New-York tribune., 1877-06-16
PICKING IND CHOOSING HISTORY.

In the controversy between Mr. John Jay
and the Ncw-Y0rk Historical Society. gener-
ally the pre- S and the public are with Mr..
jaw From the Memorial OF Mr. Motley, which
was prepared by Mr.. JAY, how was it possible
to exclude recital OF the way in which Mr..
Motley was treated by President Johnson and
by the Government Of Gen. Grant 7 If the
public career of the dipl0matist was not 10
be discussed, why WAS il thought necessary
for the Society TO take any action IN the matter
at ail2 What a historical society wants or
should want is Tie truth-the whole truth, and
not 80 much Of it us may be agreeable either
to persons or the public Why should not the
scandalous manner in which Mr.. Motley, while
al Vienna, was treated by the Secretary T State,
be ccnsuicd a. a warning to future Secretaries
not to make a similar unpleasant record Does
not the public still remember it7 Then all
the more reason that 1t should. n " Citizen Of
" the United States" went pccping and caves
dropping about Europe, and reported that Mr.
Motley had spoken of Mr. Seward rs hopclessy
"degradcd :" that he was "disgustcd with the
Presidents conduct" that "he dcapiscd
American democracy, and loudly proclaimed
" the English gentleman lis the model of per-
" lection :" that he accused the President Of
"deserting his principles and pledges in COM
"mon with Mr.. Seward" Other diplomatic
functionarles were treated with a similar if
not equal indignity by this gosspng yaga-
bond.
Future ages will hardly believe Especially
if the Historical Society goes on ignoring his
tory that these foolish scandals were actually
made the subject of lofty and official letter
from Mr.. Secretary Seward to Mr.. Motley.
One hour after it was received Mr.. Motley
answered it, and denounced all these stories
of himself as "ptiful fabrications." We do
not see how the lapse of years or the death
of anybody can make them anything else We
expressed our opinion of them pretty freely at
the time we are of the same opinion still.
Nobody should desire such passages of political
history to be forgotten it is not for the public
good that they should be and it is the
business of the New-York Historical Society to
promote their fresh remembrance 1t is desr-
able that all the facts connected with Mr..
Stewards circular letter to American ENJOYS
and Plenipotentiaries, COnsuls and Embassa-
dOrs, should be put upon record not by any
means for Mr.. Motey's sake alone, but IN
sheer justice To several gentlemen who were
aggrieyed thereby, and to many others who had
not the courage to be aggreved and to an
swer manfully as Mr.. Motley did Whoever
writes of Mr. Motley now ought by no means
to forget 10 record that he was one of the few
who deyoured no dirt, kissed not the feet
either of the President or his Secretary, and
had no words of voclerous admiration TO be-
stow upon "My Poicyn
We take IL for granted that tho Historical
Society is not moved to this sudden fit of ten
derness, or we may say squeamishness, out of
particular regard for the memory of Mr. Nc
Cracken, if he be dead, or for his reputation
if he be living. Ii is the fate of men like Mr.
Johnson to be taken in by poor creatures
such as McC. was, but Mr.. Seward should
have known better. How old must u scandal
be before the Historical Society can per-
nit it to be meDtionedf At what age
does Lie become sufficiently digQifod