Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-12-11
THE PRESIDENT ON THE SITUATION.
He Explains as 20 His Interview with
Hewitt. Etc.

He Explains as TO HIS interview Wild
Hewitt. Etc.
The President. in the course OF n long and
free conversation yesterday with represen-
tarive OF the New York Associated Press,
concerning political affairs, said that recent
ly he received a dispatch from Governor
Chamherlin informing him il was currently
reported in Columbia that the President had
i'm his interview with Representative Hewitt,
Of New York, week ago. remarked thaj
when sixtythree members ofthe South Caro-
lima house of representatives, havin certih-
Gates from the secretary of state, should con-
vene. he would recognize them as the legal
house. The President, in reply Ia Governor
Chamberlain, telegfaphed him that II MI
Hewitt had sent or authorized the sending OF
such dispatch il was untrue that he had SO
expressed himself. The President says he
had n free and agreeable conversation with
Mr.. Hewitt. in which he said that, in his
judgment. not less than siXty-three members
were eligible to organize the house and Ia
transact business, including the determlna-
ton Of qualification Of its members. This
was the view he then held, but II was merely
a private opinion and he might have been
wrong. The President on that occasion
further expressed his views with regard TO
the grounds on which each wing of the mem
bers of the house respectively claimed their
seats, and in this connection the President
produced note addressed to him by Mr..
Hewitt, dated House of Representatives, De
cember 6, as follows:
| 10 the PTeSicient,-I have received reIia-
BILE telegram from Columbia stating that the
| sixty-thrd member, holding n certificate
| from the secretary Ol Ststlf. Ills htGl S"OIi
| into the house presided over by Speaker
Wallace, which Is therefore organized with
| the requirements of law as stated by you"
ON the same day Mr.. Hewitt sent him
another note as fellows:
al have just received later dispatch
stating that the supreme court % South Car
DINA has pronounced its judgment and dc
| clared the house presided over by W. III.
| Wallace to be the legally constituted house
| of representatives, and that Mackey is pri-
| vate person, not speaker, or in any respect
/ officer of the legislative DOW
The President said, with reference 10 these
| notes, that he did not think after his free
| conversation with Mr. Hewitt that the latter
| would make use of what he said for the pur-
| pose of defeating the party which the Presi-
1 dent represented. When Mr. Hewitt and
| Senator Randolph called on him several days
| ago. he informed Mr.. Hewitt of the contents
| OF the dispatch he had received from Gov.
| Chamberlain and the reply he made to 1t,
and intimated TO Mr.. Hewitt that he thought
| his confidence had been abused. Mr.. Hewitt
| denied that he had sent to Columbia such
a dispatch as that mentioned.
The President then repeated TO Mr.. Hewitt
| the substance of the dispatch in reply TO Gov.
Chamberlain as to the report current IN Co
| lrmbia.
| from Gen Hampton, in which he said if the
| President would recognize the Wallace house
| and withdraw the troops, he would do very
| President remarked that he looked upon this
| as piece of impertinence on the part OF Gen.
| Hampton in telling him what to do that the
| obedience 10 the call OF Gov. Chamberlain,
the danger then being too formidable for
| the authorities of the state 10 control; that
| organized rifle clubs representing Gen.
| Hampton were in the city OF Columbia and
that If the federal troops should BE with
drawn there would be peace, but il would be
| the rest of death. Senator Randolph then
| explained that the President should not
| think that Gen. Hampton sought 10 advise
| him what 10 do. and that the dispatch which
| was shown TO the President was a reply To
| one that Senator Randolph had sent TO Gen.
| Hampton. In response TO a question the
| President said he had never instructed Gen.
| Ruger to place troops in the state mouse, but
| that was the way Gen. RugeI understood HI
| orders. The troops were in South Carolina,
| the President repeated, In obedience to- a call
| OF Gov. Chamberlain, to suppress insure
| ton too formidable Tor him TO control. ana
| had IL not been for these troops, Gov
| Chamberlain would be a refugee to-day, aS
| GOV. Ames now is from Mississippi. The
President said in course OF conversation that
he looked on the Situat on as embarrassing
TO say the least y good deal of bad temper
had been shown by the democratic side, AMI
| many were acting unreasonable. They seem
10 fear that he was doing what was right, and
were abusing everybody for not yielding tC
| their views. This struck him as strange
| considering the scenes through which we have
| passed.
GOV Hayes represented the party that car
| ried in the late election all but four OF th'
| states that furnished means for suppreSsiC.
: | of the rebellion, and Gov. Tilden carried al
| but three of those which sought TO deStro,
, | majority for Tilden in the city OF New or.
| was larger than his total majority in the en-
tire state, and in which city much crime il
| perpetrated, and where there is n large mum
Der of men who have very little interes
. either i'm the state or in the republic. In tn
same way frauds were committed in IN
| states of New Jersey and Connecticut Will
| IL was true that those in the southern state
| who gave Gov. Iilden majority were voters
many of them voted more than once, but no
: | body claimed that Tilden did not carry sucl
| states. The same party that perpetratei
!, | frauds in the southern states for Tilden com
plain of frauds in Florida, Louisiana an,
South Carolina, but if there had been n,
frauds I'm Mississippi, North Carolina an
Arkansas these states would have gone TO
| Hayes and Wheeler.
The President justified the exclusion o
Laurens and Edgefed counties from tn
South Carolina returns on the ground tina
Georgians voted in them frequently, an
. cast more votes than there were voters TO
u | democrats. Much had been said about tn
i | use OF troops, but, considering the number O
r lives and the many political murders in tn
: | protection. The President thought all wa
/, | quiet now i'm the south, and SO far as he coul
g | he would protect every one from violence
= | All steps taken to this end had been dui
a | considered. The President, in reply 10 re
il mark that it seemed the democrats ha'
: | abandoned the idea of inpeaching him, sal
s | he would advise them not to attempt it, for
e | might bring out evidence which they wOul
e not like TO see spread on the record. II
n | would rather trust rebels than their northern
l. | allies. and tried to say as much in his an
n | nual message.
e He did not receive all the reports from tn
Il | departments in time, ard therefore he wa
d | obliged to leave out of his message man
G | subjects which otherwise he would hay
i alluded TO. He said in response to ques
O | ton that he would answer the House resolu
If | tion and inform them why he sent troops {
v | the south. Among other things the Pres
y | dent said in response to inquiries there wer
IS | now six or eight hundred troops in Wash
IT ington, and if there should be any necessit
d for more he would order them hiIher. w
0. | should have peace II we have to fight for i
a Some days ago he received five or six letter
threatening assassination, but he paid n
attention to them. A crazy man once fO
: lowed him six months, threatening to tax
B. his life, and this person, he believed, wa
Of | placed in an insane asylum. When he frs
lie came 10 the Executive Mansion he found
E. military guard there, but he immediatel
N caused il TO be Withdrawn and sent into bal
n | racks.
s The President. referring to the politica
il | complications, said he had an abiding fait
l. in the people. AS we have had one rebellio
lie he did not believe the people were anxiou
for another. He thought there would be som
| way out of our present difficulties.