The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-03-31
General SchencIE.


This gentleman does not appear to advan-
tage even in the light of his own testimony.
He must have felt that he was hard pushed
when he assumed, in answering certain
questions of the committee that he is still
the American Minister to England absent on
leave. He expressed other opinions equally
extraordinary but let us first consider this.
Before he left London he received cable
from Secretary Fish informing him that his
resignation was accepted by the President.
He knew at the time of his departure that
he would never return in his official ca
pacity, and yet he coolly tells the committee
that he still considers himself as Minister to
England absent on leave. He would not
have made an answer so contrary to fact and
common sense if he had not found himself
badly cornered He had been compelled to
testify that he left without taking leave OF
the Queen or even calling on Lord Derby.
When further asked why he neglected the
usual formalities observed by re-
firing Minister it would have been
awkward to confess the true rea-
son, .'nd he was driven to take refuge in
the fiction that he lett on q permission of
temporary absence 1t was only under
shelter of this fiction that he was able to get
out of England at ALL writ was actually
served on him when he was on the point of
departure and he evaded it by pleading his
diplomatic privilege. The only excuse he
could make TO the committee for not taking
leave of the Queen was that he expected his
absence to be temporary, implying that the
acceptance of his resignation did not vacate
his Office. 1t is perhaps a logical conse-
quence of that assumption that General
Schenck is still in office but he is in a pitt
able predicament when he tries to conceal
his fight from English justice under so thin
and ridiculous pretence.
Another of General Schenck's assump-
tons, contrary to common sense, is the
opinion he expressed TO the committee that
the head of an embassy has a perfect right
to invest his money in any business enter
prise. This position is necessary to his de-
fence, but q Minister is unfortunate when
his conduct has been such as to force him to
stand upon this untenable ground. Why
has the public sentiment of both continents
been so shocked by the Emma mine transac-
tion if General Schenck's connection with it
was legitimate?
1t is as difficult to believe that he did not
know Park was attempting to make use of
him to promote a speculation as it
is to believe that General Schenck
is now American Minister on leave
of 81. 81
deceive the English public and inveigle
capitalists to buy Emma mine stock on false
pretences Park knew, and Schenck, who
is not an idiot, must have known equally
well, that the purchase of Emma stock by
the American Minister would be regarded as
proof of its value-a perfectly just conclu-
sion if the Schenck transaction had been in
reality what it appeared to be on its face.
If Schenck had invested his own money, at
his own risk, in the same way that English
capitalists were asked to risk theirs, his con-
duct would have been merely imprudent,
but not criminally culpable. The damaging
charge against him is that he permitted him
self to be used rs decoy duck under false
pretences Who would have touched the
Emma mine stock if the whole truth of Gen
eral SchenckS connection with it had been
known? IT, when Parks emissaries were
bruiting the fact that the American Minister
had purchased five hundred shares of the
stock, the same emissaries had told the
further fact that Park lent him the
money for the purchase; that Park
had made written agreement guaran-
teeing Schenck two per cent a month on
the investment, and had offered to take back
the stock at par whenever Schenck might
desire to return tiff these concealed fea-
lures of the transaction had been made pub
lie, the Emma mine would have been dscred-
tied at once A carefully planned deception
was practised on the English public, to which
General Schenck was a party. He knew that
q false Interpretation was put upon his pur-
chase he consented by silence and conceal
ment to let it be supposed that he had taken
all the risks of ordinary purchasers, when,
in fact, he had taken no risk at all, and was
paid heavy bonus for assisting to bull the
stock Had it been known how he came by
his shares the speculation would have fallen
fiat, and it is impossible to resist the belief
that he was the conscious and consenting
agent of deception.
Impeachment of Belknap.
The formal articles of impeachment were
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