Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1872-01-11
THE CAMPAIGN OF LYING.

from Hdrpcrs' Weekly concerning the re-
peated SANDERS published against the Pres
ident which was entitled 1.-The Campaign
of SANDER We suggest change in the
title, and for ourselves shall cali the cam
paigm now being waged against him the
campaign of lying.
The rebel papers in the South are just
now publishing copious extracts from the
New York Tribune and some other pa
pers heretofore identified with the Repub-
can marty. in which serious and false
charges are made against the character OF
President Grant. The basis for the publ
cations is the testimony now being taken
before the Retrenchment Investigating
Committee in New York. 1t is claimed
b : the papers hostile to the Administration
that the evidence already taken connects
the President with certain frauds in the
New York custom house. Thus the World
s1ys in reference to the General Order
business: .....
Who. besides Leet and his partner Stocking,
have shared in the profits of this gigantic SWIM
die of the New York merchants The testl-
mony carries it home to headquarters IN Wash
i1gt0n. There is no longer any room to doubt
that General Porter, the Presidents private
secretary. shared in these dishonest, extortlon-
ate gains and probably the President himself.
The President 01rH letters, an ms 0acn hond-
,criting courict him Of completely ruth the
fraud.
We have read with great care this testi-
monv filling over twelve closely printed
columns of the Tribune, and we propose to
convict the World by the testimony it re-
lies on, of gross and willful falsehOOd.
Mr.. John 2. Lindsay, the witness relied
upon to convict the President and his pri-
yate Secretaries, Generals Porter and Bah
cock, with corruptions in the New York
custom house, was examined at great
length.
From his evidence it appears that soon
after the Presidents inauguration Colonel
Leet, one Of his former staff officers notifi-
ed him that he proposed to resign his posi-
ton in the army and go to New York to
engage in business. The President eX-
pressed his regrets at hearing of such a
purpose and attempted to persuade him to
Change his plans. Butfinding him decided
he gave him letter ofintroductiOn to Hon.
Moses Grinnell asking that gentleman to
aid Mr.. Leet in establishing selfinbusi-
ness in New York. Armed with this
letter and with the Information that Mr..
Grinnell was to be appointed
ColIector-infoTmation received no
doubt from Porter and Babcock, the Presi-
dents Secretaries-ColOnel Leet proceed
eIto New York, presented himself to Mr..
Grinnell, notified him that he was to be
the Collector of the Port, and in reply to
Mr.. Grinnelrs offer to serve him, asked
for the General Order business of the Gus
tom House. Grinnell promised to consid-
er the request When Leet went back to
Washington and the President learned OF
his request of Mr.. Grinnell, he expressed
to General Porter his regret that Leet
should have made such demand, as by
reason of having been recently on his staff,
the matter would cause unpleasant COM
ment. That we have not misrepresented
the character of the Presidents
letter to Mr. Grinnell or of his
views of the propriety of Leet's
conduct, we extract, uer6dtiR,, the folio W
ing from Mr.. Lindsay's testimony:
Question. Are you acquainted with Gen. Por.
ter, the private secretary of Gen. Grant? An
swer. l have met him.
o. Are YOU aware that he testified before an
Investigating committee little less than year
ago-on the I'd Of March last? He was asked
this question: Do you know whether the
President ever recommended Col Leet for this
appointment or position p and to that he made
the following answer, to which call your at
tention for the purpose of inquiring of you
whether your recollection of the contents OF
that letter is the same as that of Gen. Porter
ITO the best of my knowledge and belief he
never did. The only letter that the President,
according to my knowledge, gave TO Col. Leet
was letter of introduction to the Hon. Moses
H. Grinnell, in New York. think before Mr..
CIrinnell was appointed Collector, Col. Leet had
determined to resign from the army and 60
into business in New York, and Gen Grant
gave him a letter of Introduction, stating the
high regard he had for him while he had served
on his staff not asking that he should be given
anv business at all in the custom house" a. |
have no doubt that it is the same letter.
O. Does your recollection of the contents
agree with Gen. Porter's recollection \. Yes,
Sir; that is the substance of what l meant to
state before.
O. Do you or do you not know that General
Grant was opposed to Col Leets resigning his
position in the War Department and coming to
New York? a. l know that Col. Leet told
me that the President was opposed to it.
Q. Gen. Porter, in the same evidence from
which before read on this point, says THE
President once spoke to me. on that subject, and
nv recollection is that | communicated to Col
Leet that conversation my recollection is that
Col Ieet came over to Washington at one time
and said he was going to have portion of the
General Order business in New York, and |
told him what had learned in connection with
the President, that the President would rather
that he would go into some private business and
have nothing to do with any Government bust
ness in New York, from the fact that he had re-
Gently been a member of his staff. That was
mere question of propriety. you know any
thing in regard to that ? A. Col Leet told me
pesonally that the President had told him that he
did not think he had better resign his position
in the army; that was after he went back to
Washington; l think he told me what his re-
sponse was; it was that he felt rather indignant
that the President or anybody should under
take to dictate to him what he ought to do; he
preferred TO go out of the army and get this
matter here that was the substance of it; | am
not able to give you the exact words.
Mr. indSaViS first account of the letter