilemma by trying to show that the res
i iunstion had some other motive, ant
that particular attention has beeI
7 given to the matter Of civil servic
e reform. "Fine words butter no parS
3 nips,' the President should remember
: The object of the publication Of thi
% official explanation" with the McGar
. rahan CORRESPONDENCE, is to put Secre
tarv Cox in an u~nfayorahle position be
fore the public, and give the impression
that he ard the President dit1er IN thi
5 matter. and hence the resignation. Al
examination OF the action Of these twy
= officers in regard TO this matter, vii
show, think, that the Secretary lost n
l%aurels. as the President certainly game
none, By the treatment Of the McGarra
IS han claim.
But as an examination OF that brancl
Of the subject promises to be longer tina