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Show Made Public His Resignation How Gen. Jacob D. Cox of Ohio Compelled Com-pelled Grant to Permit Him to Retire From the Cabinet. Jacob D. Cox, major general In the Union army, governor of Ohio, secretary secre-tary of the interior in Grant's first cabinet, president of the Wabash railroad, rail-road, member of congress, president of the Universlfc- of Cincinnati, military mil-itary historian, and eminent in microscopy, micro-scopy, was born in Montreal in 1S28. General Cox was elected governor of Ohio while still in active command In the Union army, and he resigned that command so that he might be Inaugurated Inaugu-rated as governor in 1866. Between him and General Grant, and especially especial-ly between him and General Sherman, a warm friendship, which ripened Into close intimacy, was established. It was in part due to this friendship that President Grant, in 1S69, asked General Gen-eral Cox to enter his first cabinet as secretary of the interior. A year and a half later General Cox resigned the office of secretary of the interior, and, , while leading Republicans knew that this act was due to a difference of view between him and President Grant respecting the administration of the interior department, nevertheless neverthe-less there was never a clear understanding under-standing on the part of the American public as to what the difference was. Yet the matter was easy to explain. When General Cox became secretary of the Interior he decided that the department de-partment should be administered as far as possible along the lines of real civil service. He objected earnestly to making the department an asylum for hack politicians; he wanted efficiency effi-ciency and merit the standard in his department. President Grant, however, how-ever, was unable to resist the importunities im-portunities of certain place-hunting Republican politicians, and at last a clear Issue was raised between him and his secretary of the interior. While this issue was still on General Gen-eral Cox sought out two of his brothers broth-ers for consultation and advice. "In my view," said the general, "the administration ad-ministration of the treasury department, depart-ment, and also that of the interior, should be based wholly upon merit and efficiency. It is a view which does not prevail at Washington. I cannot therefore be responsible for i the administration of a department which is subject to the beck and call of politicians." His brothers approving of his position, posi-tion, the general wrote out his resignation resig-nation as secretary of the interior and forwarded it to President Grant. The general expected that it would be accepted ac-cepted at once or speedily, but to his surprise the president pocketed the resignation and for some weeks gave every Indication of having forgotten that he had ever received it. It was presumed that the president was anxious anx-ious to avoid an early break in his cabinet, and especially upon an issue of the kind that prompted the resignation. resigna-tion. At last General Cox tired of waiting for the president to act, and one morning morn-ing a warm personal friend and confidant confi-dant of the general's called upon Mr. Charles Nordhoff, at that time asso ciate editor of the New York Evening Post, of which William Cullen Bryant was the editor. "I have here a copy of the letter sent by General Jacob D. Cox to President Grant, resigning his office as secretary of the interior," said the friend. "The letter was sent to President Presi-dent Grant some time ago, but he has not acted upon it. I am authorized to give it to you for publicatipn." Of course, Mr. Nordhoff was only too glad to have the opportunity to publiEh in the columns of the Evening Even-ing Post the first announcement of the first resignation from President Grant's cabinet, excepting that E. B. Washburne, who was secretary of state for two weeks, it having been understood when the appointment was made that it was only temporary. And the publication of this nationally important im-portant information forced President Grant to accept finally General Cox's resignation. (Copyright, 1910. by E. J. Edwards. All Rights Reserved.) |