The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1883-09-15

should % uOIuiuoeS -rl oovx
this bargain was that Mr; uou hs .
tributed one hundred and MY tncu s.sd,.
dollars to the campaign funds uou'u
man was Stanley Matthews, ana nc va
nominated and confirmed. through
these various bargains ana SAFES an
Enormous campaign fund, amounting
- two million dollars, was raised.
rur ROBERTSON IMBROGLro.
Tn March. 1881, Senator Conkling oc-
cunied the first and the Vice-Presldent
the second floor of q building on -FOUR.
teenth street, in Washington. Both OF
the New York Senators and the vice.
President we're known to be out OF
sympathy with the Administration: , anu
Mr.. Garfield was anxious to conciiiate
them. Mr.. MacVeagh, the Attorney
General, undertook to bring 1t ABOUT
A consultation was had between Mac
Veagh and James, and the New YORK
members in Mr.. Conkling's parlor. az
which MacVeagh acted as Garfield's
plenipotentiary. Mr.. MacVeagh prom
ised. In the name of the President. that
Mr.. Conkling should be consulted in
making the New York appointments,
but that friends of the President were
not to be punished simply because they
were enemies of Conkling. MacVeagh
told Mr.. Conkling he might depend
upon the appointment OF Stewart l..
Woodford as District Attorney, Tor
which the Senator did not care, and ON
the other appointments that were sent
to the Senate the Monday following.
with the exception of MacDougau
for Marshal. Mr.. Conkling at once
protested against the refusal to reap
point MacD 0ugall. MacVeagh was asked
whether Robertson was to be appointed
to the New York Custom-House, and
gave the most positive assurance that
no change should be made in that ONCE,
and that no important appointment
should be made without consultation.
This announcement was satisfactory to
Mr.. Arthur and Postmaster-G General
James, but not to Mr.. Conkling. 1t
was four o'clock in the morning when
the conference broke up, and Conkling,
Arthur and James agreed to call on
Garfield Sunday night. The agree
ment was kept, and Garfield was most
profuse in lis friendship, assuring Mr..
Conkling there was nothing that he
would not do to please the Stalwarts OF
New York. He insisted, however, that
Robertson should not be pushed for his
treachery at Chicago, and Conkling
urged that he should not be rewarded
for ii. In this interview Garfield ex-
hibited such manifest liking for Rob
ertson that Conkling feared he would be
appointed to the Custom House in New
You and denounced him again. Gar
field apologetically reiterated from, his
position. and began looking for another
place for Robertson that would satisfy
Whitelaw Reid and other friends of
Blaine in New York. Garfield sug-
gested giving him the District-Attorney-
ship, to which COnkling objected. 1t
was finally agreed that Garfield should
reappoint MacDougall. and Conk-
ling gave his promise not to oppose
Robertson's confirmation to the Dis
trict-A ttorneyship.
The interview ended pleasantly, the
President repeating the assurances Mac
Veagh had already given, that he would
not make any change in the Custom
had been consulted. He was 80 happy
that he walked to the door Of the White
House with his guests, repeating the
assurances Of his friendship. James
and Arthur were satisfied, but Conkling
was not. and in answer to the sugges-
ton that he did not think the President
would keep his word, replied: II trust
that he will, but there is no perfidy of
which think him incapable" The
next day (Monday) came the first NOM
nations, and on the next, Robcrtson's.
The President had broken his word.
Neither the Vlce-P President nor Mr..
Conkling had been notified of the i'm
tended appointment. The first notifica-
ton that the Vice. President had was
when he opened the envelope contain
ing the nomination brought to him by
the Presidents privste Secretary. Mr..
Dorsey says the violation of the agree
ment was owing to the fact that Mr..
Blaine, through William E. Chandler,
had engineered movement in New
York that prevented the nomination Of
General Grant, and that it was done
through Robertson, who was the man
who made Garfield's nomination p0ssi-
BILE. That the men who had helped
Garfield get Gould's subscription in
New York wrote and telegraphed urg-
ing him to give Robertson tho reward
he would have received had Blaine
been nominated and elected, and he
did it.
GARFIELD AND DORSEY.
With the rupture of friendly relations
with Conkling and Arthur. James and
MacVeagh plunged into the Star-route
Investigations. The news reached Dor
sey at his ranch, and he hurried to
Washington. Garfield heard him all
through, and, putting his arm around
him. said: s'Steve. old boy, don't wor-
ry; 60 back to your ranch" Dorsey
departed satisfied; but he soon learned
McVeagh was working to secure his i'm
dictment, and he sought the capital
again. In IN interview with Dorsey the
President told him not step was taken
wifhOut hia knouv1edOo and fuvns~hod