Vicksburg weekly herald., 1877-10-05

appropriations tor the N0rtn.
Grants OplnlOn Of Hayes, Sam.
Aer, Motley and Schurz.
Gen. Grant 10 now making his tour
through Scotland, and he says be is
enjoying himself immensely. A cor.
respondent Of the New York Herald
iS with the Grant party, and q letter he
wrote to the Herald and which appear.
cd In the issue Of the 25th, will excite
universal comment. The ex.PresIdent
gives bis views plainly and boldly Of
four great Americans, two dead, and
two living, Sumner aud Motley, and
Hayes and Schurz.
He thinks very highly Of Mr.. Hayes,
aud says II be was in the United States
he would give the President and his
policy all the support he could. He
means the Southern policy, for further
on he says Schurz and his Civil Service
business is q humbug.
He fatty charges that Sumner wac q
liar, and declares that he proved to
Geo. w. Curti,'s satisfaction that the
dead Sumner told falsehoods. But we
will quote this part Of the Herald let.
ter. Grant wss speaking about Motley,
whom he appointed Minister to the
Court OF ST. james at Summers request:
III see q reference In 8 newspaper
eulogy of Nj. Motley to your position
toward that officer, and the intimation
that your action was one Of the remote
causes of his death2"
Yes, l have read II, aud 1t does me
great injustice. Mr.. Motley was Ger.
tainly very able, very honest gentle
man, fit to hold any official position.
But he knew long before he went out
that he would have to 60. When | was
making these appointments Mr.. Sum-
ner came to me and asked me TO ap-
point Mr.. Motley 80 Minister to the
Court of 81. James. told him l would,
aud did. Soon after Mr.. Sumner made
that violent speech about the AlabAma
claims, aud the British government
was greatly offended. Mr.. Sumner was
at the time chairman OF the Committee
on Foreign Affairs.
MOTLEY AND SUMNER.
Mr.. Motley had to be instructed.
The instructions were prepared very
carefully aud after Gov. Fish and / had
gone over them for the last time | wrote
an addendum charging him that above
all things he should handle the subject
of the Alabama claims With the great.
est delicacy. Mr.. Motley, instead Of
obeying his explicit instructions, de.
liberately fell in line With Mr.. Sumner
and thus added insult to the previous
injury. As soon as heard of it l
went over to the State Department and
told Gov. Fish to dismiss Motley at
once. l was very angry indeed and l
have been sorry many time since that
l did not stick 10 my first determine.
tion. Mr. Fish advised delay because
OF Summers position In the Senate and
attitude on the treaty question. We
did not want TO stir him up again just
then. We dispatched q note Of severe
censure to Motley at once, and ordered
him to abstain from any further con-
nection with that question. We there
upon commenced negotiations with the
British Minister at Washington, and
the result was the Joint High Com
mission and the Geneva award. Isup.
posed Mr.. Motley would be manly
enough to resign after that Snub, but
he kept on till be was removed. Mr..
Sumner promised me that he would
vote for the treaty. But when 1t was
first before the Senate he did ell be
could to beat it.
l must tell you an incident about
Mr.. Sumner. The first time ever saw
George William Curtis he called up.
on me to request on behalf of q num-
Der ofinAuential Republicans the rein
statement of Mr.. Sumner as chairman
Of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. !
told him that, II should 60 to the SEN
ate and dictate the organization Of the
committees, would be apt to hear
something about the fellow who made
fortune by minding his own business.
said ! certainly should suggest the
idea to any part Of the Legislative
branch that should undertake to con.
struct my Cabinet. | gave him dis.
tinctIy to understand that I did not
propose to interfere in the matter ct all,
even by advice to personal friends
among the Senators, aud that l thought
Mr.. Sumner had not done bis duty as
chairman Of the committee, because he
had hampered the business ofthe State
Department BY pigeonholing treaties
for months. Mr.. CnEtis said that was
impossible, for Mr.. Sumner had only .
abort time before told him that his sue.
eeSSOr would And 9 clean docket, and
made special claims for the execution
Ofthe work Of the committee. Know