Year: 1875

OF the ATTITUDE Ol tAe CONSERVATIVES Io"oio
Mr.. Cardozo?


Governor. Well, sir, 1 think they intend to
do Justice to Mr.. Cardozo in the end and sc
I think of very mary Republicans. do not
wonder at their voting for raising committee
to prepare an address. That is probably now
the only way to bring the whole case to a
point where Justice can be done. l am bound
to say that the Conservatives have acted with
great political generosity and patriotism to-
ward me and my administration. believe
thew will do what they think just by Mr.. Car.
dozo, and their votes in this matter, so far, in
dcate no more, in my judgment, than to have
the case fully tried. 1 cannot believe their
vote on appointing the committee represents
their probable vote on the address of remov.
al, unless new facts are developed.


Reporter. Will you be kind enough to
give me your views of the case, as presented
up to this time, against Mr.. Cardozo.


Governor. Yes, sir; that is what desire to
do. The charges against Mr.. Cardozo en-
brace two general points First, the funding
of certain bonds at one time hypothecated in
New York, and the coupons attached to such
bonds and, second, the diversion of the inter
est fund.


Now, with regard to the bonds and coupons
alleged to have been wrongfully funded, the
act to reduce the volume of the public debt
makes no exception of any of these bonds OF
coupons A are exchangeable under that
act. If these bonds and coupons were out
standing at the time Of the passage of that
act, then they were, by the terms of the act
exchangeable. In funding them, Mr.. Cardozo
simply followed the terms of the act. IT,
however, any of these bonds or coupons were
unlawfully outstanding, and knowledge OF
this we're brought home to Mr.. Cardozo, he
might we'll have refused to fund them, as ne
did do in the case of some coupons. l do not
think that Mr.. Cardozo would have been gull
ty of any offense, if he had funded any and
all coupons which were made fundable by the
terms of the act. A strict and literal COM
pliance with the law would have been all that
could have been strictly required of him. Ii
he was in colusion with any parties present.
ing bonds or coupons illegally or fraudulently
outstanding, then he is guilty. But l DO not
see any such evidence, nor any evidence point
ing that way.


The attempt to hold Mr.. Cardozo response
BILE for funding the bonds and coupons report
ed by the Dunn committee, last summer, as
hypothecated without lawful authority, is un
lust to the last degree. All the information
now in the possession of the public respecting
these bonds was presented to the treasurer and
attorney general last summer, and the attor
ney-general states, in his last annual report
that he did not consider it important enough
to cause him to advise that those bonds should
not be funded On the contrary, he express
" defends the funding of all those bonds
Why, then, is it now attempted to punish Mr.
Cardozo for doing what the law directed, and
what the encouragement advised? This par
ticular matter was likewise laid before me last
summer, and I advised that there was nc
reason why those bonds should not be funded
And say the same thing now.


Bring home to Mr.. Cardozo any knowledge
of any fraud, connect him in any way with
any intention to do wrong to the State, convict
him of a wilful neglect Of duty or an unwar
rantable refusal to act upon any evidence OF
illegality in bonds or coupons presented tc
him, and you have case against him. But
1 see nothing, nothing whatever, which gives
color to any charge of fraud or evil intention
on his part


AS to the diversion of the interest funds,
see still less ground for the removal OF Mr.
Cardozo. Look at the general features OF
this charge. The State hasn't lost dollar
That the law is susceptible of the construction
given to it by Mr. Cardozo is apparent, both
from an examination of the act and from Mr.
Melton's letter to Mr. Cardozo. That Mr.
Cardozo acted also from good motives is like
wise evident Where, then, is the ground for
any charge involving moral turpitude, or ren
dering him worthy of removal?


personally know Mr. Cardozo''s statements
as to the reasons of his reducing the balance
in the bank early in January to be the rea
sons which he then disclosed to me. His mo
tive then met my approval, and l still ap'
prove it, though he acted at his own risk
That is, if he had failed to replace the funds
he would have been liable on his bond and tc
the penalty prescribed in the act. If the
General Assembly, however, desire strict
and literal construction of that law, it can be
secured without visiting any punishment upon
an officer who erred, if he erred at all, because
he sought to favor the General Assembly and
to save the State funds from loss.


The position of the Ne,0s and Courier on
this question is perfectly fair and just one
If Mr.. Cardozo has falsifed the records. OF
knowingly done any fraudulent act or any
wilful act resulting in injury to the State, then
let him be duly punished. If not, let good
men battle those who have entered into con
spracy to knock down one of the strongest
pillars of the present reform administration
At any rate, whether l stand alone or with
many, that will be my course to the end
Consequences can take care Of themselves.


Reporter. Governor, if it is fair question
how far is the U,aion-H Herald your organ?


Governor. Well, sir, whether fair ques
ton or not, I will answer it, The Union Her.
aid is owned in part by me, but is not my or
gan. [ want no organ Of any kind. don,
want an organ to tell me every day that an
the master-mind of the world, or to sneeze be
cause take snuff. Such support as that dis
gusts any true man. The Union- Herald is ir
charge of Mr.. j. G.. Thompson, an original
uncomp promising, fearless and able Repubi
can. He edits that paper as independently
as the editors of the News and Courier dc
your paper. Ask him and he will tell you
never dictated word or line for that paper
But I want free, untrammelled newspaper
here, to support me when am right, and te
oppose me whenever its editor thinks l an
wrong That is just what the Uaion-Heralt
is doing


At this point the interview terminated, a
l had nothing more to ask, and the Governo
seemed to have nothing more that he cared tt
say.


Cold WINTERS IN EURoPE.-In 401 tn
Black Sea was entirely frozen over. In 76;
not only the Black Sea but the straits of Oar
daneles were frozen over; the snow in some
places rose fifty feet high. In 822 the grea
| riuars Of Eurone the Danuhe the Elhe &c