Mexico weekly ledger., 1876-12-21
The Presidents Views Regarding the
Political Situation.


WASHINGTON, Dec. 10.-President
Grant, in the course Of a long, free CONVEX
sation to-day with a representative OF the
Associated Press concerning political al
fairs, said that recently he had received a
dispatch from Gov. Chamberlain informing
him that it was currently reported in Co
lumbia that the President had in his inter-
view with Representative Hewitt, OF New
York, q week ago. remarked that, when six
ty-three member Of the South Carolina
louise of Representatives, holding certlh-
Gates from the Secretary OF State, should
convene, he would recognize them as the
legal House. The President in reply TO
Gov. Chamberlain telegraphed him that, if
Hewitt had sent or authorized the sending
of such a dispatch, it was untrue that he
had so expressed himself. The President
says he had a free and agreeable converse.
tion with Hewitt, in which he said that, in
his judgment, not less than siXty-three
members were eligible to organize a House
and transact business. including a deter
mination Of the qualification Of its mem
bers. This was the view he then held, but
it 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 or member of the House respectively
claimed their seats, and, in this connection,
the President produced a note addressed to
him by Hewitt, dated House of Representa-
tives, Dec. 6, as follows:
To the President I have received a reliable
telegram from Columbia stating that the sixty
third member holding a certificate from the Sec
retary of State has been sworn into the House
presided over by Speaker Wallace, which is,
therefore, organized In accordance with the re-
q~uirements of law, as stated by you.
On the same day Hewitt sent him another
note, as follows:
1 have just received a later dispatch saying
that the Supreme Court of South Carolina has
pronounced it's judgment, and declared the
House presided over by Wallace to be the legally
constituted House of Representatives, and that
Mackey is a private person. not Speaker, or in
any respec, 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, hat the lat
ter 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 con-
tents Of a dispatch he had received from
Gov. Chamberlain, and the reply he made
to it, and intimated to Hewitt that he
thought his confidence had been abused.
Hewitt denied that be had sent to Columbia
such a dispatch as that mentioned. The
President then repeated to Hewitt the SUBJ
stance of the dispatch in reply to Gov.
Chamberlain, as to the report current in
Columbia. Senator Randolph then produced
a dispatch from Gen. Hampton, in which
he said that, if the President would recog-
niZe the Wallace House, and withdraw the
troops, he would do every thing possible to
preserve the peace. The President re-
marked that he looked upon this as a piece
of impertinence on the part Of Gen. Hamp-
ton, in telling him what to do; that
the sending of troops to South Carolina was
in obedience to the call of Gov. Chamber
lain, the danger there being too formidable
for the authorities OF the State to control;
that organized rifle-clubs, representing
Gen. Hampton, were in the City of Column
bia, and that if the Federal troops should
be withdrawn there would be peace, but it
would bc the rest of death. Senator RAN
dolph then explained that the President
should not think that Gen. 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 Gen. Hampton in respose to a question.
The President said he had never instructed
Gen. Kruger to place troops Ia the State
house, but that was the way Gen. Ruger
understood his orders. The troops were in
South Carolina, the President repeated, in
obedience to the call of Gov. Chamberlain,
to suppress an insurrectiOn too formidable
for him to control, and, had it not been for
these troops, Gov. Chamberlain would be a
refugee to-day, as Gov. Ames 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 are acting I'M
reasonably. They seemed to fear that he
was doing what was right, and were abus-
ing every body for not yielding to their
views. This struck him as strange, con-
sidering the scenes through which we nave
passed. Gov. 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 Rebellion, and Gov.
Tilden carried all but three of those which
sought to destroy he Union. In allusion
to 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 rluch
crime is perpetrated, and where there is a
large number OF men who have very little
interest in the State or 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 Southern
States who gave Gov. Tilden a majority were
voters, many of them voted more than once:
but nobody claimed that Tilden did not car
ry such States. The same party that per-
petrated frauds in the southern States for
Tilden complain of frauds in Florida, Lou
isiana, and South Carolina. But if there
had been no frauds in Mississippi, North
Carolina, and Arkansas, those States would
have gone for Hayes and Wheeler.
The President justified the exclusion of
Lsurens and Edgetield Counties from the
SNSSA SA IAN SAStAAl JulJ
Georgians voted in them frequently, and
cast more votes than there were voters.
Much had been said about the use of troops,
but, considering the number of lives sacri-
feed, and the many political murders in
the South, it was necessary to afford the re-
quired protection. The President thought
that all was quiet now in the South, and,
so far as he could, he would protect every
one from violence. All steps taken to this
end had been duly considered.
Thn Draerlaxf - rox,1u 70 4, 1880 49,
it seemed the Democrats had abandoned the
idea of impeaching him, said he would ad-
wise them not to attempt it, for
it might bring put evidence
which they would not like to see spread
on the records. He would rather trust the
Rebels than their Northern allies, and he
had tried to say as much in his annual mes
sage. He did not receive all the reports
from the Departments in time, and there
fore he was obliged to leave out of his mes
90 no N NV c,rhSonfy fn rxrhsnh ~+Lo~-.-. l.