The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-03-24

MS interview wlts Logan after the visit
c. the committee 70 the president a
sfalvart OF the staiwarts Logan had
stood by ConkIing fron the outset. bat
he had been having a hard heht in nii-
nofs and the future ali not lock very
promising. He came 10 me-. said Conk-
ling. with a very weary look and said
'ConkIing Ill stand by you until HI
freezes over II you say so. But II won't
do any good. The senate is going 10
back down. and the question is whether
l am going 20 stand around outside and
have my shins kicked for four years. or
whether 7 shall go with the rest and
share in the pork.
conkiing answered in his grand way:
General. as you say. II would probably
do no good. and in such case every man
must decide for himself as every man
must die for himself" And Logan went.
The senate-the United States senate
the greatest legislative body on earth
said Conking. thus yielded. intirnidated.
forced TO agree 10 the demands OF the ex-
ecutiye- Never since the harons went 10
Runnymece has there been such a spec
tacle. II interference such as this lives
as precedent, political decadence and
death VIII follow as an inevitable conss-
quence''
/ must not prolong this article forther
than TO give the incidents attending the
resignation OF Conkling and Platt as re-
lated by the former According 10 him.
IL was not he but Mr.. Piatt who suggest
ed their retirement. Plat had made one
last attempt TO secure the withdrawal of
Robertson's name. This had been par
TALLY promised. but the New York Tri-
bune had published the rumor. and when
Plat approached the president the latter
had impatiently given the forestallment
Of his purpose as a reason for refusing
10 further consider f. The report did
"a
Tribune was an administration organ.
with the editor as the confidential friend
and adviser OF the president The rumor
crept out through some friend OF that
paper, and we were not 10 blame: but
he made this a prerext for declining TO
further entertain the proposition. and
Plat came back. and entering my COM
mittee room sat down on sofa as IL he
would never get up again. He went over
his interview with the president, and
after he had finished l asked him what
We were going 10 do about II.
a. I don't know what YOU will do he
replied, but l know what | am going 10
do, I'm going 10 resign This course
had not been discussed before but Conk-
ling replied that If Plat resigned he
would follow the example. and a few days
afterward the whole country was as
founded to hear that their letters of res
ignation were In the hands of the gov
ernor of New York. PLAT has been sub
iected 10 a good deal OF ridicule for
moekly following my lead" said Conk-
ling. land gained the sobriquet OF Me
too. PIatt" but the fact is he was the
leader and | was the me. too
If there had been any hesitation on my
part about making public the story as
Mr.. Conkling told ii to me. that doubt
was resolved into positive prohibition
when Garfield was assasslnated and a
~ hi
personal grievance can stand against the
sweeping force of public pity. and recog-
nizing the improperly OF any publication
which should keep alive the luminosity
unfortunately engendered between these
eminent men or between the friends who
had espoused their cause, / said nothing
more about the matter until a few
months before Mr.. Conkling's death. when
! requested him to give me an authorized
version of his side of the question for
publication. In making the request en-
closed him a proposed magazine article
on the "Prerogatlves of the Presidents
IN which 1 had referred to some of the
salient points Of his controversy with
Garfield. but which article had been re-
tanned in my keeping owing 10 the ira
gedy which attended the latter's death.
In response to my request. he sent me
the following letter. which is so char
acteristic that 1 append 1t:
'2 Wall Street.
New York. August 81. 1sS5
'My Dear Sir-During my absence in
Washington City on a professional err
rand your valued letter with Enclosures
came here. and l take the earliest hour.
late at night to answer 1t.
referring first to the article herewith
returned as you request. I have read IL
with care. interest. and. / may add. ad-
miration. 1t seems TO me able and ele-
waited. one reason of this is its truth OF
argument and event. But owing to the
fatal result of the act of a mad brute.
YOU withheld and still withhold it. Do
not ali the reasons for this, besides sew
eraI more. apply to my entering the field
of discussion? No one except myself
could enter such a field exposed to the
certainty OF the charge OF personality and
grievance. If, apart from personal feel
ings. there be any motive or importance
I'm a review. surely enough has now come
10 the knowledgs of the political stu
dents to enable any OF them 10 deal, as
your article In outline 50 well deals. with
the elements of the case. But other posi-
tive objections are In the way. There are.
far from here, various documents which,
were / 10 attempt a statement. must be
consulted and such Of them as II is clear
~ right 10 use should he introduced All
this requires time and consultation not
now possible. | am under professional en-
gagements which demand constant atten-
ton and which have weaDed attention
from the matters in question much more
completely than I can myself well under
stand To begin such an affair means TO
follow Il up Fer this / have no time,
and. however the future may modify the
feeling. / am now utterly averse TO the
trouble Moreover the press, as at pres
ent rnoiived. would generally take the
rnaievolent course. In short. having re-
sisted many like requests, not always tenn
pered with the considerate moderation OF
yours. I must still hold that the time has
spoken hv me. Thanking you warmly for
many kind and generous words and for
the friendship which ] know mingles with
your sugges tons. am sincerely yours,
ROSCOE CONKLfNG,"
Thus Mr. Conkling's story. armed with
the grace and power which he could lend
q has never been told. But the facts as
ha related them 10 me are fresh in my
recollection and may prove Of interest 10
those who followed that controversy with
s,,ch mingled feelings OF admiration and
regret.
/ ourh, 20 add. IN justice 20 ~. Conk-
ling that he told me he had no Intention
Of again becoming q candidate for senator
wher he reSigr.et. His thought then vas
10 retire TO private life, at least during
the term OF the CARRIED administration.
Tsnt he vas hesIegee with demands that
he stand At once for re-electfon and win
s{~atton' - until ne saw that a refusal
v-o,tI8 ha regarded as an abandonment OF
friends IN the midst Of the battle when
h. Welded And I remember with what
hs++er1eSz he spoke OF one Of those +'tg-
,.,..Yr,,os,s friends a prominent member