New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-02
HOY ATTORNEY. GENERAL AKERMAN COZ
HIS PLACE.
III. waite ~ TAe P,Ysidenoe Press.

D. L. Waite fss TIE Poetdsnc< Press.
General Grauts mode of selecting him wa char
ac eristic He had made mp his mind TO have 4
Sou bern man in he Cabinet. but some objection
wa. ra;ed TO every one whose name was suggested,
and 81, 10 get thcdifculty. he finally concluded
10 seecr some one against whom no one could say
anything, since no one should know anything about
him. jas such man wss Mr.. Akerman. When
General Grant was Acting Secretary OF War, during
the Andrew johnson excitement, Mr. Akerman had
visited Washington on legal business, and the Gen.
er'l. who formed his acquaintance. conceived higo
respect for bis legal learning and ability When DO
b. cin,r President therefore, he appointed him At
,orney- General of the United States and did it, 90
i6nS+. Without consultation with any one. Then
there was perplexity about communicating with
him. for no one knew in what part OF Georgia MI.
Alderman lived, and when his address had finally
b en- Uncovered on some document in one of the
departments, and telegraphic dispatch had been
So 10 blm, several days passed before any reply
Mr. Akcrman described to me once bis reception
Of ihe appointment. He lived o long distance from
the nearest telegraph office and General Grants dis.
patch lay at the point where IL was received for &C
least twentyfOur hours before any attempt 10 gend
1t % hun was made. Then, when anxious inquiries
for an answer began to come from WashiDgton, tho
Oper tor, having been assured that ne would be re-
imbused any expense bo might incur. hired negro
nil take the important message to Mr.. Akerman.
NJ Alderman said that this colored man rode M 70
his cate he sitting on his porch at about dusk
evening, and his surprise at reading the message
b. better imagined than described. He hsd'
song t no Uffice aid did not know that he could
G, rlmand political influence enough to get an APP
p N, ment as an Internal Revenue agent He OF
c. urse accepted. but before he was heard from the
country began to doubt the existence OF any such
M. as Akerman.
NJ Akerman was nota success as an Attorney Gen.
ell lie was, az have said man o. some ability
ai very careful student OF the law, but bis prao-
,ce mad been In the courts Of Georgia, where CUES
IT, q Of little Importance. compared with those with
we he had to deal in his official capacity, were M
W. we'd. and although he wes conscientious and IN.
n,'roDs the sharp railroad lawyers got the best OF
l. and MS resignation probably saved General neral
ANS administration from having to defend itsen
Az, i:st another scandal
,ir. lkerman was Wing before the war and .
I'm isi during that struggle. Against BIZ
vi. he was enrolled in the Georgia !" reserve
wu'eu was called out by Governor Brown inst
be- ore The surrender of Lee at Appomattox. Mr..
AAeIman. obeying orders, reported at Aug1sta
and assigned to company but before be ead
been 10 camp more than a day or two the Confed,
tr ~ coli ,psed, and he with Others, was allowed
10 T. uru to his home. He made q few purchases IN
An .n,ra with some Confederate money which he
uylng the commonest blue glass tumblefs at
RS .pi &C. aud few other small notions at sinn!ar
- ami then returned TO his fsrta. This service
ced uim under political disabilities which had 70
moved before he could hold Office under tho
o., nent OF the United States. !