The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-08-20
FRELINGHUYSEN, GRANT, AND MOT
LEY.
From, the N. Y. World.

LEY
From, the NJ Y. World.
1t is ereditable to Mr.. Frelinghuysen's
sense of what is due to public opinion that he
should have promptly responded to the COM
ments of the World upon the awkward and
unpatriotic attitude in which his apparent
vacillation over his appointment as Minister
to England has placed him, by the publication
of letter intended fully to explain his course
in this matter.
This letter appeared recently in the lead
ing journal of the city in which Mr.. Freling-
huysen resides and if we could agree with
the Newark Adoertiser that ''the letter ex-
plains itself sufficiently" we should gladly
suffer it to relieve us from any further notice
of the subject. But this we cannot do. Mr..
Freling ghuysen is not the only person con-
cerned in this affair. The President also has
played in it part which requires explanation
at least as much as the conduct of Mr.. Fre-
linghuysen, and part which, remaining unex-
planned, beclouds Mr.. Frelinghuysen's own
statement of his own course in the matter
with suspicious not to be lightly borne, we
should say, by so sensitive and so right
minded person.
MIR. Frelinghuysens nomination, as we
need not remind our readers, was coupled
with the removal of Mr.. Motley. The re-
moval of MIR. Motley, of course, commanded
the appreciation of a vast ma iority of Con-
gress and of the country. The nomination
of Mr.. Frelinghuysen was received with
satisfaction. But this was upon the faith of
Mr. Frelinghuysen's intention to accept the
Office and undertake at once its duties. No
body expected or approved the nomination
merely as a compliment to Mr.. Frelinghuysen,
of whom it is neither unjust nor uncivil to
say that no one would ever have dreamed
of his being named to the post had
not the nomination been actually made.
Now Mr.. Frelinghuysen tells us that
he had no sooner heard rumor of his nomi-
nation than he at once telegraphed his deter
mination to decline the appointment. This
telegram he followed up with another to the
same effect upon receiving the news that he
had actually been nominated. He does not
say to whom he telegraphed, but he does say
that neither of his kilograms reached its
destination" OF course, he probably tele-
graphed to the President; and it is GER
tainly very curious circumstance that
two kilograms upon such a subject,
sent to the head of the Government on
two successive days, should both have
failed to arrive. A curious circumstance, and,
so far as Mr.. Frelinghuysen is concerned, a
most unfortunate circumstance. For by his
failure to prevent month ago the appoint
ment he now vacates, MIR. Frelinghuysen (of
course unconsciously) was made in fact to
serve the Presidents purpose by displacing
with the least possible difficulty an envoy
whom the President lopged but feared to re-
move. In briefer and palmer terms, MIR. FIRE.
linghuysen's obvious and apparent part in this
odd diplomatic backstairs comedy was that of
New Jersey peg used to drive out Massa-
chusetts peg withal
| That the very journal which publishes Mr.
| Frelinghuysens letter of July 27 to the Pre-
sident perceives this obvious and apparent
part to have been played by N.Y. Frelinghuy-
sen is clear from the fact that nothing can
well be less clear than the illusions which it
makes to that gentlemans conduct at the
time of his confirmation. 1t tells us that
Mr.. Frelinghuysen sought to withdraw his
name, not as he himself nov tells us, be-
cause bis domestic relations aud duties
made it imperative upon hina SO to do. but
because he desired ''to relieve the President,
the Senate, and himself of all co IMPLICATIONS. /"
Now, what were these complications to
avoid which MIR. Frelinghuysen desired to
Withdraw his name? And how is their
existence to be reconciled with the further
fact asserted by the same journal, that the
rapidly approaching close of the session of
Congress" forbade Mr.. Frelinghuysen to
avoid these complications" except ''at tn Q
cost of much embarrassment to the Senate? =?
And, above all, what are We to uadsrstand by
the extraordinary final statement that Mr.
FreliDghuysep, caught between unexplained