The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-01-11
The Mackey Interview.

Murat dalsted, the editor of the Cincinnati
Commercial, has taken advantage of the pres
ence in Cincinnati of Judge Mackey of South
Carolina, the gentleman wbot Wade Hamp-
toms letter to Governor Hayes, to interview
him and get the facts. He says:
If it bad been thou sht desirable to establish
a good understanding between Governor Hayes
and General Hampton, certainly Judge Mackey
was the mau for the mission, as he supported
Hayes for President, and Hampton for Cover
nor of South Carolina, and IS decidedly of the
opinion that both were elected. He was not,
of course commissioned to negotiate with Gov
ernor Hayes, or to request from him any
pledges or promises after be reaches the presi-
Dental chair for he agrees with General
Hampton, who has expressed himself to the
effect that it would be an act OF the highest dis
respect toward Governor Hayes to appfoach
hesitate to say that it is in the judgment of the
Democratic leader in South Carolina that
Hayes has been elected and will be the Presf-
dent. They know of their own knowledge that
all the Hayes electors in their own State were
fairly elected. They have information Of the
existence of the same condition OF things in
Florida They claim that the Democratic
State tickets were fairly chosen In both States,
because there ere many persons who would be
glad to see a change in home affairs who would
not be willing to turn the whole country over to
the tender merees of the Democratic party. The
Democratic leaders of South Carolina, satisfied
that their own State and Florida must
be fairly counted for Hayes and Wheeler, have
no confidence in the attempted exclusion of
Colorado, the tinkering with the electoral vote
in Oregon, or the warfare against the Return
Ing Board of Louisiana, board which is
feature of the laws of that State, prepared with
direct reference to condition of affairs known
to exist in that State. More than this, those
leaders are strict constrnctionists of the consti
tuition, and believe the president of the Senate
has the exercise of all the discretion allowed in
that instrument before the counting of the
electoral votes, which it perem Dtorily COM
mands shall take place when the certificates
that in the custody of that officer opeued
by him. He opens the certificates. The count
ing is sum in simple addition. The constitu-
tion orders the counting and declares the result.
Holding these views, the election of Hayes Is
accepted as certainty The cry of conspiracy
with which the Northern Democrats are con-
fusing themselves, is without echo in South
Carolina. The attempt to pump up indigns-
ton, and to threaten the direst consequences If
the claim of the Democratic party that they
have not succeeded is not conceded. is noticed
by conservative Southern men with distrust
and condemnation. Hence the language of
Hampton denounciDg "the infammatory utter.
ances of portion of the public press, and the
statement that it is the firm and deliberate
purpose of the people of South Carolina ITO
condemn any solution of existing political
problems that involves the exhibition of armed
force or that moves through any other channel
than the prescribed forms of the constitution or
the peaceful agencies of law" We have to add
that Judge Mackey expresses himself highly
gratifed with his interview with Governor
Bayes, and counts upon his ability to exercise
an increased influence for peace and good will
upon his return home.