Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1874-01-15
MIR. Gushing Withlraws-His Letter
70 the President.

The following is Mr. Cushinps Letter TO the
President, requesting that his nomitaliou may
be Withdrawn:
TO the President:
SIR: Animated by the sense Of profound
gratitude for the honor you have done Tue in
nominating me, without previous knowledge 90
nv part to the high Office of Chief Justice Of
| The Suureme Court of the United States, aud
percciving that the continuance of my name
| before the Senate may be the cause or occasion
ofiucopvenepce to yourself and your political
friends there, respectfully request you to with
| draw the nomination.
Permit me t, add that the charges If diSloy-
alty 70 the Union and the Consttu i'm, which
have been made against me IN this Connection,
are utterly destitute Of foundation 10 trn'h or
in fact. | Indignantly repel the imputatlon.
| Ia all the time anterior to the commencement
of h0sIilities in the Southern States every act
of nv political life, 10 whatever relation to par
ties, was governed by the single dominant pur-
pose of aiming 10 preserve the threatened H.
| teprity IF the Union, and 10 avert from my
country the calamity Of its disruption aud OF
cons, uuent tratrlcldal carnag;. How could
such a purpose be promoted otherwise than by
poIisical association or personal intercourse with
citizens of different States, including even those
of States proiessedly diSatf-cted TO the Union
Should the only possible means of laboring to
prevent civil war be signlatIzsd as disiUyalty
to the Constitution? But immediately on &C.
currence of the first act ofhostlIlty to the Uulon
being struck 10 the Stale of South Carolina, l
took nv stand with the Union and its Govern
meut; publicly announced any adhesion to
them iu the most uucquvocal terms | repeat
edly rendered my services to the Government
l
tify my fidelity to it, aud | have continued from
that dry to this, as well in official as unofficial
action to tread 10 the path of answering de-
votion to the Uuiou, whether during the actual
progress of hostlitics against it or in the subse
aurut events of It's reconstruction, and of the
successive amendments of the Constitution
rendered necessary by the changed conditions
and relations of the several States of the Uni
ted States, and of their respective inhabitants.
The recent amendments vt the Constitution,
each aud all all Of them, as they We're In
turc adopted and the legislative acts
fer their enforcement and for accomplish
ing reconstruction, had my corporation and
adhesion. | have supported them co1stanty--
| If not 10 political debate, Tor which ny c,n par
atively reserved habits Of life afforded neither
occasion nor opportunity, yet In legal opinl 'ns
| or 10 the courts, and IN COUNSEL Or dlScusSlon
with officers of the Government members Of
Congress, and private persons, | entertained
the same general respect for these amendments
as for other provisions of the Constitution, and
also rendered the special observance due TO
them as the just and necessary incidents OF the
reconstruction OF the Uulon.
While NY nomination was undergoing con
sieration before the Senate it would have bceu
unbeseemiDg for me to speak IN explanation ct
my acts or oplnlons but now, with relative III
difference to whatever eIs- may have ben sail,
either honesty OF maIlclou'ly, to my prclu!icc,
it belong, TO my sense OF public duty aud my
political convictions, and it is my right, to r.
affirm aud declare that | have never, 10 the
long course of u not inactive lille, done an act,
uttered word, or conceived Ihonght Of Dis
LOYALTY 10 the Constitution or the Union.
| have the honor to be, very respectfully,
&. CUSHING.
WASHINGTON, Jan. IA, 1874.
The following was telegrapnei BY the A>so
cated Press agent last evening:
The President 90 reading the Davis letter at
once concluded to Withdraw the nomination,
and caused a COMMUNICATION to be written to
The Senate for this purpose. The Prc>idcut be-
gentleman had taken the States rights view Ut
| j
previous to the breaking cut he late civil war;
| bu, that when Fyrl Sumter was fired upon Mr..
Cushing made u patriotic Sp ech and offered
hi, services 10 "A military CAPACITY IN putting
d .wu he rebellion Olher gentlemen had ike
MIR Cushing, declared their cplalnn that The
Government had % right to cor.cc State; YET
when hosllitirs resulted. they We're acil.rly
found on the side OF the Union. But uow that
this letter of jefferson Davi, had come 10 light,
stati, so broadly di>union views, the Presid mt
notwt hstandiug his high appreclati,u Of MIR.
Cushiug's legal attainments, resolved TO with
draw his name, appreheusivc that his opinion
as expressed 10 the past, might i'jurrlousy at
feet the decisions Of the Supreme Court, III the
event of his confirmation as Chief Justice.
The President called an extra Cabinet meet
ing Yesterday, which continued for nearly two
hours during which the subject of the Chief
Justiceship was considered. a short time be-
| fore the Presidents private secretary s'artcd
| for the Capitol long letter from Mr. Gushing
was received, The President detained the
private secretary and added to the message cl
withdrawal postscript, stating that since the
| message was yesterday written, he had received
a letter from Mr.. Cushing, cory Of which nc
| incloscs, decmDg it an act of justice to that
| gentleman to lay the same before the Senate.
As soon as the postscript was written the prl-
vate secretary lett the Executive Mansion for
the purpose of delivering the message to the
Senate Washington Republican.
TCOyNUNICATED