The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-02-23
ONCE MORE.
The Grant Sumner Controversy Re-
viyed.
STATEMENT OF EX-PREsIDENT
GRANT.
Summers Hostility &c Grant At
tributed TO a Mental Malady.

New YORK, Feb. % -Gep. Grant at Cairo
saw the article written by George W. Curtis,
printed Dec 8. Gen, Grant, in defence. reiter-
ates that he told Mr. Curtis that Mr.. Sumner
stated, when he left the Foreign Committee,
that he would leave clean docket, but it was
proved, and the proof furnished to Mr.. Curtis,
that Mr.. Sumner left twelve treaties untouched,
two OF which had been before Mr. Sumner for
sixteen months. Gen. Grant says: 81 see that
Gov. Fish says there were nine, but my recol-
lection is the number was twelve. L sent the
list that came from the State Departments to
Mr.. Curtis. He can answer whether was
right or not, and if he cannot then Mr.. Ban
croft Davis can Mr.. Davis was acting Secre-
tary of State at the time"
Gen. Grant said to Mr.. Curtis at Long
Branch that he did not accuse Mr.. Sumner of
Intentionally classifying the facts, aud says 80
were such that he believed his own illusions
without regard to facts 1t really almost
amounted to a mental delusioD, and so far as
his feeling toward Gov. Fish and myself were
concerned, it Is most charitable to feel that 1t
was a mental delusion. Thus in the later years
of his life, whenever my name was mentioned
in Mr.. Summers presence, he would lose all
control and say things about me of the severest
and most outrageous nature-thipgs OF which
he could not by any possibility have had
knowledge, even if they had been true. l told
Mr. Curtis Of one incident, showing how Mr..
Summers temper and nature were affected
This is an incident which can also be verified !:
House bill passed Congress during recon
struction times. This bill was popular with
the admirers of MIR. Sumner, and it originated
10 a com ittee of which Mr.. Boutwell, was
chairman. 1t happened that Mr. Boutwell,.
who took leading part in the legislation on
reconstruction, was almost, if not altogether,
the author of this bill, and had written it out
without consulting any one excepting perhaps
another member of his committee. Notwith-
standing this Mr.. Sumner told Mr.. Boutwell,
that he (Sumner) had prepared that bill, every
word and every line. himself, and had passed it
through Congress. Now this is not the conduct
of liar, but that of man whose mind by sOr
row or suffering or some visitation OF PrOvi-
dence had become distempered, and I have al
ways SO interpreted the conduct of Mr.. Sumner
toward me.
have no animosity toward him or his mem
DRY; but his admirers or people, who now pre-
tend to be his admirers, use his name and
memory to attack me. "Here," said the Gen.
eral, smiling, sis Mr. Jay among the admirers
and defenders of Mr.. Sumner. Now. Mr.. Jay,
as no one knows SO well as Mr. Fish and my
| self, makes pretext of eulogizing the dead to
attack MIR. Fish. If any one hated Mr.. Sum.
| ner it was Mr.. Jay at the time of the appoint
| ment of Mr. Motley as Minister to England.
| Mr.. Jay wanted to 60 to England and was sore
| ly disappointed that change could not be
| made in his favor even after Mr. Motley had
| been fully assured of his appointment. Mr..
| Jay most probably f0rgave Mr.. Sumner before
Summers death, but he blamed him for his
| failure to go to London"
Gen. Grant then referred to the statement
| published as an interview with him in Scotland
| and said the publication had some Emissions
| and errors. He had no ill-will towards Mr..
Motley, who, like other estimabls men,, made
| mistakes, and Mr.. Motley made mistake
which made him an improper person to bold
eral, shat Idisiked Mr.. Motley is pretext
invented by people, some of whom, like Mr.
Jay, hated him when living, and now only use
him when dead TO wound Mr. Fish and my
SELF"
"Other friends of Mr.. Sumner seem to reg ard
| him as made of different material from other
men 1t is proper enough for Mr.. Sumner
| when living, and his admirers when dead, to
| attack Mr.. Fish and myself, to fill the air with
maledictions and excavations. But when one
| word Of defence is made against abuse it is not
| to be tolerated. 1t is proper to say of me that
| l killed MIR. Motley, or that made war upon
Mr.. Simmer for not supporting the annexation
| of San Domingo-but If dare to answer that
| removed Mr. Motley from the highest con-
sderatioDs of duty as an executive-if l pre-
| sumo to say that he made mistake in his
office which made him no longer useful to the
country-if Mr.. Fish has the temerity to hint
that Mr.. Summers temper was SO unfortunate
that business relations with him became i'm
possble-we are slsnderiDg the dead. If re-
spsct is due TO the dead, truth and justice are
due to the living, and / only spoke in self
defence, and, after many years of silent sub
| mission to assaults from Sumner and his
friends, only in the interest OF truth and JUS
tice.''
In an interview with Mr.. Sumner about
January /, 1870 General Grant held CONVEX
satiou with him relative to ST, Domingo. Mr..
Forney at the time asking Mr.. Sumner if he
was not going to support the treaty, but after
the close of the conversation on st. Domingo
Mr.. Sumner opened on Gen. Grant about his
friend Ashley, asking if Gen. Grant could not
not do something for him. Gen. Grant says:
cit would be quite as proper for me to charge
that Mr.. Summers subsequent opposition to the
treaty was due to his disappointment in not
procuring good position for his friend as for
the admirers of Mr.. Sumner to make charges
against Mr.. Fish and myself of improper
motives 10 our difference with the Senator.
The charge would be much more susceptible
OF proof without changing the facts to accom-
MEDIATE the argument, But / do not charge
improper motives in this matter and sincerely
believe that | would do the memory Of Mr.
Sumner great injustice If 1 did,"