Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1875-09-29
DELANo TO GRANT

WASHINGTON, July 5, lS75.-MR.
PRESIDENT: have the honor TO trans.
NIT with this note my resignation of
tho Office of secretary of the interior.
You had been aware for some time of
my earnest desire to retire from public
life, and you have understood the
reasons, connected with my private
business and domestic affections,
which have produced and intensified
this desire. Last fall, in November,
requested You to accept my resigna-
ton. You asked me not to insist mp
on it, and expressed desire that re-.
main in your cabinet until the end Of
your administration, or as long as l
found 1t agreeable to do so. At your
request and solicitation, l declined
then to insist upon your acceptance of
my resignation assuring you, however
that l must resign during the early
part OF the ensuing spring. When that
period arrived, and during the months
of April and May, you advised me
again not to resign, which advice
agreed with my own judgment Tho
reasons for this conclusion need not
be stated here. Since you were called
by your fellow-citizens to perform the
duties of chief magistrate, you have
invited me, without the solicitation Of
myself or friends. 90 far as / know
and believe, to take charge of two i'm
pOrtant and resposible public trusts,
the internal revenue bureau and the
interior department. / was commis-
siOner of internal revenue from March
1869, to November, 1870, period of
one year and eight months. The re-
suits Of my administration You know,
aad they are not, l trust entirely IN
known to my fellow -citizens. The
difficulties of this position and the dill
ligence, care, and labors required of
me in discharging it's duties, yon also
understand, and of these trust the
the public has some correct apprecia-
ton. assumed the duties of the in
terror department in November,
1870, and have discharged them to
the best OF my ability tor q Pc
Rod Of four years and eight month";
They have been laborious, difficult and
delicate. They have embraced the gu
pervislon OF the general land Office, the
Indian bureau, the pension and patent
office, the bureau Of education, and a
mass OF miscellaneous business, un-
known to any except those connected
with tho public service. The business
of the land office is very extensive, and
involves the sdjucation aud settlement
OF legal questions,growing out of rail-
road grants literally and profusoly
made few years since, aud Mexican
and Spanish grants made before we &C.
qnired California and New Mexico,
and also those growing ont of mineral
laws and large mining interests, to
say nothing OF those that arise under
our homestead and presumption sys-
tens. These cause the head Of tho
vast amount OF judicial
labor and responsibility, which is not
generally understood. The Indian
bureau as you know, Is full of in
tricate, delicate, and veXatiOus ques-
tiont, growing ont of numerous Indian |
and the imperfectly de-
fined relations existing between the |
government and the Indian races. Tho |
of this service 10 also greatly
embarrassed by the rcnoteness of tho
localities where much of 1t has to be |
performed, thus preventing . personal |
supervision over the persons employ
ID, as we'll ~ by the want of salaries |
arge enough to command talent, char
pcter, and capacity, equal to the duties |
md responsibilities OF the position
Many Of tho important duties Of the