Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-12-11
WE HULD. OUR OWN.
Interview Between President Grant
and Mr.. Hewitt.
The President is Urged 10 Rec
Ognize The Hampton House.
GRANT CONSIDERS 1T A PIECE
or IMPUDENCE.
He Jus:ifiss the Exclusion of
the Votes of Laurens and
Edgede'd Counties.
ALL QUIET IN The SOUTH.
SOUTH CAROLINA.

NEW YORK, December 9. The World saws that
at meeting of the cabinet yesterday it was de-
termned to sustain Chamberlain as governor de
Jure and de facto; to recognize the Mackey house
and not to withdraw troops from the State capitol
The President says he will order additional troops
to Columbia If necessary, and it Is understood
troops are to respond to any call which Chamber
lam may make upon Gen. Kruger.
A Columbia dispatch to the Herald says that the
Chamberlain house on FRIDAY appointed a special
committee looking to the impeachment of Chief
Justice Moses and Justice Willard If the house
votes Impeachment, this action will sus bend the
judges during trial by the Senate.
The Hampton house proposes to impeach Gov.
Chamberlain.
Chamberlain has thus far the advantage in be-
ing supported by the Senate. His house propose.
to 90 forward and order elections for new mem
bers to fill vacapcies.
1t is reported that at Wednesday NIGHTS inter-
view between the President and Mr.. Hewitt the
latter urged the recognition of the democratic
house oil South Carolina on the ground that it had
quorum, upon which the President produced
| evidence that the quorum had been obtained bv
briblng members on the other side.
COLUMBIA, December 9. The following has
been received by the committee of the democrat
ic house:
COLUMBIA, December s,
Gentlemen Of the Committee II have the hon
or to say In reply to your inquiry, based upon the
| resolution of which you handed me a
copy yesterday. that the United States troops in
the State House were placed there BY nv order
for the purpose OF executing such orders as might
be gwen; and In this connection | would saw
with reference to inquiries numbered six and
seven, that if your body should appear at the
State House for the purpose of entering the hall
of the House of Representatives, and should be
refused admission by those having charge of
the doors, and such persons should apply to Off
GERS IN command OF the troops at the State House
for assistance necessary to prevent your entering
the present orders to the officers would require
them to render such assistance.
am, gentlemen your 9bed,ent servant; Sc
Colonel and Breye' Brigade &c leral of Depart
partment of South.
Nothing else has transpred today except that
more federal troops are enroute for this place.
Everything is remarkably quiet.
COLUMBIA, December 10. Everything is re-
markably quiet here to-day. The Congress ioual
committee attended the various churches. There
is nothing to indicate the slightest rutie.
WASHINGTON, December 10. President Grant
in the course of a long and free conversation to-
day with representative of the associated press,
concerning political affairs said that recently he
received despatch from Gov. Chamberlain, in
forming him that it currently reported in
Columbia that the president had in his interview
with representative Hewitt of New York a week
ago, remarked that when 60 members of the South
Carolina house of representatives, holding certif-
Gates from the secretary of State, should convene,
he would recognize them as the legal house. The
president in reply to Gov. Chamberlain telegraph
ed him that if Mr.. Hewitt had sent authorized
the sending of such despatch it was untrue; and
that he had so expressed himself.
The president says that he had free and agree
able conversation with Mr.. Hewitt, in which he
said that in his judgment not less than 90 mem
bers were eligible to organize the house and trans
act business, including the determination of the
qualification OF its members.
This the view he then held but it was
merely private opinion and he might have been
wrong.
The President on that occasion further ex
pressed his views with regard to the grounds on
which each wing of the members OF the House re-
specially claimed their seats. and in this connec-
| ton the President produced a note addressed to
him by Mr.. Hewitt dated blouse of Representa-
| tives, Dec. g." as follows
"To the Presdent--I have received reliable
| telegram from Columbia, stating that the 81
| member holding certificate from the Secretary
| of State has been sworn into the House presided
over by Speaker Wallace, which is therefore Or
| gained in accordance with the requirements of
| the law, as stated by you.
On the same day Mr.. Hewitt sent him another
note rs follows:
| have just received a later despatch saying
| that the supreme Court of South Carolina has
| pronounced its Judgement and declared the House
presided over by w. ii. Wallace to be the legally
| constituted House of Representatives, and that
| hackey Is private person and not speaker or in
| any respect officer of the legislative body.
Inc president salu Win reference TO these notes
that he did not think after his free conversation
with Mr.. Hewitt that tue latter would make use of
what he said for the purpose of defeating the party
which the president represented.
When Mr. Hewitt and Senator Randolph called
on him several days ago he informed MIR. Hewitt
OF the contents of the dispatches he received from
| Gov. Chamberlain and the reply he made to It.
and intmated to Mr.. Hewitt that he thought
| his confidence had been abu.e ed
MIR. Hewitt denied that b" had sent to Columbia
,ok Al
dent then repeated to Mr. Hewitt the substance of
| the despatch in reply to Gov Chamberlain as to
| the report current in Columbia. Senator Ran
| dolph then produced despatch from Gen. Hamp-
| ton, in which he said that if the president would
| do everything possible to preserve the peace.
| The 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 sending OF troops to South Carolina was in
| obedience TO the call of Gov. Chamberlain the
| danger there being too formidable for the author
tiles of the state to control. That the organized
rife clubs representing Gen. Hampton were in
| the city of Columbia, and that if the federal
| troops should be withtawn, Gov. Chamberlain
would be refugee to day, As Gov. Ames now Is
| from Mississippi.
| The president said in the course of converse
ton, that he looked on the situation as embarss
| sing to say the least. good deal of bad temper
had been shown on the democratic side, and many
| were acting unreasonaby. The seem to fear that
| he was doing what right, and were abusing
| everybody for not yielding to their views. This
struck him strange, considering the scenes
through which we have passed. Gov. Hayes rep
scented the party that carried, in the late election
all but four of the states that furnished for
the suppress ion Of the rebe lion, and Gov. Tden
carried all but three of those which sought to de-
stroy the Union.
Senator Randolph explained that the President
| should not think that Gen. Hampton sought to
advise him what ito do, and that the despatch
which was shown to the President was a reply to
one that Senator Randolph had sent to General
Hampton.
In response to question, the President said be
had never instructed Gen. Ruger to place troops
| in the State House, but that was the way Gen.
Ruger understood his orders. The troops in
South Carolina, the President repeated. in obedi-
ence to the call of Gov. Chamberlain, to suppress
| an nsurrecton too formidable for him to control.
In allusion to fraud he said that the majority
| for Tilden in the city of New York was larger