The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-03-30
Mr.. BROWN TO THE FRONT
with Another Card 10 the ssPost,,'
ana Defines His Position
I'm Plain Terms.
From the Washington POST

If l formed an unjust opinion of
General Garfield, IL was the work of
Mr.. Chase. He is dead, and l shall
never reveal several conversations
we had on this subject. The situa-
tion at the time these letters were
written should not be forgotten.
General Garfield was General Rose
Grams chief staff, a relationship al
most as confidential and intimate as
that between man and wife. Yet
he was secretly writing letters about
him that were powerful agencies in
removing him from his command.
A wife who would write letters of
love TO other than her husband, or
defile his bed with the act of adul-
terry, could not betray more conf
dence. The misfortune of General
Garfield was his boundless ambition
and great egotism. His natural in
stincts were all good. He was pa
triotic and sincere in his devotion to
his country and party. He would
not have betrayed any public trust,
but he was like thousands of men
who figure in the pages of history,
HE WAS AMBITIOUS.
He loved place, power and what
he called popular credit" Such
men are none too particular as TO
how they crafty their wishes. We
had marked instance of this in
President johnson, when he tried
to entrap Graut into an untruth,
and tried TO prove 1t by his cabinet.
Yet, apart from this, johnson was
one of the most honorable OF men in
politics. Utterly unscrupulous men,
born poor, like Garfield and John
son, who have ambitions, are for the
most part selfish. The struggle with
life makes them so, and they can no
more help it than they can the color
of their eyes. Much of the ccnsure
cast upon me seems to come from
the sentiment of the very enthusias-
tic writers who refer to robbing q
new made grave. Will some one
kindly inform me how old q grave
must be before this can be done?
WHY HE DEsECRATEs GARFIELD's
MEMORY.
Cromwell's bones were scattered,
a number of Egyptian kings were
recently disinterred for scientific
purposes, and every museum in the
country has relics of dead people,
once as dear to those who lived then
as any now living can feel for the
dead. Those who wish to glorify
or defy Garfield have that right,
but il has passed into history as
much as If he had been dead thou
sand years. Nothing that can be
said In the world can harm him
now, and l hope that amid the
"wreck of matter and crash
of the worlds" he never will
be harmed. My former letter was
attributed to Hon. Chauncy l. Filley,
of st. Louis, and, il has been alleged,
was inspired by the stalwarts and
written by one of the delegates who
supported General Grant. This,
you know, is mistake. No living
soul had anything to do with it, and
no one saw it until placed into your
hands. 1t is my own conception,
impelled by the reasons L stated.
HIS IDEA OF CHARACTER
belongs to a body of men who have
a high respect for General Rose
Grams, though l have not seen him
for many years, and as l know as
much of all those matters as any one
did, do not think it is right to per-
init this good old soldier to suffer
in silence. 1t is true / am stalwart
in my devotion to the Republican
party, but was not a Grant man,
and it is my duty to those who were
for him at Chicago to say / was
not one of them. Grant, Rose
Grams, Conkling, Blaine and Filley
had no more to do with the letter
than Mohomet. In justice to the
Grant men l say that in the Chicago
convention [ cast votes for Blaine.
He would, know, haye utterly op-
posed my letter, but 1 am my own
master, and L must think and act
tor myself. l inclose you an official
report of the Republican convention
of the state of Kentucky, held at
Louisville, April IA, 1880. You will
see by that that was delegate TO
the Chicago convention from the
seventh district of that state. L
herewith submit my references as a
lawyer, and beg leave to subscribe
myself yours, respectfully,
[Signed] WILLIAM Brown