Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-18

tremely that he had since that time per-
mitted Nugent to continue to visit his
department and hold confidential inter-
course with him. and that he would now
see the consequences of having done so.
He said he had permitted him to do SO in
order to secure the support of the New
York Herald to the Mexican war and OF
the administration He said that he sup
posed he had written or revised twenty
articles which Nugent had caused to ap-
pear in the Herald. supporting the war.
and that Mr.. Walker had through Nugent
caused the Herald to support his treasury
report and financial policy.
Il replied that it would have been much
better to let the Herald take any course
1t pleased. rather than have anything to
do with this unprincipled hired letter
writer. I told him that he knew that
Nugent had been for months calumniat-
ing and still continued to eliminate and
abuse me in his infamous letters to the
Herald. and that this was a singular
mode of giving the support of the Herald
to my administration. He said that Mr..
Walker and himself had both urged Nj
gent not to abuse me, but that they could
not restrain or prevent him from doing
SO. l told him that it was deeply to be
regretted that he had permitted SO un-
rrincipled q scoundrel to approach him or
to have anything to do with him. l did
not say to him. because | desired if pos
sible to avoid rupture with him, that
in my opinion no member of my cabinet,
WHO was Id1tn1ul 10 1sty administrator
and to me, would employ for any pur-
pose a man who was habitually abusing,
and calumniatng the head of the gov
ernmen'."
On the following day Senator flanagan
called upon the President, according to
the diary. to gossip about the investiga-
ton, and related that Mr.. Buchanan. in
Nugent's presence, had positively denied
that he had any knowledge of or partici
patton in furnishing the treaty and docu-
mpntS from the State Danl "
cited his surprise by saving that ii was
inconsistent with the dignity of Secre-
tary Of State to make a denial.
Senate Acquits Buchanan.
That afternoon President Polk went to
see Powers Greek Slave. and describes it
to be IAN admirable work of art" The
next day. being Sunday. he says that he
attended service at the First Presbyterian
Church twice, and Monday morning was
taken up by a conference with delega-
ton of head men of the Creek nation,
who had visited Washington on business
Of their tribe. He appointed ten cadets
at large to West Point, had an interview
with Brig. Gen. Shields. L. S. A. and in
called to inform him that Nugent had
given written statement to the commit
tee acauitting Mr.. Buchanan of all
agency in furnishing him with copy of
spondence. The President closed the in
cident in his diary with the following
solemn words:
Gen. Cass said that the whole Senate
now acquitted Mr.. Buchanan of all
agency in furnishing the docuine nts. and
that all were equally agreed that Nu-
gent was an unprincpled man. Gen.
Cass expressed his qualification that MIR.
Buchanan was relieved from all imputa-
ton in relation to any agency In the
transa ctiOn.- am myself gra titled that
Mr.. Buchanan is thus relieved from so
injurious an imputation. He will now. l
hope, learn a profitable lesson. and that
Is that it is dangerous to have any con-
pied letter writer's at Washington He
had taken this scoundrel Nugent into his
confidence in order to have himself pulled
by his letters in the New York Herald as
candidate for the presidency. and by
placing himself thus in his power had
been very, very.near being disgraced and
ruined by him. It was his notorious in
TINA, with Nugent which gave proba-
bilty to the imputation that Nugent had
obtained the treaty and documents at the
State Department.
Freneau's Attacks OF Wass ir Ston.
Washington and Lincoln had similar ex-
periences An adventurer named Freneau,
| a man of ecce nitric habits. a poet. a SEA
captain and the editor of Philadelphia
paper, was apr o'nted by Jefferson to a
position in the State Department with a
salary of $3.50 year, upon the recon-
mendation of Madison. who had been his
classmate al Princeton.
Freneau appears to have known what
was expected of him, for his paper i'm
| mediately began a series of most viSor-
Gus and vicious assaults upon the admin
istration. His scurrilous abuse of Ham.
ilton and disrespcctful references -