Year: 1876

WASHINGTON, March 81, 1876
THE LETTER TO THE WESTERN DISTRICT ATToR-


NErs-ALL KNOWLEDGE OF 1T ON THE PART


OF THE PRESIDENT AuTHoRITATIvELY DE-


NIED-A STATEMENT NOT REcoNcILABLE


WITH THAT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL


singular announcement mado in double loaded
type this morning in tho Republican, which gen
orally regarded as the Presidents organ The follow
ing the material points OF this statemcnt-


The President, as we arc reliably informed,
saw the now somewhat famous letter OF instructions
TO the United States District Attorneys from Attorney
General Perrcpont until after IL appeared print II
seems probable, in the light OF this explanation that
somo not altogether disntercsted may have tenn
porarily distracted Il IRON the Official records and
certain that tho President did not know Of It's
existence until after 1t had been published,
" IL had been sHbmttted 70 him


AS II TO make assurance doubly sure, the informa-
ton repeated the first page OF the same journal in
these words


The letter District Attorneys from the Attorney
General, about which the detective press has madc
such fuss, and which II has stated, with SO much
circumstantality, that the President dictated TO Mr.
Pcrepont, for tho purpose Of restraining witnesses
from tcstiiying against General Babcock II is
certained was simply confidential letter written by
the Attorney General 'cithout the knopied0e Of the Pres
ident and In the interest of justice. II was
not intended for publication but distracted and
printed. when the President for the first time became
existence. presented
before II was mailed there certainty that he Wouid
have approved IL These the simple facts in tho
case, which tho detective press expected ignore
without apology or dmend either to the President
the Attorney General


Finally, the Star this afternoon has this para
graph


Il having been charged that the confidential letter OF
the Attorney General 10 District Attorneys pending tho
whskey trials met with the approval OF the Presi-
dent Is authortativey denied that tho President
ever saw the letter until II appeared in print


The letter 10 District Attorneys had been SO nearly
forgotten that these statements would have attracted
little attention were II not that they naily contra
dict Mr. Perreponts official history OF the origin
of the letter and the manner Of IT'S becoming public,
which he made In these words in letter the Judi
ciary Committee, which published tho Tth OF
March -


About the middle OF january and subsequent thereto
various newspaper slips private letters and personal
statements came to the President ana in lesser de-
gree 10 the Attorney General, that bargains being
made or were about to be made with criminals, whose
testimony was not In the slightest degree needed by
from any kind Of punishment to bc relieved of persc
cution in manner likely 10 bring scandal
upon the administration OF justice and quito
at variance with the policy expressed oy the
Secretary OF the Treasury and approved by
the Attorney General These statements were, in
large measure. affirmed 10 the President and subse-
quently TO tho Attorney General by OF oldest
and most trusted supervisors In the service, and who
claimed to know from personal knowledge upon the
In Chicago The President was are,tly dis
turbcd by these varied and repeated representations
OF a at variance with the policy before indi-
catcd and he brought TO the attention OF the Attor
ncy General and finally suggested that. In view of the
repeated statements, wonld be well for the Attorney
General 10 let the district attorneys
tion upon this subject and therefore letter
days later, the President being still further pressed
about the for the Attorney General to learn
whether he had taken any action In the case.


whereupon Mr.. Pierrepont says he sent copy OF
the letter to the President Being "amaxed" after
the publication OF the letter he adds that he
set himself work to discover tho letter found
its way print, and finally came the conclusion
that II have got through the copy tho
President ana he received information which con-
vinced him that II So" And finally he says


waited for the opportunity and have ascer.
tanned that General Babcock, some for him who
OF the letter without any knowledge the part OF the
President and that the same used In the
ncr now known 10 all, but under whose advice the Al
torney General does not know


General Babcock, being asked by HERALD reporter
about the grave charge brought by Al
torncy General, said on the sth ofMarch-


That he had nothing cay In regard to the charge
made against him by Attorney General Pcrrepont But
so s as Of any ny h % % was
In my position said he. came honestly and prop
criy by II at the White House. There seal OF
secrcsy about the Attorney Generals letter. II
not even marked private CONFIDENTIAL and there
bar to my being informed on u and II u interested
me, 10 knowing ana using the purpo-t Of


Ills a curious muddle which Is puzzng people hero
and has been much discussed to-day, but the Attorney
General appears before the judiciary Committee to.
morrow and will probably be asked TO explain the
whole matter The general opinion here tonight Is
that for unknown reason, the President has
thought IL expcdent 10 deny tho share the letter
imputed to him by the Attorney General