The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1875-10-21
SELLING orFIcEs.

SELLING OFFICES.
Our National Disgrace The Manner in
Missfcns are Hawked in
She AGprkee by the President's Partners.
spirit the mes, SssSssr ass 8. edited by George
The testihony yesterday in the case
q B. M Cheever against Henry Clews
&sC0s, Developed sonie-points that the
House of Representatives will proba-
bly, find it necessary to investigate,
This testimony relates to the reasons
and influences which procured The ap-
peintment, in 1865, ,-of1 Henry Clews s.
Co, as financial agerlt or banker of
the United States Government in Eu-
rope: This appointment, IS the public
wiHfehiember, caused astOnishmcnt
at the time, and it now appears by the
evidence that preliminary to- it was an
agreement by, which Henry rClews, y
&cs, agreed 20 6'pay to Lotiis Dent, the
larpf kers inDtaws OF theo Presftfent, onel
ytheoprofits 10 be derived frein
the app9intInent. and. this, one eight
they g ghafahteed to Don't, should not
be less than S9,O00Ha year. Thus, II
tha eas4inlDuyii is strueliiw have the
shy,8thernin-lsw ct the Pts sident, ,s and
the Constant Intimate. ct the, White
House, Engaged in. the business of sell
ifsg, ,SAe atHigh price, one Of the most
Lucrative appointments iu the gifto OF
the Goyerpmsnt,sa ndsan appointments,
too, which not ;pnl VI seemed TO all in
telffgeht people an improper one to be
made, but which finally resulted in a
loss tonthe Treasury.
The question lis, whether Grant shart d
in this $1,000 q year; and, besides, IL
should hot be forgotten that this was
Laot the only instance in which Dent
took money for an appointm eRt 10 be
made BY hls ibrother-in- -law, the Pres
ideat.7Sun,, Oct. 7th. b,e4snd t9si,
The above statement, aud the prob
lem involved within it. theughit may
astonishfsUne people, does not in the
least surprise the editer ofthisiIpaper.
In the spring Of. 1869 Mr., Wilkes
was advised BY Con fdential letter from
WasAhYgs on ahat General Grant had
chosen him for q nitsd StaseS;Ministei.
to- Mexieos and thatsin 81 few day Isl ohis
appointment would be tproclaimed.-
On the day following this communi-
cation Mr.. Page, Of the firm 81 Dent
&Page, lawyers Of Washing ton. ( which
Dent, by the by, is the same LOUIS.
Dent alluded TO in The ab0veH Cheeyer
caseJ, came TO this city and applied TO
the Treasurer Of the lower CailIornla
Company, in which Mr.. Wilkes Vas
largely interBs(ed, ,stGr,a q rse,fi order
IoiYid -Mr. WAkss ins gaakipssaprea Ii OF
The Mexican mission, a4I. is.r thus ser,
vice the aid Page u Denii W., Z y ilIipg
to take money and stock Vi fife Low er
Cam pHDy. Mnen, how ever
this communic4jVpiw was nadeolto MIR.
Wilkes, he promptly refused. to enter,
tain fl, and ever deciined 10 have an
" IN vMfs Page This over
fupe efromsPage &sDei,t iwas made on
Friday; on the Rext day fRsge returned
to IWsshington,, " here, doubtless, he
made his report on Sunday to the par
ties who sent him, and the result was
that onyfhes nextb day. o Monuay, the
name Tof Mr. Wilkes was removedc
from the diplomatiG slate, and an nm
tlhs9saghft il,ssg IF person appointed in his his
Ia short time Hafterward General
Grant seemed tohape takenLthepn otion
to make amends to- Mr.. Wilkesfor this
transaction, and a new notification
wrs received by Mr.. Wilkes that he
had Beef chosen for the Chinese -rfais.
sion, swhereupon Page appeared here
in :. msnBerr as before.r Mr. Wilkes
treated this. overture, however, pre-
cisely as he had the first, by. paying no
attention to it, whereupon he received
no tarsher signs from Washington on
theasubject. Shortly after this ME-,
Wilkes, went to Europe on q pleasure
trip, and while in Paris, in the middle
of July, Mr.. Anson Burlingame, Miil-
isteE from China, came to Mr.. Wilkes,
room 1.-THE Grand Hotel, el,accompanied
BY other friends, to to..copgratulate him
upon the unmistakable news which
had just then been received, that Gen.
Grant Had chosen him for the Chinese
Mr.. Wilkes, s,however.4quik-
lya cooled the enthusiasm of his friends
by remarking that he must. take the
liberty of doubling the consumation'
OF General Grants complimentary iin-
as he ifad left no olfe behind
him in the United States to deal with
Dent s. Page. Ills Judgment prooyed
to be correct, for ,seon afterward an,
other person was appointed to thc 1
imfssi OH t'n1j h'f'9E' 200,
Z There canabe 10 doubt that had Mr.;
Wilkes consented to have gone to
and Iobbied for either of
the above named posts, and had been
kind at the same time to Page &tDent,,
rs it seems Mr. Cheever was, he might,
have securely made his choice between
either OF the aboye-named missions.
!. .vana4---L--L....ll-L La1alll-.,I .ss.l