Year: 1866




"Druid" Owns UP, but Believes the For-
gerry to be True-The DespatCh Did Not


Come from Washington, tsut was Sent
from New YOrk-The PrOiprietOrs of the


"Ledger" would Have Nade Heaps Of


Money II the Statement had been True.


l am anxious 10 afford to the public every ex-
planation In my power ia relation to the des.
patch of October 10, which was published in
the Philadelphia Ledger. The statement which
has been made by that paper does not contain
the whole truth. II studiOusly conceals the fact
that it did not receive the despatch from Wash
lngton, but from New York. Il charges me
with having written the questions without
having any reliable data before me. And it
keeps entirely out of sight the tact that on the
strength of the despatch as they received 1t (but
not from me), person in Philadelphia in close
business relations 10 the proprietoIs of that
paper, engaged in gold operations by which,
had the news proved true, as / believed 1t to be
true, he would have been largely benefited.


A simple statement of the facts will, perhaps,
set the matter la its clearest light. On the 9th
and 7th inst, learned that the subject of the
extent of the powers and duties OF the President
under the Constitution, in relation to the exclu-
sion of the Southern members of Congress, and
in relation to the legal and constitutional status.
OF the present Congress, was occupying a great
deal of the Presidents attention. On the 8th
and 9th | sought more definite information on
this subject from two gentlemen to whom /
have been in the habit going when wish to
verify any doubtful point or TO get a tangled
piece of news unravelied. They are men whose
friendship have proved and tried, and which
value; and have found in my intercourse with
them that they are not only truthful and rei-
able but that they have remarkable faculty
of being able to get at the truth of almost any
alleged matter of Washington news of detecting
errors and of distinguishing mere rumors from
actual matters of fact.


From one OF these gentlemen / learned that
the President, in quite a recent conversation
with an intimate friend, had dwet at some
length upon this subject and had recurred 10
what no had said in his annpphnS and
upon il, and had remarked that he had said
nothing hastily or unconsdered and that what
he had said he would stand by, and that what
ever might be his duty he would not shrink
from performing 1t; but that he would take no
step in the matter without consulting the At
torney-General, and Il think it was addedJ that
he intended TO do 50.


From the other | learned that q paper had
been seen in the Attorney.Generll's office, with
the printed heading Executive Mansion,r y con-
tanning series OF questions in relation to the
actual status under the Constitution of the pre-.
sent Congress and the nature and extent of the
powers and duties of the President under the
Constitution, both as regards the present Con-
gress and the right of the Southern States to
representation.


With these facts clearly impressed upon nv
mind, and believing them to be true, returned
home, thought over the matter, and wrote out
the questions; The data which had before me
were ample: The words OF the questsons had not
been furnished 10 me. But had before me the
subjects to which they related and the alleged
TACT that they had covered the whole ground in
reatlon 10 that subject. 1t is true the questions
might have been written by some one elie. might
have been in the Attorney Generals office by
accident, might never have been seen either by
the President or the Attorne General. But the
natural inference was that the questions had
been officially sent to the Acknowledgement; and
with that idea impressed upon my mind as a
fact, wrote out the questions.


saw nothing inconsistent in these questions
with the UNIFORM utterances Of the President
1t seemed to me perfectly natural that the Pre-
sident should seek counsel of his constitutional
legal adviser on so grave subject, especially
when the leading radicals were boldly proclaim
ing their intention to depose and imprison HIM.
The questions at issue between the President
and Congress are not question of policy or eX-
pediency but questions of constitutional law.
The Attorney General is the proper person to
investigate these questions and the Questions"
which l wrote amount simply to statement
that the President has consulted his constitu-
tional legal adviser in regard to the extent of
his powers and duties under the Constitution.
They do not in the least imply any revolutionary
intention on the part Of the President, for the
only answers which can be made to the ques-
tions will show that hard as the necessity NAV
appear to him, the President must continue to
recognize the present Congress, and must leave
the question of the admission of the Southern
members for them to decide.


sent the questions, not to the Ledger, but to
valued friend OF mine in another CITY. | did
not write them for the Ledger, but for one of nv
own friends. sent 1t to him simply as matter
OF important news which believed to be true.
The Ledger virtually says, and has made the
oublic believe, that they received the despatch
from Washington, which is not the fact.


The Led9er says the verdict of the public will
be against me. / do not think it will he now,
Truth has but one voice, and the public can
generally tell when they hear it.


Very respectfully yours,


HENRY NJ. FLINT


Washington, October H. 1866.