The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-03-29

/ suguratlon OF Mr.. Hayes would be aid
ing directly or indirectly IN perpetusting
the usurpstions of Packard aud Cham
berlain in Louisiana and South Caro-
lima, l would reverse my action and do
my very utmost to defeat the execution
of the bill regardless of consequences,
calsmitous to the country as believed
| they would be. further more told him
if changed nv position l knew OF
several prominent gentlemen who would
join me; and if. at that critical
hour when the daily and nightly
scenes surprising by far in the wild ey-
citement and violence anything ezer wit
messed in the legislative history Of the
country, if the line of the Democrats,
who were voting to execute the law,
should be broken, it would result in
stampede among them, and Mr.. Hayes
would no more be the President than he
FOSTER would be. Foster said he be-
lieved this. | have the highest respect
for Chas Foster. / believe him to be an
honorable gentleman, and l told him
that 1t was my con tidence in
him that had brought me
to him. He represented the district of
Mr.. Hayes. He had just made manly
and patriotic speech In which he had
said that, Under Hayes, if inaugursted,
the flag shall float over States, not
provinces; over fresmen, not subjects"
l referred to this speech and told him
thsS had come to request OF him
written assurance that il Hayes was in
| tod ha MON Ia hnnna rnla N
Louisiana and South Carolina, and that
the people of these States should con-
trol their own affairs in their own
way, rs tree from aay Intervention by
the general government as the
state of Ohio. This conversation was q
| long and earnest one. told Mr.. +.
that wanted him 10 make no bargain;
that scorned the thought OF it; that l
had declined reelection 10 Congress,
was voluntarily withdrawing from polit-
ical life, wanted no Office that Presi.
dent could give, and my object was un-
SELLS J, but desired written assurance
from him that the policy of Hayes
wonld be as indicated, and
from him specially by reason of his very
intimate relations with Mr.. Hayes. HIS
reply to all this was frank. earnest and
satisfactory to my friend Gen. Gorden
and myself. Indeed, Mr.. Foster said
he had in his pocket letter just receiv-
el from Mr.. Hayes, thanking him for
the speech to which l have alluded and
endorsing it. He offered this letter TO
Gen. Gordon and myself to read, but we
declined it. He agreed " give me the
desired letter and said he would also re-
ques. Hon. Stanley Matthews to sign
it. He promised to meet me that
night at my rooms, TO come about
midnight. He said that by ressoL OF
his interview with Gordon and myself,
he had that evening procured meeting
of some gentlemen from Louisiana and
South Carolina at Wormley's Hotel, At
which also Henry Wstterson was pres
ent, and at the conclusion of the confer
ence these gentlemen had expressed
great satisfaction at what had been said
to them. On leaving, he remarked that
l should have the letters next morning.
On the next day he came to my desk In
the House and handed TO me
an unsigned letter. read 1t and took
my pen and erased one paragraph,
told him that it could be made fuller and
stronger, but that from honorable men
who gave II in good iaith it was sutfi-
cient. In an hour | went to his desk,
and he delivered 10 me letter signed
| by himself and Matthews. | observed
that il was in different hand writing.
l read it hastily, and said 10 him that It
contained some generalities l did not
like. He replied tha. Mr. Msttews bad
rewritten 1t, and added: "Brown,
| it is intended 10 cover toe
whole case, and / can promise
YOU that there will be no doubt about
the iulfllnent of all the assurances given
YOU" | noticed the original letter upon
his desk and said. ,.."Sign this also, and he
replied, Certainly, with pleasure" As i
was leaving he called me back and told
me that President Grant would, as
soon as the count was completed, issue
certain order to Gen. Augur in Louis.
.ana He requested me not 10 mention
This fact for several days, bat expressly
| gave mepermission TO make any use Of
the letters | might desire. The order
referred to was issued by President
Grant. | gave copies of the letters 10
Messrs. Levy, Ellis and Burke, of Louis
lana, and 70 General NJ. Butler, Of South
Carolina, with the authority 70 use
them whenever they pleased. When l
saw the Democratic victory, so isirly
won was lost, my deepest concern was
| tor my suffering Southern countrymen.
| To contribute 70 their delivery from bon
dage was the passionate aspiration my
heart Had believed the policy oil Hayes
would not relieve then. frCm the hateful
and unIepubIican supervision by the
army the further plundering and op-
preston OF men alien 20 them IN birth
aud sympathies, | should never have
voted rs | did. Hon. Cbss. Foster Sc.
cured the Inauguration Of the President,
and but for bis speech and these letters the
result would never have been reached.
| The conversation and conteLts OF
! the letter were made kown 70 many, the
confidence Of the Democrats in him and
! in the authorization 70 say what he did
composed the Representatives and caused
| them 10 remain unshsken IN dong what
,hey believed was right amid the storm
that vas rag ng sronnd them, and IN the
! face OF the earnest remonstrsnces OF their
constituents. Ifs few hsd ialtered the
paric would have been general The
work OF the Commission would have
been fruItless. Before this time, in my
opinion. q hurricane Of war would have
been sweeping over our land. Hope de-
ferred has sickened the hearts o;
Southern men. l do not under
stand. nor 10 / appreciate
the delay of President Hayes. He
ough, not 70 hesitate. The whole coan-
try expected this gres. and good work at
his bands. Psssionste men are heapIng
invec,ives upon the heads OF those Dem
ocra.s who voted 10 stand By the eiec-
torsl bill. This pains me, but Causes no
regret for my sctiOn. 1n conclusion, l
will say thst l nave iuLl faith IN the fu..
alInent OF the sssurances contained IN
the letters Of Poster and Ms;thews. They
are honorable men. l cannot believe
that they would attempt deliberate de-
cep,ion They are the intimate friends