Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-03-28
the SOUTH.
THE PLEDGES GIVEN AND TIE ATTITUDE
OF TIE PRESIDENT.

THE PLEDGES GIVEN AND TIE ATTITUDE
OF TIE PRESIDENT.
Special Telegram Z, the Inter- Ocean
WASHINGTON, March 25.-1t is well !
that the dissatisfaction of the |
Southern Democrats at President
Hayes hesitation arises largely from
q feeling that there has been some
sort of breach of faith on the part
of the administration toward them.
This charge has not been made openly
but rather vaguely, and is met with a
general denial. Your correspondent
is now enabled to give somewhat in
detail the circumstances on which the
grievance is based. During the pro-
gress of the electoral count, and after
the decision of the electoral commits
sion on the Florida and Louisiana
cases, Senator Gordon, Of Georgia,
had an interview with Representative
Foster, of Ohio, in the hall Of the
House of Representatives, in which
Gordon said that while he felt no re-
sponsibility for the action of the
House, he should insist that the
South should have guarantees that
their State governments should not
be interfcrcd with, and that if such
pledges were not given he should
urge his southern friends in the
House to assist in preventing the
completion of the electoral count
Foster replied that all the necessary
pledges would be given, and that
Hayes would do what was right to-
ward the south. He also showed Cor.
don letter from Hayes, received by
him soon after his (Fostcr's) signiti-
cant speech in the House on the 10th
of February. In the speech referred
to, Foster said that if Hayes attained
the Presidency he would be the pres.
ident of the whole people, and that
under his administration the flag
should float over States, not provin.
ces, and that the people of the south
should be permitted to exercise thu
same rights of local self-governmcnt
as the people of the north. In hi
letter to Foster, President Hayes SAID
that Mr.. Foster had made just such {
speech as he would have made him
self, and that it represented his senti
ments exactly. Gordon said sucl
language was encouraging, but tina
he would like to have something
more definite. Foster then addressed
a letter over his own signature t,
Gordon and John Young Brown, VIII,
was present at the interview, in whicl
he said: II feel authorized to guar
antcc that the people of South Caro-
lima and louisiana will be allowed t,
administer their governments with
out any interference on the part O
Hayes, should be inaugurated
also, that there will be no furthe
interference with State government
by the troops unless to preserve til
peace according to law" Stanle
Matthews also wrote letter to Cor
don, in which he said that knowing
Hayes views and purposes intimate
ly, he felt satisfied that the Souther
States would be permitted to condud
= their local affairs in their own wa
. without interference from him. 1t
!. understood that in addition to thes
!. pledges, Gen. Garfield made verba
promises Of substantially the sam
!. character. Upon these pledges Sena
= tors Bayard and johnson urged tn
the Southern members of the Hous
. to withdraw from opposition to til
g count, cooperating with Lamar, job
! Young Brown, and others. Thes
- Southern Democrats do not mean I
say there was any bargain. The
only claim that these pledges wcr
= distinctly made, and that they had
y right to expect their honorable flu
y fillment. This whole matter, it
= said, was brought to the attention {
= the President this evening by som
- prominent Republican, to whom i
:, !, said, with some feeling, that he nevt
= had any knowledge of such pledges
= that nobody had been authorized
- make them for him, and that he di
e not propose to be influenced by then