The Portland daily press., 1877-09-26
GEN. GRANTS VIEWS.
he Endorses the Presidents Southern
Policy, but Doesn't Believe Civil service
Reform Practicable-Some Reflections
on MIR. Sumner and Mr.. Motley

Reform Practicable-some Reflections
ON Mr. Sumner and Mr. M tIey,
NEW YORK, Sept. 25.-At an interview with
the Herald correspondent at Edinburg, Gen.
Grant is reported as follows:
have thoroughly recuperated, and am in
excellent health and enjoying myself immense
". l would like to see all Europe [ propose
to stay away till after the exciting scenes that
will surround the test Of Hayes policy, for the
reason that if L were at home should be
charged with having hand in every kind of
political man9uverlng, whether had or not.
1 wish to Danish politics from my mind until
everything settles down. L can say for one
thing, however, that if 1 were at home,
should exert what influence L could in aid of
Mr. Hayes plan of reconciliation.
Reporter-I see a reference in newspaper
eulogy of Motley, to your position toward that
officer, and the intimation that your action was
one of the remote causes of his death.
General GRANTEES, l have read it, and it
does me great injustice. Mr.. Motley was Ger
tainly very able, very honest gentleman, fit
to hold any position. But he knew long be-
fore he went out, that he would have to go.
When was making those appointments, Sum-
ner came to me and asked me to appoint Mot
ley as minister to the Court of st. James.
told him that would, and did. Soon after
Sumner made that violent speech about the
aldudmd CldluS, anu Uu0 SONciLnObp
was greatly offended. Sumner was at the
time chairman of the committee of foreign al
fairs. Mr.. Motley had to be instructed: The
instructions were prepared very carefully, and
after Fish and had gone over them for the
last time, wrote an addition charging Motley
above all things he should handle the subject
of the Alabama claims with the greatest deli
cacy. Instead of obeying his explicit inStruc-
tions, Motley deliberately fell into line with
Sumner, and thus added insult to previous in
L4Nr @c II 60
the State Department and told Secretary Fish
to dismiss Motley at once. l was very angry,
and have been sorry since that l did not stick
to my first determination. Fish advised delay
because of Summers position in the Senate and
attitude towards the treaty question. We did
net want to stir him up again just then We
despatched note of severe censure to Motley
at once, and ordered him to abstain from any
further connection with that question. We
thereupon commenced negotiations with the
British minister at Washington, and the result
was the Joint High Commission, and the &C.
neva award. 1 supposed Motley would be man
ly enough to resign after that snub, but be kept
on till removed.
Sumner promised me he would vote for the
treaty. But when it was first before the Senate
he did all he could to beat 1t. will tell you an
incident about M. Sumner. The first time
ever saw George William Curtis he called on
me to request IN behalf of number of infiuen-
tial Republicans, the reinstatement of Sumner
as chairman of the committee on foreign al
fairs. 1 told him if L should 60 to the Senate
and dictate the organization of the committees
1 would be apt to hear something about the fell
low who made fortune by minding his own
business. 1 said certainly should suggest the
idea to any part of the legislative board that
should undertake to construct my cabinet l
gave him distinctly to understand that did
not propose to interfere in the matter, even by
advice to personal friends among the Senators;
and that thought Mr.. Sumner had not done
his duty as chairman of the committee, because
he had hampered the business of the state de-
partment by pigeon holing treaties for months,
Mr.. Curtis said that was impossible, for Mr..
Sumner had only short time before told him
that his successor would find clean docket
and made special claims for his execution of
the work of the committee Knowing as L did
the adroit arguments used among Mr. Summers
friends. / determined to test the matter of
clean docket. told Mr.. Curtis that proposed
to prove to him that Mr.. Sumner had not told
him the facts, and that he made these state.
ments kn owing them to be falsehoods. Mr.
Curtis was amazed at my offer, but l assured
him that he had been frequently caught in
similar misrepresentation. told Mr.. Curtis
that there were ten or eleven treaties before the
Senate from the state department., that had
been there several months, and had been in Mr..
Summers hands, but had never been laid be-
fore the committee. 1 wrote from Long Branch
to the State department. and to my surprise
there proved to be more treaties than l had
said, that had been in Mr.. Summers hands for
a longer time than L expected This was the
''clean docket" When gave Mr.. Curtis the
record he was rather disappointed. He said it
was rem arkable. told him my object in hav-
ing the record searched was to show him that
Mr.. Sumner was not truthful man, as others
bad found out before me, and as had discov-
cred on frequent occasions. The work of that
committee when Mr.. Cameron took charge, was
in deplorable state, due entirely to Mr.. Sum-
ner's persistent obstructiveness and dilatori-
ness.
had nothing to do with his dismissal from
the craftsmanship of the foreign relations COM
mittee, but was glad when heard he was
put off, because he stood in the way of even
routine business. I may be blamed for my OPP
position to Mr. Summers tactics, but was not
guided so much by reason OF his personal hat
red of myself as / was by a desire to- protect
our national interests in diplomatic affairs.
shall never change my mind as to the wisdom
of the policy that brought about the Washing
ton treaty with Great Britain. No matter how
much the friends of Sumner and Motley may
defend the indirect damage" humbug, we
never could have procured the agreement of
the British commissioners or people to such
thing.
Reporter-They are running civil service re-
form very strong just now.
Grant-So see. But it will not work be-
cause the theorists have disagreed among them
selves as to its practical applications do not
attach much importance to that matter, but do
not believe it will succeed, though I wish it
could in some practical way. Take Schurz for
instance. He is making business of civil
service reform, but he is humbug, and Mr..
Hayes will find him out belong long, 1t is all
very we'll to say that the business of office
seeking should be abolished, but the office
seeker cannot easily be abolished. and the more
the theorists quarrel among themselves the
more the practical civil service reform seems to
recede.
Reporter What do you think of the disso-
luton of the Republican state organizations in
the South?
Grant--That is one of the usual violent eff
fects of wise government, after a season of tur-
MOL like that we had last fall. For myself,
do not care for party. You can always depend
upon the good sense of the people of the United
States. They believe in the Republic. Their
flag is to the fore with strong arms behind ir al
ways, and they are sentimental. loyal and
brave. They will never elect high official ex-
cept upon common sense basis For this rea-
son believe the Republican and Democatic
parties of late are SO evenly divided that the
people will be compelled to vote in a large ma
jority for the Republican candidate, no matter
who he may be, because the Democrats will do
some silly thing that will drive thinking people
from their ranks at the last moment. The
modern Democracy always do it. There is
some fatality at work in the premises.