Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1876-12-14
PRESIDENT GRANT.
He Expresses Himself Freely in Refer
ence to Matters in South Carolina
And ON the General si'ua.lon.

WASHINGTON, December lO.-Pres-
ident Grant in the course OF long
and free conversation to-day with
representative of the Associated Press
concerning political affairs, said that
recently he received dispatch from
Gov. Chamberlain informing him that
it was 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 Caro-
lima House of Representatives holding
certificatesfrom the Secretary OF State
should convene, he would recognize
them as the legal House The Presl-
dent in reply to Governor Chamber.
lain telegraphed him that if Hewitt
had sent or authorized the sending OF
such dispatch, it was untrue; that
he had not SO expressed himself. The
President says he had a free aud
agreeable conversation with HeWitt,ln
which he said that in his Judgment
not less than 63 members were eligi-
bic to organize a House and transact
business, including the determination
Of the qualification of its members.
This was the view he then held, but
it was merely private opinion, and ne
might have been wrong. The Presl-
dent on that occasion further express
ed his views with regard to the
grounds an which each wing or mem
Der of the House respectively claimed
their seats, and in this connection the
President produced note addressed
to him by Hewitt, dated House OF
Representatives, Dec 6, as follows:
81 have received reliable telegram
from Columbia stating that the sixty
third member, holding a certificate
from the Secretary of State, has been
sworn into the House presided over
by Speaker Wallace, which is, there
fore, organized in accordance with
the requirements Of law, as stated by
you" On the same day Hewitt sent
him another note as follows: 81 have
just received a later dispatch, saying
that the Supreme Court of South Car
DINA has pronounced its Judgment,
and declared the House presided over
by Wallace to be the legally constitu-
ted House of Representatives, and
that Mackey is private person. not
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 Hew-
lit that the latter would make use OF
what he said for the purpose of de-
featng the party which the President
represented When Hewitt and Sen
ator Randolph called on him several
days ago, he informed Hewitt OF the
contents of the dispatch he had re-
ceved from Gov. Chamberlain and
the reply he made to it, and intimated
to Hewitt that he thought his conf
dence had been abused. Hewitt de-
MED that he had sent to Columbia
such a dispatch as that mentioned.
The President then repeated to Hew-
lit the substance of the dispatch in re-
ply 10 Gov. Chamberlain to the report
current in Columbia. Senator Ran
dolph then produced dispatch from
Wade Hampton in which he said If
the President would recognize the
Wallace House and withdraw the
troops he would do everything posi-
BILE to preserve the peace. The Pres
ident remarked that he looked upon
this as piece of impertinence on the
part of General Hampton in telling
him what to do; that the sending OF
troops to South Carolina was in ODE
dience to the call of Gov. Chamber
lain, the danger there being too for
midable for the authorities of the State
to control; that organized rifle clubs
representing General Hampton were
in the city of Columbia, and that if
the federal troops should be with
drawn there would be peace, but it
would be the rest Of death. Senator
Randolph then explained that the
President should not think that Gen
eral Hampton sought to advise what
to do, and that the dispatch which
was shown TO the President was a re-
ply to one that Senator Randolph had
sent to General Hampton. In re-
spouse to a question, the President
said he had never instructed General
Ruger to place troops in the State
House, but that was the way General
Ruger understood his orders. The
troops were in South Carolina, the
President repeated, in obedience to
the call of Gov. Chamberlain, to sup
press an Instruction too formidable
for him to-control, and had it not been
for the troops, Governor Chamberlain
would be a refugee to day, as Cover
nor Ames now is from Mississippi.
The President said, in 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 unreason-
ably. They seem to fear that he was
doing what was not right, and were
abusing everybody for not yielding to
their views. This struck him as
strange, considering the scenes thro'
which we have 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
Governor Tilden carried all but three
of those which sought TO destroy the
Union.
In abiding to the frauds he said the
majority for Tilden in the city of New
York was larger than his total major.
ity in the entire State, and in which
city much crime is perpetrated, and
where there is 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 Connecti-
cut While it was true that those in
the Southern States who gave Cover.
nor Tilden a majority were voters,
many of them voted more than once, |
but nobody claimed that Tilden did |
not carry the former States. The |
same party that perpetrated the frauds |