Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-06-24
JUDGE FIELDS POSITION.
AN INTERESTING PRIVATE LET.
TER MADE PUBLIC.
The Falsity and Villainy of the :. Ex-
aminer's Dispatches Exposed
Letter from Garland.
From the Colusa SUM-


San, were warm personal friends many
years ago, when both resided in Marysville
The following letter was a personal one,
and not intended for publication, but Mr.
Addington telegraphed Judge Field for the
privilege of giving it to the public, and the
Judge left it to his judgment. We think it
opportune, and that it will do good at this
time. Judge Field has been as badly mis-
represented as any man in America, and as
the San is always ready to do justice to the
humblest citizen, it is proud to give the
same measure to nan whom it believes
to be the greatest living jurist
WASHINGTON, D. c.. June 5, 1885.
Stephen AddMgtOn, ESq.-DEAR SIR: Your let
| ter was received some months ago. l perhaps
owe you an apology for not acknowledging its
receipt before. | hesitated to write to you, be-
cause of your connection with the Colusa sun.
| That paper, of which you are part proprietor.
has within the past two years contained many
references to me of a most unfriendly character.
AS the terms and tone of your letter forbid the
| idea that you approve OF them much less that
| you are the author of any of them pass them
| by unnoticed, and answer your letter without
| regard To Your connection with the paper.
| recall with pleasure my acquaintance with
| you some years ago, and should be glad if OPP
| portunity occurred by which we might again De
| brought together.
| am not particularly sensitive to attacks upon
myself. These have been so frequent Tor years,
| and based upon such miserable fictions and mis-
| representations that they have ceased to dis
| turb me- | know that they are leveled. not at
my real self, but al my supposed self-another
party altogether possessing different qualities,
| doing different things, and holding different
| opinions. Will not fret myself because this
| imaginary party whom l am supposed to repre-
| sent, is assailed for acts of which know moth
| ing and for opinions which never held.
Lott TO NJ Ds,rl.
| tions of which have been recently made public
| in the Arg0RdUt have referred,sin illustration
of the disposition to misrepresent and malign,
of portion of the California press to the fiction
of a banquet alleged to have been given me by
Governor Stanford in Washington, pending the
argument of the tax cases; and to the comments
of the papers OF the State, founded upon the sup
posed truth OF that story, as to the indecorum of
my conduct. | also referred to the statements
now going the rounds OF these papers of my ell
| deavors to control the Federal patronage on the
| coast and to the criticisms passed upon my
| supposed action in that respect. County Com
| mittees also, composed always, of course, of the
| most Intelligent and moral of the community,
| like the pure minded Mr.. Breckenridge, of Mer-
ced county, and the Statesmaniike Mr.. Buckley,
of San Francisco county, are much exercised
| over my want of judicial decorum and pTopTi-
ETY. in this respect, and, in terse and energetic
| language, express their grief and righteous in
| dignation. From that letter to Mr. PiXley you
] will have seen how utterly uniounded those
stories are. ! am confident that no man hold
| had for the last half a century, so little to do
| with seeking appointments to office as myself.
Before the Inauguration Of Mr. Cleveland,
though residing here for over twenty lone years,
| asked for only about twelve appointments,
| and a majority of these were for poor women in
| the Departments. Since his Inauguration /
| have not asked for as many; and these three
were for women. 1t is true | have signed the
| recommendations of great many persons with
whom l have been acquainted in California,
and who have asked me toloin Others in recon-
mending them. In some instances have also
written letters expressive of my high appre-
citation of the character and abilities of the APP
piicantS.
In the light of these facts. what do YOU think
ofthe stuff with which many of the papers of
California are filed? OF course the President
and the heads of the departments, who know
how much l have importuned them for APP
pointments, will be greatly edited by state
ments of my supposed importantly, and the
stirring and patriotic resolutions of the County
Committees, cOndemning it, if, indeed such
stuff ever attracts their attention. What Il pity
the committees could not make facts by resolv-
ing that they exist
In illustration Of the fctions put forth, re-
specting myself, will mention one more in
stance, which appeared in the Examiner of the
10Th of May. The correspondent of that paper
at Washington seems TO have an inventive
faculty for all occasions. Indeed, his inventive
power seems to be his particular merit with the
proprietors of that mendaciOuS and leprous
journal. His dispatch, published that day, con-
tains the following:
forced the fight during the past few days. His
attack on General Rosecrans, it appears, was
made in the presence of Speaker Carlisle, who
now champions Rosecrans' cause. To-day Cen
eral Denver and number of Mexican veterans,
General Crawford OF gettysburg, with dele
CATION of the Loyal Legion, and Congressman
Ryan of Kansas, with members OF the Grand
Army of the Republic, called on the President
| to refute the attack of Judge Field on Rose
Grams. The President answered each dele
cation, that the Administration intended to
recognize the services of the great Democratic
| Union General, and that his wishes would be
considered.
| And also this:
Zach Montgomery is assailed because he is
| a Catholic. Judge Field said to the Attorney
General that Montgomery was a Catholic, and
| was opposed to common school education. The
Acknowledgement replied that it would be Just
as important to know what were the views of
| Montgomery on infant baptism"
1t is difficult to comprehend the Yileness of
| the natur4 which could send forth such pure
| fabrications. | have never spoken to the Presi-
dent, or to any head of a Department respect
ing General Rosecrans. | have never mentioned
his name in the presence of either of them,
whether in praise or dispralse. Nor did ever
state to the Attorney-General, or to any one
else, that Mr.. Montgomery was Catholic. In
deed, did not know that he was a Catholic,
and his religion was never the subject of con-
versation between the Attorney General and
myself nor was it even alluded to. (See letter
of Mr.. Garland, a copy of which inclose.) The
same mendacity and malignity attend all dis
patches OF the Examiners correspondent from
Washington, respecting myself. So far as they
| relate to me, they have, in ali cases, been pure
fabricationS.
| mention these instances, not because I
should need any excuse for presenting my
views to the President, or to the heads of de-
partments, ut any time, respecting any person
who should be an applicant for Office whom
deemed unworthy or unfit for it. | have eX-
pressed opinions to him, and to some of them,
against the appointment. OF any men who enter
| tain communistle or agrarian views. thinking
only those should hold office who believe in or
der and law and property and the great institu-
items of society upon which progress and civili-
Zation depend. | know of no principle by which
one, however high his position, is TO be denied
the privileges, or released from the duties of
citizenship. mention them only in illustration
of that persistent system of Misrepresentation
which for wears has characterized portion of
the press of California.
Representations respecting opinions held by
me have, of late years, in many instances, also
been equally false and malignant. OF course, |
am not going to attempt any vindication to you,
or to any one else, of my judicial action. That
is matter of record, and | am content to leave
it to the judgment of the severest, but the most
just, CT all tribunals, the legal profession.
There is, however, one opinion to which will
refer as it has been the frequent subject of elo
quent denunciation by politicians in California,
who have assumed to possess great learning in
the law. | mean my dissenting opinion in the
railroad cases, which involved the validity of
the Thurman Act. But will do so simply to
call your attention to a letter. copy of which |
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of California,
and now of bad eminence" for his extreme
communiStic views.
But must bring to an end this long letter. l
did not intend, when / commenced, to write
more than one or two pages, but in debating to
my secretary have run on until now my letter
embraces several sheets.
What have written to you is strictly private,
and when you have read these lines you can
throw the sheets into the waSte-baske5. | am
very respectfully yours, STEPHEN J. FIELD.
LETTER FROM THE TTORNEY-GENERAL.
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE,
WASHINGTON, ID. c., June a, 1885.
Ny Dear Judge: My attention has been called
to dispatch from Washington of May 18th,
published in the San Francisco Examiner under
date of May 10th, in which you are represented
as having assailed Mr.. Zach. Montgomery, or
objected to his appointment as Assistant Attor-
aey- General. because he was Catholic. Moth
ing of this kind ever took place. Nothing was
said of Mr.. NJ religion i'll any conversation be-
tween us; it was not alluded to. You remarked
TO me- when told you | was going to ask for
his appointment, that you feared it would stir
up a row on account of his views on the public
school question, but you said nothing to me
about his religion. Nor did You oppose his ap-
pointment to me. Very respectfully yours,
A ii. GARLAND.
Mr.. Justice Field, of {. S. Supreme Court.
1.-THE letter of Judge Wallace, approving
the dissenting opinion of Judge Field in
the railroad cases and which he now con-
dennis 40 alIuded To in the foregoing letter