Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-09-26

Grant aud Motley.

! -~., Grant aud Motley.
II see refsrerca 10 newspaper eulogy OF
Mr.. Motley TO your position toward that officer,
and the intimation that your action was one Of
the remote causes Of bis death p said reporter
OF the New York Herald to ex- President Grant,
while sitting in the railroad depot at Edinburgh
a dav or two ago.
"Yes, responded tbe ex President, | havo
read it, and it does me great Injustice Mr.
Motley was certainly very able, very honest
gentleman, fit to hold any official position. But
be knew long before he went out that he
would have to go. When l was making these
appointments Mr.. Sumner came to me and
asked me to appoint Mr.. Motley as Minister
to the Court of ST. James. l told him l would
and did,. Soon after Mr. Sumner made that
violent speech about the Alabama claims, and
the British government was greatly offended.
| MIR. Sumner was at the time chairman or the
Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Mr.. Motley had to be Instructed. The 10:
| structons we're prepared very carefully, and
after Governor Fish and had gone over them
| for the last time [ wrote an addendum charg.
| ing that above all things he should handle the
subject of tho Alabama claiWs with the
| greatest delicscy. Mr.. Motley, Instead OF
obeyiug his explicit instructions, deliberately
| fell in line with hlr. Sumner aud thus added
| insult to the previous injury. As soon as
| [ heard of it | went over TO the State De-
| partment and told Governor Fish to dismiss
Motley at once. [ was very angry lndeed,- and
| [ have been sorry many time since that did
not stick to my first determiJatlUn. Mr. Fish
| advised delay because of Summers position 10
| the Senate and attitude on the treaty question:
We did not want to stir him up again just then.
We despatched note Of severe censurc to Mot
| lev at once, aud ordered him to abstain from
any further connection With that question. We
| thereuron commenced negotiations With the
British Minister at Washington, and the result
was the Joint High Commission and the te-
| neva award suppoaed Mr. Motley would be
| manly enough to resign after that snuD, but nc
| kent on I'LL lie was removed. MT. summer
promised me that he would vote Tor the treaty;
But when it was first baore the Senate be did
| all he could to beat it,.
81 must tell you an incident about Mi. Sun'
ner The first time ever saw George "llliam
| Curtis he called upon me to request on behalt
of number of influential republicans the rem
statement Of Mr.. Sumner, as CHAIRMAN OF lhe
Committee on Foreign Affairs. told hum that,
# { shonld 90 to the Senate and dictate the Or
panizstiou of the committees, l would DO apt
to hear something about the fellow who made
| fortune by minding bis own business. L said
7 certainly should suggest the idea to any part
of The legislative branch that should under
/ take to construct my Cabinet gave bim
distinctly to understand that did not pro
pose 10 interfere ia the matter at all, even hY
advice to personal lricads among the Senator'S
| and that thought MIR. Sumner had not done his
duty az chairman Of the committee, because he
| lad hampercd the business of the State De-
partment by pigeonholing treaties tor months.
| MFR. Curtis said that was impossible, Tor Mr.
Sumner had only short time before told hun
that his successor would find clean docket aud
made special claims for the execution OF the
work of the committee. Kuowlog, as | DID,
the adroit arguments used among Mr.. Sumner &
friends, determined to test the matter OF a
clean docket. told Mr.. Curtis that had
nroposed to prove to him that his friend Mr.
Sumuer had not told him the facts and that nc
made these statements knowing them TO be
falsehoods. Mr. Curtis was amazed at my oi'
fer. but | assured him that be bad been Ire
uuently caught i'll similar mlsrepresentations.
told Mr.. Curtis that there were riue or e'cven
treaties before the Senate irom the state Pc
partmeut that had been there several months;
and had beeu 10 Mr.. Sumner I'd hands, put mac
never been laid before the committee. WrOtc
from the spot Long Branch, to the State De,
partmcnt, and to my own surprise there psoVeu
to be more treaties than lad SAID that had
been in Mr.. Summers own hands for longer
time than | expected: That was the 'ccan
docket. When ! told Mr.. Crrtl5 ABOUT
it and gave him the record, hs was ra'
ther disappointed. lie said it was remark
ahe / toId him ny object in having the re-
cord searched was to show him that hlr. sum,
ner was not truthful man, as others had found
ont before me, and as had discovered on Ire
ouent occasions. The work of that committee
when MIR, Cameron took charge was 10 most
dpnlorabIe state, due entirely to Mr.. Sumner
nersistept obstructiyeness aud dllatorness.
nI had nothing to DO with his dismissal irou
the obsirmanship OF The Foreign Keiatons Com
mittee but was glad when heard that nc
vas mt off, hecluse he stood IN the way ol
avon routine business, like ordinary treaties
9th small countries. ! may be blamed TOR my
onnositiou to Mr. Sumners tactics. but l Was
. nnt puided 90 much by reason OF his persona
haired of myself as was by desire to protec
our national interests in diplomatic affairs, Ii
= vas sad sight to fud Senate with the larg
majority of its members 10 sympathy with tn
: administration, and with its chairman OF tn
Foreign Committee in direct opposition to I'd
foreign policy Of the administration, IN tnc0r
d and detail. So was glad when l heard or ri
d successors nomination as chairman or the conl
q lpittee shall never change my mnd as
u the wisdom of the policy that brought aoou
h the Washington Treaty with Great Britain
). matter how much the frleods Of Mr. oulnue
/. and Mr. Motley may defend the indirect aan
:. the the agreement of the British Commissioners
| people to such thug. -
Il