The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-03-08

were being made or were about to be made
with criminals, whose testimony was not in the
slightest degree needed BY which large num-
Der of criminals were to be let otfefrom any
kind of punishment, to be relieved of persecu-
ton in a manner likely to bring scandal upon
the administration of justice, and quite at vari-
ance with the policy expressed by the Secretary
of the Treasury and approved by the Attorney
General, and these statements were in large
measure affirmed to the President, and subse-
quently to the Attorney General by one of the
Oldest and most trusted supervisors in the ser
vice, and who claimed to speak from personal
knowledge upon the subject, and especially in
relation to the criminals in Chicago. 1t was
also stated to the Attorney General that bar
gains of a very questionable character were
being made in Milwaukee by the counsel,
without consultation with the District Attor-
ney, and without any communication with the
attorney General, from whom they received
their appointments, and for whose judiclous
conduct the Attorney General was responsible.
The President was greatly disturbed by these
varied and repeated representations OF course
so at variance with the policy before indicated,
and he brought it to the attention OF the Attor-
ney General, and finally suggested that, in
view of the repeated statements, it would be
well for the Attorney General to let the District
Attorneys receive some caution upon this sub
ject; and therefore letter was despatched by
the Attorney General to District Attorney
HazletoD, and is the one copied in the official
records OF the Department, with note that the
same was sent to the District Attorneys at
Chicago and st. Louis
In this letter the Attorney General said he
reposed in the officers good Judgment to refrain
from everything that could by possibility be
construed as favoritism toward those who had
defrauded the government, and he remarked
that it was the Presidents reiterated desire
that no guilty man should escape. A few DAYS
later, ,the President being still further pressed
about the matter, sent for the Attorney General
to learn.whether he had taken any action. As
the letter was purely official, and as all such
letters are strictly confidential and intended to
solely for the eye of the District Attorney, and
for the sole purpose of advising them of the
complaints which were being made, and to eau
ton them against any appearance of improper
management, the Attorney General was
greatly surprised at the publication of the let
ter, and quite amazed that it should be wrested
from its original purpose and used for ends
never imagined by the writer. The Attorney
General set himself to work to discover how the
letter found its way into print, and finally came
to the conclusion that it must have got out
through the copy sent to the President, and he
received information which convinced him it
was so, and the fact that it was imperfectly re-
ported in the Western papers led him to believe
1t bad been read and perhaps imperfectly re.
membered. On speaking to the President on
the subject he said he had no knowledge what.
ever of the letter. The Attorney General says:
waited for the opportunity, and had now as
certained that Gen. Babcock, or some one for
him who had access to the Presidents papers,
obtained copy of the President, and that the
same was used in manner now known to all,
but under whose advice the Attorney General
does not know.
1t is quite certain, he says that if any one of
the defrauders of the revenue imagined that
they were to reap advantage from the publica-
ton OF the letter. or from any false construc-
ton which they tried to force upon it. they had
been, or should be, signally mistaken. The
Attorney General says that since the acquittal
OF Gen. Babcock he has seen it stated in one of
the Western papers that the evidence bearing
on the guilt OF Babcock was communicated to
his counsel by the Attorney General. He
wished to state, in the most emphatic language
and without any possible reservation, that there
IS not, and there never was, the slightest truth
In the statement He never made a communi-
cation, either written or verbal, to any one of
Gen. Babeock's counsel upon the subject. As
TO Storrs, who is the counsel especially men,
toned, the Attorney General says he has no
recollection that he ever saw him in his life.
lie was certain he never wrote to him, He
might have seen him and have been introduced
to him at some one of the crowded receptions
OF inc PRESIDENT; this is possible. Very many
persons are introduced to him at these recep.
lions whose names are often indistinctly heard
and therefore not remembered He certainly
never saw Storrs at his house or at the Depart.
ment, or at any other house or place where he
ever conversed upon the subject of Gen. Bah
G 1a. trlaL OF upon any other subject, Judge
Porter is the other counsel mentioned. He is
an eminent lawyer of New York and long &C.
quaintaDce of the Attorney General and a
much valued friend. and besides he is gentle.
man of delicacy and sense. He once, and only
once, called to pay his respects, and stated
the Babcock trial. He dropped the subject ut
terly and never alluded to it again. During
his call he never by word, note or sign had an Y
other communication whatever on the SUBJ