The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-05-04
TELEGRAMS FROM WASHINGTON.

WASHINGTON, April 20.
Ex-Attorney-G General Alderman to-day
asked the Committee on Expenditures in
the Department of Justice to consider
whether they would demand of him an
answer to the question propounded yes
terday, whether he conferred with the
President before paying certain mon
eys to John l. Davenport. The full
committee not being present, recess was
taken until two o'clock.
On reassembling the committee decided
to require an answer. Mr.. Akerman put
in a protest on the ground that it was
both illegal and prohibited by the stat
utes that such communications with the
Executive should be made public. He
then testified to conversations similar to
those narrated by ex-Attorney-General
Williams with the President.
Mr.. Akerman stated that some time in
1871, while the President was at Long
Branch, and he (Akerman) was in Wash
ington, he received letter written by
General Porter, in accordance with the
direction of the President, stating that
Mr.. Davenport was engaged in searching
out frauds against naturalization and reg
istration in New York, and suggesting to
him (Akerman) that he could use a por-
ton of the money given to him by Con-
gress to suppress election frauds in this
New York case. The witness was at that
time engaged in the investigation of Ku
Klux affairs in the South and he replied
to the Presidents suggestion that he had
already appropriated his money in that
direction. He was told in subsequent
communication from the President that
the funds could be used with as great
advantage in New York City as in the
South. After full explanation, he
authorized the payment to Davenport.
These conversations with the President
extended through the fall of 1870 and the
spring of 1871. The frauds in the cleo
ton were matters of frequent consulta-
ton, and the witness recommended the
employment of special counsel, and
among others who were employed in the
New York cases was Caleb Cushing. He
could not state any specific case in which
frauds were committed, but he knew they
were general. Mr.. Cushing was paid for
his services out of what was called thejudi-
ciary fund. The witness never thought
the President was Influenced in his action
by any partisan motive. He wanted to
prevent frauds and he did not care what
party they affected. He could notrecollect
that any portion of the money was used
to detect frauds in Philadelphia. The
latter was a Republican city, and New
York was Democratic, but that did not
influence the President in his action.
The frauds in New York seemed to be
systematic, that was the field of Daven-
ports operations, and the President was
of opinion that if his system could be of
advantage there, it would be elsewhere.
The President never for moment
thought he was acting in partisan man.
ner.
WASHINGTON, April 26.
All the committees on expenditures in
the various departments of the Govern
ment are practically at stand still now,
because the President has issued q
peremptory order that no original papers
Shall be suffered3o 60 outside the various
departments to which they belong. The
rules of the House of Representatives re-
quire these committees to examine into
the state of the accounts and expendi-
lures submitted to them, and to inquire
and report particularly whether the
claims from time to time satisfied and
discharged by the respective departments
are supported by sufficient vouchers es-
tablishing their justness both as to their
character and amount; whether such
claims have been discharged out of funds
appropriated therefor, and whether all
moneys have been disbursed in conformi-
ty with appropriation laws. Of course it
is utterly impossible for the. various
committees on expenditures to do any or
all of these things, which the rules of the
House require them to do if the vouchers
are withheld from them. In some in
stances copies of the vouchers might sut-
fee, but in originals to be inspected and
examined carefully to see whether any
changes or alterations in them have been
made.
The President evidently means to
throw every obstacle in the way of the
investigations ordered by the House, and
this order in regard to original papers is
only part of the general policy which
the leaders of the Republican party have
determined on. They see plainly that
unless something is done to put stop. to
the exposures which come thick and fast
under the probing process of the Demo,
cratic House there will be nothing left OF
of their party. Hence united and de-
terlnined effort is to be made to so OBJ
struct the investigations as to confine
them to as small sphere as possible.
WASHINGTON, April q.
After all the flourish of trumpets which
little Johnny Davenport and his friends
have made over his READINGS and ability
him by order of the President, and to
produce vouchers therefor, he utterly
failed to-day to account for more than
s3,399.S2, leaving balance of 81 600 of
the first IS 900 received in 1871 to be ac-
counted for. He claimed that he had at