Arizona weekly citizen., 1881-11-13
AZ Ezc.rNa oaenr- srrrrse.


 AH EZc,r.S1 Ca1C,E- MEETING.
 The Washington Star crves publicit,
 t. aa exciting Cabinet iaeetiug said i.
 have c@eIr.e5 immediately after t'l.
 i'reside't's re.arn from Yorktown. T
 the account siven is true, ]. indicate.
 that President Artha- proposes to be ] somcfhia.; besides a mere figurehead
 ara taa. be proposes to Ha.e matters at.
 tended to properly n fise yar.o,.s Ge
 9artmcnts.
 The way he vent for NacVeagii wa,
 neither child-like nor bland. We repro.
 dace tic accou.t cltae meeting:
 A .e-y important ll.et.u. Of the ..a-
 inc, a..s held in l-T,a.3ei.t ..rtlu-'. Jar
 lor directly aftcr iis f-t.,sI rrola York town. It was of ulu.uai le!i-Jl. The
 secrecy nHiIta;red by the laen.aers.
 ai.d the oniinous looks which followed all questions reiatinr to the subjects dis | cusSed occasiOned great deal or com ! meht a1 the tune, particularly ma1.g ihe ] c"37rai 'G'ic-ss ri ;!Ir ucEs sJagsrS Ine l Star lS cnub!c4 to present a raierablv accurate history of tine meeting Every member of the Cabinet was present. lhe President as soon as all were seat ei, stated he had called the members to- getHer tO consider tbe qGesti0r of the prosecution of tig;tcaU: that from tne lac;s which had come t0 bis kpa-iedge. he believed that ;hs government had { aesn eIiglrcly iI prepared fer t.c ease. lie aaJtd, with gaod Gral Ji emphasis and aecomp pau!lag his words with chnched fist that came down vith some force on the table, that he would con slder it pre-emineEtly disgrdcerul to the government If GuiteaU's ease, as in the Sti.r Route cases, the government should confess it Tas unpTepared to go cn and become compelled tU ask a continuance. Attorney General NacYeagh vas pres ent and gave no sign. The President, noticing MacNeagh's silence, put the question to him directly as to the prepara- ton or the government to proceed in the Guiteau case.
 The Attorney General replied that he did not consider t any part of his busi- ness to give his attention to criminal prosecutions.
 The President replied that this was great State tr!al, and the whole country looked to Mae Neagh Co see that 1t was con Iuc:ed properly and efficiently.
 Mac Neagh said there was no law or custom Tor the Attorney General to ap- pear H. criminal trials. He had been told sD by jUiga Jeremiah Black.
 The President tlsn quickly and some What an$rtiE as.seI Macy elgh how it l hai been d. the Aaron Burr t-ial
 { hs larr44 N4srA .r-.. % ss NacNedgh replied.
 "Ies, said the President, "and tLis IS | a trial Tor mUrderag tLe Chicr Nagis- | trate or the Nation, and io lay mind 1t is ! the positive duty Of the AttOrney-Gen- l eIal to take charge 1f the case"
 MacNeagh tLeu reiterated that the ! law never contemplated that as an: part | ot his duty.
 The President replied taat the statutes | O! the United States autL0rZeI the At l tcruey-Geueral to appear for the Gov | ernment at any tiIne iu any Federal ] Court, IL any case in which he might | deem t hls duty to do su, and referred | Mae Neagh to the particular section Of 1 the law.
 By tlis time there was good deal of excitement around ine Cabinet table. |
 
 peaied to, they agreed with the Presi- dent. As MacVeagh maintained his position that ii was below the dignitg of the Attorney-General to appear in crim- lnal eases, the President tLen asked him IT he had done anything to obtain coun- sel Co assist District Attorney Corkhill In the prosecution If Guiteau.
 MacNnaal sall tI,aI l.- Id ..--.-- it was a duty which belonged to the District Attorney himself. if he desired additional counsel.
 The President, with considerable warmth, said that it was new sug- gestion to him, and that either Mac Neagh or himself was very ignorant of the law, for, according to bis reading of the United States Statutes, it was made the express duty Of the Attorney-Gen- eral to engage assistant counsel in any case where, in his judgment, the inter- ests of the Government required it.
 MacVeagh said he took a different view of his duty and did not consider himself bound to take any part in the trial of Guiteau or procure additional counsel for that purpose. In the Star Route case Corkhill had suggested a de- sire for the employment of William A. Cook as additional counsel, and Mac Veagh said he had nothing 10 do with 1t, and Corkhin could do as he pleased in the matter.
 The President said that he was deter mined that the Government should have able counsel, and he would himself direct, if MacYeagh declined doing so, that Judge John k. Porter, of New York, and Walter Dayidge, of Washing ton, be employed as additional counsel in the prosecution of Guiteau.