The critic. (Washington, D.C.) 1890-1891, 1891-03-11
SHERMAN ON LoNesTREET.
why He Refused to Recommend His
Friend for q Cabinet Place.

Why He Refused to Recommend HIS
Friend for Cabinet Place.
Special 10 the Ne,o Fork World.
ATLANTA, GA, March by permission
of the gentleman to whom IL was directed,
and with the approval Of the family of
the late General Sherman, the following
letter, which was written soon after the
election of President Harrison, is given TO
the public:
mo rs WEST THIRry-riRsr STREET,
NEW York, Dec. q, 1883.
"7o Hon. =. A. Auaer, Ga.
"MY DEAR SIR: ] thank you for your
Iongstreet, and promptly assure you that
] will rejoice at every piece of good for
tune which may happen to him in his
old age to give him comfort and honor,
but must not be an active agent, because
/ am overloaded with friends who now
turn to me.
Naturally and properly I will not
write a personal letter to General Harri-
son, whom know to. be an honest, true
and able man, perfectly qualified to fulfil
the office he has undertaken, and who
should be allowed to choose his Cabinet as
unbiased by outside pressure as in select
ing his wife.
IL hold that any intrusion now would
be positive wrong. He has a heavy
burden to carry during the. next four
years, and !, Of all men, must not add to
that burden single ounce. have
thought over the subject long and my
thoughts have crystallized to positive con-
illusions.
"The men of mature years who, from
1861 to 1866, endeavored to disrupt our
National Government SHOULD not be in
trusted with foreign legations, witt, Cabs
net positions, or with seats OH the Su-
WANNA pay,ch Tn oil IF Iba pfbpr nfffraS
they ought to have liberal share. l
know that Longstreet would be abso-
lutely faithful to any Office in the gift
of this Government, but no nation on
earth can afford to put premium on
treason. But IL he will be content to be
United States Marshal of Georgia, Post
master of Atlanta, or take any United
his domicile, will indorse him strongly.
II knew him as cadet and in the old
army, and if every newspaper OF the
South were to charge him with anything
dishonest or insincere would resent IL as
| quick as thought. Longstreet went into
| the Confederate army from an impulse
honest, enthusiastic and positive-and
| when the war was over know of my own
| knowledge that he stood up like aman to
| regain for his whole country the condition
of law and prosperity which had been so
| foOlishly and recklessly jeopardized by
the civil war. General Grant, who knew
Longstreet even better than /, always
spoke Of him with affection and respect.
| General Grant as President was most
anxious to draw to his support the live
men of the South whose manly valor he
had encountered and respected, but the
old political element defeated his generous
intentions.
"The North to-day is hardly prepared to
see an ex-Confederate at the head of the
War Department. That is, the Northern
people are law-abiding people, and will
ratify any choice which President
Harrison shall make, but if can proffer
one Of the Union generals, OF whom our
country is full. In any and every other
way will do what is possible and probable
to recognize and reward ex-Confederates
of the type of General James Longstrcet,
whose personal friend ] claim to have
constantly been for fifty years, since
1882