The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-12-13

WASHINGTON, Dec lc-President Grant in
the course Of long and free conversation
to-day with a representative of the asso-
ciated press concerning political affairs said
that recently be received a dispatch from
Governor Chamberlain informing him that
1t was currently reported in Columbia
that the president had in his
interview with Representative Hewitt,
OF New York. week ago, remarked that
when Sc members Of the South Carolina
house OF representatives holding certificates
from the secretary of state should convene
he would recognize them as the lie gal house.
The president, in reply to Governor Cham
beTlain. telegraphed him that if Hewitt had
said or authorized the sending of such a dis
patch IL was untrue; that he had so expressed
himself. The president says he had free
and agreeable conversation with Hewitt in
which he said that in his Judgment not less
than 63 members were eligible to organize
the house and transact the business, includ-
ing determination of the qualification of
its members. This was the view he then
held, but it was merely private opinion,
and he might have been wrong. The presi-
dent, on that occa. ion, further expressed
his views with regard TO the grounds on
respectively claimed their seats, and
in this connection the president pro-
duced note addressed to him
by Hewitt dated House of Representative,
Dec. g. as follows
TO the President
Il have received reliable telegram from
Columbia, stating that the 63d member
holding certificate from the secretary of
state, has been sworn into the house, pre-
sided over by Speaker Wallace, which is
therefore organized in accordance with the
requirements of the law, as stated by you"
On the same day Hewitt sent him another
note, as follows:
Il have just received later dispatch saying
that the supreme court of South Carolina
has pronounced its judgment and declared
the house presided over by Wallace TO be
the legally constituted house of representa-
tives, and that Mackey is private person,
not a speaker or in any respect an officer of
the legislative body"
The president said with reference
to these notes, that he did not
think after his free conversation with
Hewitt that the latter would make use of
what he said for the purpose of defeating
the party which the president represented.
When Hewitt and Senator Randolph called
on him several days ago he informed Hewitt
of the contents OF dispatch he had received
from Governor Chamberlain and the reply he
made TO il, and intimated to Hewitt that be
thought his confidence had been abused.
Hewitt denied that he had sent to Co
lumbia such dispatch as that mentioned.
The president then repeated to Hewitt the
substance of the dispatch in reply to Gov
eTnOr Chamberlain as 10 the report current
in Columbia.
GENERAL HANPToN's MESSAGE.
Senator Randolph then produced dis
patch from General Hampton, in which he
said that if the president would recognize
the Wallace house and withdraw the troops
| he would do everything possible to preserve
| the peace. The president remarked that he
| looked upon this as a piece of i'm
| pertinence on the part of General
Hampton in telling him what to do; that
the sending OF troops To South Carolina was
in obedience to the call of Governor Cham
.berlain, the danger there being too formi-
| dable for the authorities of the state to con-
| troll; that organized rifle clubs representing
| General Hampton we're in the city OF Co
| lumbia, and that If the federal troops should
| be withdrawn there would be peace, but ii
would be the rest of death. Senator Ran
dolph then explained that the president
| should not think that General Hampton
| sought to advise what to do, and that the
| dispatch which was shown to the president
was a reply TO one that Senator Randolph
| had sent to General Hampton. In response
to a question the president said that he had
never instructed General Ruger TO place
troops in the state house, but that was
| the way General Ruger understood his orders
4
| dent repeated, in obedience to the call of
Governor Chamberlain to suppress an insur-
rection too formidable for him to control
and had it not been for these troops Cover
nor Chamberlain would be refugee to-day,
1 as Governor AInes now is from Mississippi.
| The president said, in the course of the
conversation. that he looked on the situation
as embarrassing to say the least. a good
deal of bad temper had been shown on the
! democratic side, and many were acting I'M
reasonably. They seem to fear that he was
doing what was right. and were abusing
| everybody for not yielding to their views
This struck him as strange considering the
scenes through which we have passed
| Governor Hayes represented the
party that carried in the late election
all but four of the states that furnished
the means for the suppression of the re-
bellion and Governor Tilden carried all but
three of those which sought to destroy the
union. In allusion to the frauds he said
the majority for Tilden in the city of New
York was larger than his total majority in
the entire state and in which city much
crime is perpetrated and where there is q
large number of men who have very little
Einterest either in the state or in the republic
In the same way frauds were committed
in the states of New Jersey and Connecticut.
| While it was true that those in the south
ern states who gave Governor Tilden ma
iority were voters, many of them voted
more than once, but nobody claimed thai
Tilden did not carry such states. The same
party that perpetrated the frauds in thu
southern states for Tilden complain of tn,
frauds in Florida, Louisiana and South Car
olina, but if there had been no frauds il
Mississippi, North Carolina and Arkansas
these states would have gone for Hayes anC
Wheeler.
HIS USE OF THE TROOPS.
The president justified the exclusion o
Laurens and Edgefield counties from thu
South Carolina returns on the ground tha
Georgians voted in them frequently, ariC
cast more votes than there were voters 70
the democrats. Much had been said about tn,
,nao Of trnnr,s hnt ri NO the m her a