National Republican., 1883-10-12


known aud reliable journal then published in
Washington, we learn that the President had
his last interview with the Postmaster Cen
oral nj IL o'clock Oh the night of the seventh
of March, 1859, and that while standing at the
bedside and about to take his leave, the Post.
MASTER General said to him: 81 have en-
deavorcd faithfully TO discharge all my
duties" TO which tho PRESIDENT replied that
his effort had bccn successful, aud that the
whole country would attest "iohjs ddcljiB ~
BuJBc oliccy, and dc WCcc}s HOt hal UticadCd his
0do,iUisiUi'oH IF No drPorimcn' Within ten
hours thereafter tho POstmastcr General was
no moro Docs any man believe that attcr
the uttcrancc Of these emphatic and solemn
words the President WIS capable Of turning
round and saying to his Cabinet that the Post
oilicc Department had Suffered from Post
master General Browns administration of 1T?
But now propose to show that this Cabinet
mccting with It's imputed vilcuUSs Of speech
inspired by t{c venom Of o Cobra was
fabrication in tho whole aud i'll all its parts.
Mr. Thumpson says " tho appointment hung
fire for several weClts,' which is necessarily
IN avcrmcnt that several weeks elapsed
after this prctcnted Cabinet meeting before
my appointment was madc-thc object of this
being to dispaTago mo us far rs possible by
conveying the impression that the President
hesitatcd thus long before he could bring
himself to confer the Office upon me. This
statement is important to be noted, since it
will prove light to guido us to the truth
we are seeking. IL is only in the field of
vague gcnrralities that the triumphs of iabri-
Gators are achieved. They come speedily to
grief when they allow themselves to be spe-
ciGc, and MIR. Thompson's fate will not bc
different in this respect, from that of the class
to which he belongs. by yielding TO the
temptation to deiainc me, and 50 saying that
this long rcriud interviewed between the Cab
met meeting ana my appointment, he unwit-
y1,. tnH al ii nj a nd
sure, of exposing the deception which lac Is
attCmpting TO impose upon the public
IL appears from tho National MtcHiGenccT of
tho ninth of March, 1859, that Postmaster
General Blown died on tho dag preceding ut
about 9 o'clock IN the morning, from severe
attack of pneumonia, and in the same Journal
Of Thursday, the tenth ol March, find this
editorial paragraph:
Hon Joseph Holt. for some time past Commits
E.OuCr OF latrni>, was ycstrddN nominated by the
iIridcmt, aud i"rrwltn unanimously confirmed
by tie Senate. tu the Vacant once Of Postmaster
ttrvtl. This l. udmi iCl Un al lands and IN ull
ics poets t. be an excel en- appointment.
The National ItcUjCcHccr Of the eleventh Of
March, gives a detailed account of the funeral
services of Postmaster General Brown, which
arc represented to lave taken place Mt the
white house the day be(oe and from the ae-
count make the following extract:
About II o'clock the President of the United
Suites. accompanied 10y secretaries Cas-, Flny1,
y. IL,
elHl. Holt, en- cred the room through TIC reception
tGrlnrs and tuOS their SyHts iiclT the clergy. The
HcY, III. Han. Of tbs q street Episcopal rhutcn.
ana he kCv. /. q. Cranberry, the officiating ccI-
gymcn, thea took thcrpUsiIiUn ut u small table In
toiit ufth, colin.
It h evident then. from contemporary and
fnnqucstionablc testimony. that Postmaster
General Brown having died Oh the eighth
Of March, was on the ninth nominated by
the President to succeed him, and at once
unanimously confirmed; that ON the tenth
attended his funeral services with the other
members of the Cabinet ana that finally, as
tho record shows, on the fourteenth Of March,
with my commission in my hand, went to
the department, was qualified, and entered
NJ on my duties us Postmaster General.
What reception is due from the public to
man capable, in the interests of tho fOulcst
defamation, Uf THUS misleading them? |
look In vain for even the shred of Il circuni-
stance that can hide the hidCUus make dncss
of the ntiSihCatiOn of history which this SIM
pie narrative brings to light. The case, then,
stands thus 1t is proved that | was APP
pointed on the ninth of March, and that the
Postmaster General died only one day before
(thc cighth.) Mr.. Thompson says the Cabinet
meeting IN Which. l0st,adstGr General BrOIras
death LriHg rcc0gul=ei, The question Of his success
SOr irdS considered. WAS held several weeks"
before my appointment, aud 50 necessarily the
same scrcTdi eCcks" lss u aii.gie day before He
thing be added TO the completeness of this ex-
posure? Should he. thus pressed to the wall
strive to escape by suggesting that he was
mistaken rs to the time Of the cabinet meet
ing, and that it must have taken place be-
tween tho day of the dCnth-tho cighth--and
that of tho appOnlntnt-tho ninth-the
shallow subtcriugO would lie driven to COM
init hari- kari, in presence of the unqualified
declaration that the appointment hung fire
for several weeks"
Pardon me for again entreating that the
rule OF law quoted he still held in rcmcm
brancr, since it viii be helpful in estimating
Alright other statements yet to be examined.
1t was my fortune while Commissioner of
Patents to render to President buchanan Ger-
tain serviccs-not at all in the line Of my
duty-which were important aud relieved
him of much personal labor, and for which |
received his thanks. From the character of
these services and the close and cordial rcla-
tions into which they brought liz, he had
the best opportunity of judging for himself
of my cap bilities and of my fitness for official
advancement. That he did 50 judge and
make tho appointment Oh that Judgment,
without u suggestion from Mr. Thompson or
anybody else, /. from the prOmptitudc of his
action, have never doubted. The fact that the
appointment was made and confirmed he day
after The dcdH Of Postmaster General Brown,
would seem to indicate that Jhero was little
tino or opportunity for intervention from
within Or without.
On the resignation of Secretary Floyd the
President appointed mo Secretary of War and
gave me constant proofs of his confidence and
good viii 10 the close of hiS administration,
and while holding my hand rs | was taking
my leave of him when he was quitting
Washington, his last words were: Holt, YOU
have been true" These words wUro pro-
nounCcd with an carncstncss which left no
question but that his heart was in them they
were his Judgment on my entire Official
record.
will not insult the public intelligence by
noticing the drivelng story about what Mr.
Thompson thought, and everybody know,
would be tho fate Of state bonds III the event
OF ~ war.
The gravcst of his accusations remains to
DO responded to. Speaking Of mo- he says:
"Iic It was who bribcd witnesses to testify that
WA, the instlgator Of the plot 10 nssassnale Lin
Culn."
''llayo you any prools?" asked the interviewer,
81 have this hC said: THE fellow who tCsti
fed alicrwGrd confessed that he hud sworn to
lie" UiO such confession was ever made), "and was
put on Trial Tor perjury. During this Trial 10 was
proven that large sums OF money had been given
the pOriuTot by lIolt, my enemy
/ recognize in this the resurTected cry of n
TebCi pack that was at my heels seventeen
years ago. FuriOusy and fast they pursued,
but their Cry proved harmless then, and it
will prove harmless now. OF the very large
uuInhor of witnesses who were examined on
b, half of the government during the trial OF
the assassns Of President Lincoln before "a
Military Commission in this city, but NO i'm
plcated Mr.. Thompson in the gen,,u con-
F,tns m AS tntsI I1tttR com