National Republican., 1876-02-24
Iutton's Tsstimony-The Truth at Last.

mtrcc.
The testimony OF Supervisor Tuition in the
Babcock case will be found in another column
In full. We reproduce it for the purpose Of
illustrating the political animus underlying
the prosecution Of the private secretary of the
President, for that is the inspiration of much
of it, to say the least. And VIC need not go out
of the case very far when we add, personal as
we'll.
We have known the facts disclosed by Mr..
Tuition for some. time, and so in detail as
leaves no doubt whatever Of the perfect truth
of every word uttered by him. And we say
tLis before we have seen the Presidents depo-
sition, which will no doubt confirm every
statement.
Now, let us 60 back and see how all this
structure, erected from which TO attack Presi-
dent Grant, vanishes into mere wind, without
the slightest foundation.
Itwill be remembered that Mr.. Henderson's
structures of the President were upon the allie.
cation that he had revoked Mr.. Commissioner
Douglass order transferring the supervisors
that he ard Secretary Bristow had issued the
order and the President arbitrarily intcrlcred,
with ';no more right than the Emperor of
Japan" and prevented these officers from
breaking up the ring-and that he was in
duced to do this by Babcock, in the interest of
the ring. This has been the one central point
of all the abuse heaped upon the President,
ard when it falls the Whole ingeniOusly con
struccd calumny falls with it.. One OF the
reasons why the President felt that Hender-
son had abused his position to make war upon
him was this-and VIC state II with full
knowledge of the truth Of what we do state:
Mr.. Henderson was the attorney employed
| by the Administration to assist in the prosccu-
,ofsN NfelY EraN, fla
| upon which indictments were found, all the
| facts used in the prosecution, were furnished
by the Administration and its officers. When
ANYTHING was needed, or any doubtful point was
to be cleared up, it was the Administration
| that furnished all. If, then, it had been de-
| sired to know all about the celebrated order,
or If any doubt had existed in regard to its
true history, an inquiry, the same as in other
| matters connected with the case, would at any
time have disclosed the whole truth. But In
this ore thing. which affected the President, :,
and nobody else, ii was not done. We know
! that before the facts were brought out on the
trial, as they have been, they were at the dis
posal of the prosecution. And what are they
by the testimony in open court?
That the order transfcrrin" the supervisors
was not, save as ministerially executed, the
order of either the Commissioner or Secretary,
| but t2at of the President himself, issued as
the law prescribed, by the direct and personal
| direction OF the President.
The issuing Of the order, then, being the act
of the President In the first place, its suspea-
sion was not an interference with the Commis-
| sioner or the Secretary, but a modification of
the plan of the Executive In ferreting out the
| frauds and bringing the parties to justice.
| And if he did not interfere with the policy or
acts of his subordinatcs the whole ground of
| complaint falls.
And now, what else is disclosed? Super
| T,rt+n ebn salaa lv cfotn IF
| in his testimony. That as all revenue officers
do on reporting at Washington, he went first
to the Commissioner of Internal Revenue. He
laid before him his objection to the order and
the reasons why it would not accomplish the
| object sought.
What did the Commissioner do Sent him
TO the Secretary of the Treasury. Why! Be-
cause the direction to him to issue it came
from the Secretary. The supervisor then re-
paired to the Secretary's Office. And for the
| information of the reader, that the matter may
| be fully understood, the Offices of Commits
sioner and Secretary are in the same building,
on the same floor, and fronting on the same
hall, but q few steps distance from each other.
| A He went from the Commissioner to the Sec
rotary and the two talked over the whole sub
| ject, fully and exhaustiyely, the Secretary
stating the facts that had occurred, and the
| Supervisor stating his opinions and giving his
views at length and in detail.
And what then A: The Secretary agreed with
| him. What next: The Secretary not having
initiated the order, but having acted under the
| direction of the President, could not do what
he agreed was best to be done-suspend the
order or revoke it-bu. sent the Supervisor to
the President with directions to state the case
| to him. What for To induce the President
to come over to their views on the subject,
and change the plan. The Supervisor then
| went to the White House, only hundred
| arjs ha nffina nf bo
What then: Mr. Tuition went aud found
the President engaged went back in an hour
and presented the matter to him, as he had
done to the Commissioner and Secretary
What followed? The President was finally
convinced that the plan of the Supervisor,
which was approved BY the Secretary, and
| which he had seLt by the latter to lay before
him, was best, and he said lie would, suspend
the order that DAY, and did. And how! By
sending directions 10 the Secretary and Com
missioner TO do so. Why! because he had be-
come convinced that the Secretary and Mr.
Tuition had hit upon better plan than che
transfer of the supervisors. And what was
the result.
That the plan thus commended TO him by
theoe gentlemen was the plan adopted and was
the plan carried out, and we have the results
in the complete and thorough breaking up OF
one of the most completely devised systems OF
fraud upon the revenue ever exposed and the
trial and conviction OF many of the ringleaders.
These are the simple, plain and unvarnished
facts connected with the whole transaction
from the first to the last, and they were at the
command Of any officer or attorney or re.
spectacle gentleman at any time heretofore,
and are now.
Not only have the men who have made this
assault upon the President done him great in,
justice, but they have placed the Secretary iu
false attitude before the country. Instead
fNF lNasWa hs..IA 1. Al Ahnw
asserted, and compelled to do his duty under
difficulties, We find that he was, as he ought
to be, in full accord, and in possession OF the
Presidents views and wishes. And further