Evening journal., 1912-09-03
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
An Echo Of a Famous SCan-
daI Of Grants Ad-
miniStratiOn
By Holland
By Holland


barger and Jeremiah Wilson in'l
Washington. Each of these partners
had gained distinction while serving
as members Of Congress. Judge
Shellabarger had taken a leading part
in the impeachment Of President
Johnson, in 1867.
l called Judge Shellabarger's at
tention to General Robert c. Schenck
who happened to be passing the
building in which Judge Shellabare-
er's offices were located and | asked
the Judge II he did not serve in Con-
gress as a colleague from the State
of General Schenck.
Yes" was the reply. "I served
several years in Congress with Cen
eral Schenck. He is one of the clos
est friends l made in that body. He
is a bluff, intensely earnest, some
times vehement speaker, and he be-
longed to the radical wing of the
Republican party, but he is as tender
hearted as a child and there isn't a
dishonest hair in his head.
II happen to know all of the cir
umstances connected with General
Schenck's resignation Of his post as
Minister to Great Britain in 1876"
continued judge Shellabarger. you
may remember that for a time there
was great international scandal
growing out of letter which General
schenck wrote to an English friend
who had money TO invest.
when President Grant removed
John Lothrop Motley from his post
as Minister to Great Britain In 1871,
he selected without consultation
with anybody, his intimate friend,
General Schenck, for that position.
Some time after General Schenck had
arrived i'm London an attempt was
made to promote in England the sale
Of an American gold property called
the Emma mine General Schenck
knew some of the owners of the mine
and he had such confidence in them
that he invested the greater part Of
his fortune-nOt a very large one
in its stock.
An English capitalist who was ac-
quainted with General Schenck wrote
to him and asked If he would give
any information about the Emma
mine. General Schenck in reply
spoke very favorably OF It, This in
duced the English capitalist and
some others to invest in the stock of
the mine.
Through some mismanagement or
some unfortunate circumstances the
nature of which / do not now recall.
the bottom eventually dropped out
of the Emma mine company. The
stock was quoted at a merely nomi-
nal figure. The English investors
got very angry The old letter
which General Schenck had written
to one of them was dragged out and
published and the accusation was
made that the American Minister to
Great Britain had been engaged for
unworthy motives in persuading
English capitalists to invest in a
worthless mine.
There was no stopping this scan
daltft reached this side OF the ocean
and was a commanding topic for a
good while II was used in an at
tempt to discredit General Grant and
his administration.
Nov, I personally know of some
circumstances connected with the
scandal of which the public had no
knowledge, and the facts do infinite
credit both to General Schenck and
to President Grant.
without any attempt at explain
alton, Schenck communicated with
the president, conhdentially, offer
ing to resign. President Grant
whose loyalty to his friends was one
Of his noblest characteristics, had
not the slightest doubt Of General
schencks integrity in the matter
/ So far as he was concerned, he would
have retained Schenck at London
/ have always thought that Secre-
tary of State Hamilton Fish was per-
suaded that for good diplomatic
reasons it might be we'll for General
Schenck to return TO the United
States.
Grant, however, was insisteni
upon one thing-hf would not permit
General Schenck to resign. He also
felt confident that after. a while
Schenck would be perfectly vindi-
Gated General Schenck himself
thought that It would be the better
part for him TO return to the United
States. General Grant, therefore
rather reluctantly agreed that
Schenck should be granted a leave
of absence That would make un.
necessary any formal leave-takine
when he left London. After his re-
turn to the United States, If he in
sisted upon IL, Grant would accept
MS resignation.
"Schenck did insist upon resign.
ing. I understand it, he never made
any explanations to President Grant
nor did the President ask him tC
make any Grant had absolute faitf
in Schenck's integrity and Schencl
knew IL.
"Well. It turned out that Schencl
was perfectly justified in giving tha
letter OF recommendation. Ulti
mately, the Emma mine was founi
to be a valuable one. The stool
appreciated. At the same time
think that II would have been NOR
prudent for General Schenck in view
OF the fact that he was the Ministe
to Great Britain, not 10 have writtei
a letter speaking favorably of Eng
lish investment in American prop
erty.
"The whole incident shows hov
easy it is for public man TO b.
misjudged"
Copyright. 1912, By f. ]. Edwards
All rights reserved)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tel
Of THE Man Who Discovered IN
Political Value In Public Documents.