New-York tribune., 1873-06-18
MR.. KELLOGG RISES TO EXPLAIN.

We did not suppose that Mr.. William Pitt
Kellogg would remain silent under the extra
ordinary charges conveyed by our correspond
ents recent letter. We say conveyed" by
that letter; for it was not our correspondent
who made them; Mr.. Kellogg was his own
accuser. 1t will be remembered that in the
letter in question occurred the following pas
sage:
Referring 10 the Presidents proclamation. told Mr.
Kellogg that had seen evidences Of disturbance
anywhere in the State and had not heard that any had
Occurred for several weeks before the proclamation was
issuod and asked him what ground he made his requ
stOn upon the President He said that IL not his ideG
all but the people Of the North thought that there was
civil war down here The Associated Press dispatches
from here exaggerated every little occurrence great
posters stuck up about the streets during the
st. Marnsville affair." exciting the people with re-
ports that the citizens being murdered, and the
reports sent North Of the same character. HIS
friends in Washington urged him 10 call upon the Presi-
dent for help Mr. Packard Uas in flror Of 81 The use
OF United States troops as posse eomtdus was slow
and awkward way. The law under which they were
used was sure to abused that had been the history
of 1t In North South Carolina and everywhere else
that IL was resorted TO- In the desire to get tho troops
men we're likely strain pon in making the affidavit,
and when the to tralt generally turned out
as at trial OF Dr. Blanc the day-that there was
no case All these things and the constant reports sent
North OF disorder used to ure the President and
30 he finally consented 10 giee The President an opDor-
tniy 10 place the troops directly at his disposal and stop
all Of hiS hue aud cry
Naturally this story has caused some excite
ment. For Mr.. Kellogg is seen to confess that
he called for troops when. he knew they were
not needed that he demanded them not for
the suppression of domestic violence but for
II. L.,
forced to demand them, against his better
judgment, by the urgency of his friends at
Washington" If this was true, Mr.. Kellogg
and the President together had been guilty of
an amazing outrage. Mr. Kellogg has proba-
bly, been called to account by his L" friends at
Washington" for he telegraphs to Attorney
General Williams: "The purpOrted interview
published in TIE NEw-YoRK TRIBUNE of
"June regarding the Presidents proclamation
&" is Incorrect
We should like to know in the first place
what Mr.. Kellogg means by purpOrted in
"terview." He will hardly have the effron-
our correspondent, when the meeting took
place by appointment, and with full under
standing of its object. We should like to
know in the second place what he means by
saying the "purported" interview is "incor-
erect" In what is 1t incorrectf The con-
versation lasted two hours the story of it
filled two columns Of THE TRIBUNE it touched
upon q great variety of subjects. What are
the mistakes Are they great or small 2-mis-
takes Of language or mistakes of fact To
say merely that long narrative like that is
incorrect" is evasiye.
Mr.. Kellogg committed the fault common
with politicians of his class, of talking too
much for his own good. He was invited by
our correspondent (of whom we may say, in
passing, that in all our professional experience
we have never met with more faithful, clear
headed, and scrupulously accurate man), to
state his views of the political and financial
condition of the State. He spoke, as our cor
respondent observed, "with very little re-
serve" and we gave our reasons at the time
for believing that in regard to the proclama
ton he told the simple truth. We had re-
ceived information to the same effect from
another source ten days before. Mr.. Kellogg,
in his anxiety to excuse himself, did not re-
fleet sufficiently upon the full significance OF
his statements. He did not consider how they
would look in print. He admitted, perhaps,
more than he originally meant to admit. And
now he hopes to smooth the matter over by a
vague and general declaration that the in
terview is Incorrect That is very con-
venient sort of disclaimer; but it does not
meet the emergency.