The Washington critic., 1888-02-25
TURNING ON THE LIGHT
How IT Happened Gen. Dix Was
Made Secretary of the Treasury.
THE COE.SPAULDING LETTERS
Reminders OF the Alleged Plot to
Poison President Buchanan.


ofyour readers have seen n remarkable cor
respondence, recently published, between
Mr. George $. Coe of New York city and
Hon. Il. S. Spaulding, formerly member
of Congress, of Buffalo, N. y, relating TO
the removal Of Philip i. Thomas, and the
appointment ofJohn A. Dix, Secretary of
the Treasury, in January, 1861.
Mr.. Coo writes under date of February
IL, 1888, and premisingthat "all incidents
of the civil war are now of Historic inter
est" says he ''recalls very wildly the fact
of meeting you (Mr. Spaulding) one morn
ing at the Bank of Commerce 10 confer
about the payment of the Government
loan, which our bank in New York had
taken in connection with Barring Bros. ~
Co., London, and had paid in part when
il was discovered that Thomas (then Mr..
Buchanan's Secretary Of the Treasury
was to transfer the money into the Con-
fcderate region, where IL would be cap
tured by the enemy. The question for us
to consider was, whether we should pay
or default upon the balance. Upon that
question we sent Mr.. Moses Taylor, John
{. Green and A. A. Low to Washington
to confer with Mr.. Buchanan. feel
quite confident that you were the trusted
agent TO confer with us on the subject
and IL resulted in the appointment of Gem
eral Dix TO be Secretary Of the Treasury
when We paid the money"
MR.. sPAuLDING's ANSWER
is dated February II. He says, what is
well known, that soon after the assem-
bling of Congress in December, 1860,
Howell Cobb resigned the Office of Sec
retary Of the Treasury, leaving the dis
loyal deputy, Philip Clayton, of Georgia
in charge of the Treasury Department.
President Buchanan then appointed
Philip i. Thomas of Maryland Secretary
TO fill the vacancy, and John j. Cisco,
who was loyal to the Union, continued to
act as Sub-1reasurer in the city of New
York, while the Assistant Secretary at
Washington was disloyal and apparently
acted with view TO discredit the bonds
and financial credit of the United States.n
Mr.. Spaulding proceeded TO give an ac-
count OF the course now taken to raise
"more money to pay current expenses
and the interest on the bonds" supposed
to be the bonds about to be offered under
act of Congress of December H. 1860, for q
loan to the Government. As the record,
which j have examined, shows Secretary
Thomas, who came in soon after Mr.. Cobb
resigned on the 8th Of December issued
an advertisement, under date of December
is, inviting sealed proposals "until the
@olD lJtCtmDeT LOT Illt ISSUE Oh any DOr-
ton or the whole of $5, ,000, 600 in Treasury
notes in exchange for gold coin of the
United States within five days from the
acceptance of such proposals" under the
authority of the aforesaid act. "After
this loan was made (Mr. Spaulding states)
it became apparent that more money was
being transferred to the Southern States
than was necessary, and that the United
States Army was to large extent located
in the Southern States. One or more OF
the installments was paid on the bids on
the last of December fs60. The financial
situation became more and more alarm.
ing at the attitude of the disloyal men in
Mr.. Buchanan's Cabinet, and MIR
Buchanan was himself in some degree
vascillating and undecided, but was gen.
orally believed to be
LOYAL TO THE UNION.
"Three of his Cabinet, viz: jeremiah
Black, Edwin M. Stanton and JOSEPH
Holt, were known to Mr.. Seward anC
others TO be loyal to the Union and wer,
ready to cooperate in preserving tn,
finances and other important measures
until Mr.. Lincoln could be inaugurateC
on the 4th Of the following March,
Under these circumstances Mr.. Spauld
ing says that he went from Washington
he was then in Congress--to New Yorl
| ITO consult the brokers who had bid TO
| the loan with q view to have them holC
| back the payment offurther installment
until the new Secretary of the Treasury
\ could be selected and appointed by
| Mr.. Buchanan, and General Dix was men
toned as good man for the place in tn,
| emergency" The result was that through
the influence, as he states, of a committe
of distinguished gentlemen who returne,
with him TO Washington, in conierenc
with Senator Seward and the loyal mem
| bers of the Cabinet, the President FINALLY
in very few days, removed Mr.. Thoma
and dappointed Jno. A. Dix Secretary of til
Treasury in his place. General Dix cam
to Washington and took possession of th
| Treasury Department The remaining
installments on the loan were paid, AM
the Treasury Department was thereafte
well managed"
In this connection, not wishing to cas-
the least doubt as to the CORRECTNESS
of Mr.. Spauldings narrative, it seem
apropos that should relate the substanc
OF what wrote to the New York Triblu
on the Sd of May, 1879, published in tina
paper near that date. had seen il state
that Judge Black had written to the Phi
adelphia Times that General Dix was nc
appointed Secretary of the Treasury b
MIR. Buchanan in consequence OF O pre-:
sure from New York capitalists as ha
been said, and that only one person men
toned his name to the President befor
the appointment was made" Quotin
this, / said that had good reason TO be
lieve that President Buchanan
INVITED GENERAL DIX TO WASHINGTON,
not to take charge of the Treasury De
partment, but with view to his appoint
ment as Secretary of War. AT that time
January /, 1861, Postmaster General Hol
by designation of the President, was SeC
Floyd. Under the law this left me q
acting Postmaster General. Philip 4
Thomas was Secretary of the Treasury
having succeeded Howell Cobb. Th
more ardent Union men near the Pres
dent were not satisfied to have Nj
Thomas in the Cabinet, and whe
General Dix was sent for, Mr.
Stanton, Attorney-General, requeste,
me 10 meet General Dix on hi
arrival at the depot, and, if possible, OF
tain his acquiescence in the plan, whic
l was to divulge to him, ofinduoing th
President to appoint him Secretary of tn
Treasury. These instructions l carrie
out with alacrity. ] had carriage ready
and before General Dix reached his lodl
ings at Wizards Hotel, he had hearth
agreed to the proposition Taking leay
Of him for the night--he arrived by th
evening train-l was driven at onceto NJ
Stanton's residence on Q, near Four.and-i
half street. Having company in the pa
lor he met me in the hall, and when il
formed him that all was as he desired h
was so filled with delight, that he seize
and embraced me in true German styl,
General Dix was Immediately appointe
to the Treasury, vice Thomas, and col
fimed by the Senate January IL, 1861.
It's proper to remark here that SOM
time after | wrote as above TO the II
b,me-it may have been a year or tw,
more or less-meeting Judge Black
Washington, he intimated to me, SOM
what darkly, that this account of mir
was not the true history of the case.