To John L. Scripps1Jump to section
My dear Sir Washington, July 20, 1864.
I have received, and read yours of the 15th. Mine to you, was only a copy, with names changed, of what I had said to another Post-Master, on a similar complaint;2Jump to section and the two are the only cases in which that precise complaint has, as yet, been made to me. I think that in these cases I have stated the principle correctly for all public officers, and I certainly wish all would follow it. But, I do not quite like to publish a general circular on the subject, and it would be rather laborious to write a seperate letter to each. Yours truly A. LINCOLN
Annotation
[1] ADfS, DLC-RTL. See Lincoln to Scripps, July 4, supra. On July 15 Scripps wrote Lincoln:
``A day or two since, a letter from you . . . was placed in my hands by Hon. I. N. Arnold. . . .
``That I am opposed to the renomination of Mr. Arnold, is true; but that I have, at any time, either directly or indirectly, used my `official power' to defeat his renomination, is utterly untrue. . . . Mr. Arnold well knew the falsity of the charge at the time he preferred it. . . . But he knew what he would do were he similarly situated, and I suppose could not credit the fact; and so he went whining to you about the `official power' of this office being thrown against him. . . .
``And now will you permit me . . . to take the liberty of suggesting that . . . it would be well for you to give to the various heads of . . . offices the same instructions . . . which you were induced to give to me through Mr. Arnold's deliberate misrepresentations. . . .'' (DLC-RTL).
On July 18 Arnold wrote:
``I presented your note to Mr Scripps, with the hope that we might have a frank, friendly understanding. It was received in a storm of rage & passion. He said it was an insult. You had never read or understood what you had signed. . . . I assured him you spoke of him highly, & that the letter was kindly meant &c.
``He said he should write to you, & because he said this I trouble you with this note. . . .'' (Ibid.).
[2] See the memorandum of Lincoln's interview with Walborn, June 20, supra.