Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-06-21
Partisan Meanness.

Partisan Meanness.
In their eagerness to connect the
President with the fraud alleged to have
been committed by Anderson and 9TH
ers, the Potter investigators in Wash
ington proceed upon the assumption
that Secretary Sherman, Stanley Mat
thews, and other Republicans were
cognizant of this fraud, and to prevent
Anderson from exposing it attempted
to get him appointed to an Office he
would accept. They go further than
this, and allege that the President was
pdrticeps crtnints, and, having knowl-
edge of the fraud, also entered into the
conspiracy to cover it up by securing
for Anderson the position he sought
This theory the Investigators attempted
to establish by documentary evidence,
and called upon the President to fur
nish transcript of the records in the
case, which they relied upon to establish
his connection with the fraud, hoping
at the very least to establish the fact
that he had guilty knowledge of it,
What does this transcript of the rec
ord showP Between the 9th and 10th
VI hIdICll, 1Of bIj ICCtlNCu
letters from the editor of the Steuben-
vile (Ohio) Herald, from Darrall, Nash
and Leonard, of the Louisiana delega-
ton, and ex-Gov. Kellogg, setting forth
the services Anderson had rendered the
party, and urging his appointment to a
Consulate. These Endorsements were
still further emphasized by strong
letter from Stanley Matthews to the
Secretary of State, making substantial
ly the same statements and request.
Matthews had also forwarded Ander-
sons personal application, made on the
8th of April, with his Endorsement, for
important reasons l specially request
that this request be complied WITH
and on the 14th of April these docu-
ments were referred to the Secretary of
State by direction of the President.
Thus far the documents in the case had
taken the customary channel, and the
conventional reference had been made,
and nothing irregular appears upon the
part of the President. He had given
Anderson's applications the direction
that it is usual to give all others of the
same kind. On the 18th of May the
Secretary of State received an anony-
nous request from "John w. BULLDOG
err" imploring you if you have any
vacant Consulship at any earthquake
shaken point, any cholera-infected city,
any yellow-fever point, or smallpox
ridden community, or any vacant Com
missionership to the fiercest of our In
dian tribes, to send him to one of these
places at once, because we consider the
said Anderson a person who has just
sufficient character to serve the party
that pays the most money, and of the
class of patriots who can best serve
their country by dying for it."
John w. Bulldozer evidently knew
Anderson, and exactly covered his case.
There could not have been a more per-
feet characterization of this political
blackmailer. This, however, was an
anonymous letter which did not call for
official reference, although it was in
dorsed as charges against Anderson,
and filed away with the rest of the
record, on the 25th of May. The next
day the President received the Straight
letter, asking him to withhold the ap-
pOintment of Anderson as Consul to
Funchal, the commission for which had
been issued by Secretary Evarts, and
setting forth reasons for the same. On
that Gerry day the President indorsed
the letter and referred it to the Secre-
tary, and, in addition to this, sent the
following letter to him, which put an
end to Anderson's hopes of getting an
office:
EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, May26,
1S77.-DEAR Mr. SECRETARY: If the commits
sion which the President signed on the oath
inst for James E. Anderson as Consul of the
United States at Funchal has not been de-
liyered to the appointee, the President will be
pleased to have you retain possession of it
until further inquiries as to Mr.. Anderson's
character are instituted. Very truly yours,
w. X. ROGERS, Private Secretary.
To the Secretary of State: Present.
The above letter completely demol-
ishes the story of the Potter clique of
agitators that the President was party
to fraud or had any knowledge of
fraud. So far from this, it shows that,
upon receipt of the very first protest,
he lost no time in making it known, and
referred it to the Secretary with the re-
quest to withhold the commission upon
the very day he received it. If the
President had been guilty of conniving
at fraud, had been a party to it, or
had any knowledge of it, it stands to
reason that he would not have adopted
the very course that would expose him,
but would have given him any office he
desired in order to seal his mouth. In
stead of this, he put his foot upon the
appointment the very day that he re-
ceived warning Anderson was bad
man. If he had been concerned in this
fraud as alleged by Democrats, Ander-
son would have been on his way to
Funchal long before the receipt of the
Straight letter, and would have been re-
quested not to stop on the order of his
going. The record, placed in evidence
by the Democrats themselves, shows
that he acted the part of a ahigh-minded,
honorable man, and of faithful public
officer, by squelching an appointment
not fit to be made ON the very day that
he was made aware of it. And yet
there's not Democratic paper in this
country that has had manlinasSeitT'lJJa
fore its readers in its proper connec-
ton, or with that degree of prominence
necessary to show how groundless and
malicious was the charge made against
him. On the other hand, in discussing
the question, they conveniently make
no reference to Chicago Tribune
Speech of Judge West.