Mr. Dawes thought
that he would not be willing to accept the latter. I told
the President that I thought he would; that General Devens
was a native of Charlestown. He had always taken a great
interest in the Navy. He had known a great many of the old
and famous naval officers, and some of his near relatives
had been in that service. But the President finally authorized
me to send a telegram to General Devens offering him the Department
of War. I sent the telegram and requested Devens to come
at once to Washington, which he did. At the same time, the
President stated his purpose to offer Mr. McCrary the Department
of Justice. In the course of the day, however, it was reported
to the President that Mr. McCrary had formed a decided opinion
in favor of the McGarrahan claim, a claim which affected large
and valuable mining properties in California. Most persons
who had investigated the claim believed it to be utterly fraudulent.
There were many persons of great influence who were interested
in the mining property affected. They strongly appealed to
the President not to place in the office of Attorney-General
a man who was committed in favor of the claim.
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