The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-07-09
coNKLING AND GARFIELD.
From the Herald. II II


TEE INTERVIEW IN FEBRUARY AT MENTOR.
| Gen. Garfield opened the dialogue with
series Of interrogatories in regard to the
characters OF various personages. Among
these curious queries was one concernir 9
Judge Folger. What sort Of man is
he?" said the president elect To this Dir.
/ known Judge Folger for thirty years, and
in all that time had found him to man of
the highest character. but" said the
senator, why do you ask?' s..
Well, said Mr.. Garfield, ''the fact is /
have heard some queer things about Mr.
Folger-bad charges and / want to know
from you what you think Of them and of
him."
To this the answer was made that he
| Senator Conkling) did not think it was
fair to discuss mems characters in that
way; that, in fact, 1t was not the kind of
a banquet that he had supposed he had
been hidden to; that he did not like the
thing. Whatwere the charges?s
Wen said the sorely perplexed Presi-
dent elect, tthe fact of the matter is it has
been said by some people that Judge Fol
get Is man who drinks and also that lie
| is man who is somewhat corrupt"
Mr. Conkling, ! am informed, smiled at
this terrible charge, and said that he had
known Judge Folger a good many years
and never before had. heard anything of
| the kind
| The conversation then turned upon Mr..
| Morton Mr. Conkling said he did not
purpose to ask him for any position. IL,
however, he intended to give place to the
State of New York he thought the Treas
ury Department was the one to which the
State, because of its dignity and impor-
lance, was entitled. Then, in his opinion,
the State was entitled to it because of its
great services in the campaign. Mr.. Gar
| field replied that he had been considering
the name of Mr.. Morton in connection
with the Treasury, but he had concluded
| for many reasons, that it would be very
| inconvenient for him to make. him Secre-
| tary of the Treasury; that he had promised
him either the headship of the syndicate Or
! The mission to England or France.
| Mr. Conkling remarked upon this that
| altogether there were seven Cabinet APP
| pointments. If New York cannot have
| the Treasury, Il have only one request to
make--namely, that you, will pass New
| York over; at all events, that you Will not
| give US the Navy when there is no navy.
That department would probably satisfy
some other State, and the multiplication
table will explain why New Eork is left
out" d
1t was now nearly O'Clock in the even
| ing. Mr. Conkling was anxious to take,
an early train for home Gen. Garfield,
however, pressed him to stay to ten, urg-
| ing that he could take a train which left
at midnight. Mr. Conkling asked if he in
| tended mere hospitality or business. IF
| it means hospitality said he. Il must
ask to be excused, for l have left impor-
| tant matters behind me which need atten-
| lion: if it is business, will stay" Gen.
| Garfield replied that it was business.
| At this point General Garfield went to-
| tea, Mr.. Conkling declining to accompany
| him. When that important repast in the
4! Garfield household was over, the political
threads were again taken up by Mr.. Conk-s
| ling's host. What Mr.. Garfield said was
of very little Importance one way or the
other, but it was characterized throughout
| by want of frankness. He never once, |
am assured, informed Mr. Conkling why he
| summoned him to Mentor .m
THE INTERVIEW IN MARCH AT WASHINGTON.
! One Sunday night New York Congress
man came to Mr. Conkling with the mes
sage that the President was anxious to see
and confer with him about important mat
| tors affecting the Administration. Mr.,
| Conkling agreed to go, and kept his prom
| Use. The New York appointments were
mentioned by President Garfield, who said
| he was very anxious about certain places,
/ and would like to have his ideas on the
subject Among other offices mentioned,
was that held by Internal Revenue Collector
| Weber, whose place he was anxious to
give to Judge Robertson. He desired to
know what Mr.. Conkling thought of it.
Mr. Conkling said it was matter to be
seriously considered There were no
/ NJ. yKaI1 To
German The German Republicans We're
very important, and tho removal might of
] fend them In fact, he preferred not to
/ express an opinion on the subject The
! President then said s'Mr Conkling,
am anxious that you and your friends
should agree upon some project by
which I can get in the independents.
He said he wished Senator Conk-
Hing would consult with MIR.
| Arthur, Mr.. Platt, Gov. Cornell and other
prominent gentlemen belonging to the par
ty, and draw up some plan Which would
enable him to dispose of the whole matter
with the least injury to the public service,
and at the same time with as much satisfac-
ton as possible to the gentlemen inter
ested" tHaei f
After some further consideration, Mr..
Conkling agreed to propose a plan or a
number of plans for him, any one of which
he might adopt under certain contingen-
cies. Under No 1 he might do so and SO
and under No there would be another
line of policy Mr. Conkling then asked
him if he cared to do anything in regard to
the New York Custom House. 7"1
The President replied he did not; that he
| had been considering that matter, and had
arrived at the conclusion that the best
thing to do was to allow the present Off
GERS to remain; that some of them, he I'M
derstood, had a year yet to serve, and per-
haps it gave him satisfaction to allow these
men to serve out their time. Senator Conk-
ling answered he was mistaken, that
some of them had two years.
! The President professed ignorance
of that fact; at all events he did not intend
| to do anything with the Custom House at
present, and when he did resolve to do so,
he would let him know and consult with
him, Mr. Cornell, Vice1President Arthur,
Senator Platt, and the other gentlemen
who were entitled to be heard on the sub
| ject in the state of New York. He de-
clared further that he thought President
Hayes had made q great mistake in the
policy he had pursued in antagonizing one
wing of the party; that blunder he propos-