[
533]
Letter no.
Sixty-eight.
As elsewhere related,
Garfield persisted in his nominations, which, however, were opposed in the Senate, and I returned to my post in
England to await the result, while
General Grant went to
Mexico to arrange for the organization of a railroad connecting that country with the
United States.
This was the enterprise in which
Mr. Romero took so deep an interest.
From
Mexico Grant wrote to
the Hon. J. P. Jones of the United States Senate, a letter condemning
Garfield's course.
This letter was published and excited great attention.
In it
Grant said: ‘The change of
Badeau and
Cramer, the two appointments in which I felt a strong personal interest, was very distasteful to me; the first, because of our personal relations, and my wish that he should be kept where his office would support him until he finished some work he is engaged upon, and which he could do without interfering with his public duties.’
This work was
Grant's political history, the military one being complete.
From
Mexico General Grant wrote to me also the following letter:
City of
Mexico, May 7th, 1881.
Dear General,—I received your several letters written since my departure from New York, and your telegram.
The latter I answered at once saying stick to
London or its equivalent.
The operator refused to send the dispatch on the prepayment.
I then sent my pass—which I have over the
Mexican cable & Western Union—when they received it. I supposed of course you would get the reply.
I am completely disgusted with
Garfield's course.
It is too late now for him to do anything to restore him to my confidence.
I will never again lend my active aid to the support of a Presidential candidate who has not strength enough to appear before a convention as a candidate, but gets in simply by the adherents of prominent candidates preferring any outsider to either of the candidates before the
Convention save their own.
