The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1872-08-03
4 Question of TJeracitV.

In his great speech in St. Louis, on last
Monday week, Senator SCHURz used the
following strong and emphatic language in
reference to his opposition to the corrupt
scheme Of General GRANT fortEe aRnexa-
ton of San Domingo:
''When the San Domingo scheme was
pending two gentlemen i'll intimate rela-
tions with the White House came to me,
each one separately, soliciting my support
of the project. They assured me that If L
would give that support or abstain from
opposition, all the patronage Idesired would
he at my disposal, making me IN that re
spcct one of the most influential men III the
land. One of these gentlemen subsequent
ly admitted to me in writing that the of1er
was made to me with the consent OF the
President himself If the facts should be
! questioned by authority, the proof viii be
Forthcoming"
| On the following day. General GRANT,
at a Cabinet meeting, authorized denial
Of the tIqdth of the foregoing statement and
called on Mr.. SCHURz for the proof of the
/ truth of his declaration. The Missouri
Senator knew what he was saying and was
fully prepared to sustain the truth of the
charge he had made.
No man of intelligence can forget the
disgraceful history of this whole San Do
amigo business, nor can any man fail to ne
member that GRANT himself undertook 10y
his own personal efforts to lobby the scheme
through the Senate. When this annexa-
ton project WAS before that body, General
ALFRED PLEAsANToN was Commissioners
| of Internal Revenue and was warm sup
| porter and friend of General GRANT. 1t
seems that he was the gentleman sent by
! GRANT to make the corrupt bargain with
! ,SCHURZ, in order to procure has support of
the treaty and its confirmation by the Sen
| ate.
Mr.. SCHURz has now made good his
charge in his speech at st. Louis, and the
question is narrowed down to O7Fe of verac-
ity between General PLEAsASToN and L.
s. GRANT CARL SCHURZ has washed his
hands of the whole business, as will be
seen from the following letter addressed to
him by Gen. PLEsANToN:
NEW YORK, July %, 1872.
DEAR GENERAL: OF course l have no
objection to your giving my name to the
public in explanation of the facts. l would
say that, being friend OF the President,
well as of yourself, l desired that you
should be on good terms, and you should
understand that there was no personal
feeling in the way of relations mutually
satisfactory. Your statement is correct
that the President wanted your support for
his Santo Domingo scheme, and that you
could have had the patronage of the gov
ernment for giving it. That was the dis
tinctl impression the Presidents cOnversa-
ton made upon my mind, and | communi-
icatcd it to you at the time.
! If the President positively denies having
had any such conversation, | regret it.
may console myself with the reflection that
| this is the first time that any statement of
mine has been questioned, while the Presi-
/ dent has had occasion before this to diStrist
! the accuracy of his recollections.
| Truly yours, y. PLEASONTON.
! We leave this controversy as it stands, to
be settled between Cen PLEAsoNToN and
! his friend ULYSSES S GRANT.