The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-04-12

WAS dppIoVeu Uy NY JuuSui0A', 0i."o
felt under an obligation of honor to stand
by the result, bitter as it was, feeling that
the situation was not chargeable to the
Electoral Bill, but to the majority of the
Commission which we had agreed to
trust. I told him I had received de-
spatches and letters from home, from
cherished and trusted friends, conveying
most emphatic remonstrance against my
course but that, with my convictions.
about the question, if petition signed
by every voter in my district should be
sent to me, requesting me to support the
dilatory motions, it would not alter my
purpose by hair. further said to him
that there was but one thing which
would change me, and that was If 1
thought that by voting to complete the
count, which was toiresult in the inaugu-
ration of Mr.. Hayes, I would be aiding,
directly or indirectly, in perpetuating the
usurpations of Packard and Chamberlain
in the States of Louisiana and South Car
olina, I would reverse my action, and do
nv very utmost to defeat the execution
of the bill, regardless of consequences,
calamitous to The country as I believed
they would be.
II furthermore told him that if I
changed my position / knew of several
prominent gentlemen who would join me,
and if at that critical thour, when the
daily and nightly scenes surpassed by
far in wild excitement and violence any
thing ever witnessed in the legislative
history of the country, the line of the
Democrats, who were voting to execute
the law, should be broken, it would re-
suit in stampede among them, and Mr..
Hayes would no moreibe the President
than he (Foster) would be. Foster said
he believed this. -. 2
Ihave the highest respect for Charles
Foster. believe him TO be an honora-
BILE gentleman, and I told him that it was
nv confidence in him that had brought
me to him. He represented the district
of Governor Hayes. he had just made
a manly and patriotic speech, in which
he had said that under President Hayes,
if inaugurated, the flag shall float over
States, not provinces; over freemen, not
subjects. I referred to this speech, and
told him I had come to request of him
written assurances that if Governor
Hayes was inaugurated President he
would restore home rule,in the States of
Louisiana and South Carolina, and that
the people of these States should control
their own affairs in their own way, as free
from any intervention by the Federal au-
thority as the State of Ohio. rs
This conversation was long and earnest.
I told Mr.. Foster that I wanted to make
no bargain, no agreement, that. | scorned
the thought of it, that I had declined a
reelection to Congress, was voluntarily
Withdrawing from political life, wanted
no Office that President could give me,
and that my object was unselfsh, and
that I desired written assurance from
him that the policy of Mr.. Hayes would
be as indicated, and from him specially,
by reason of his very intimate relations
with Governor Hayes. 80
His reply to all this was frank, full,
earnest and satisfactory to my friend,
General Gordon, and myself. Indeed,
Mr.. Foster said he had letter in his
pocket, just received from Governor
Hayes, thanking him for the speech to
which I have alluded, and endorsing it.
He offered this letter to General Cor.
don and myself to read, but we declined
it. He agreed to give me the desired
letter, and said he would also request
Hon. Stanley Matthews to sign it. He
promised to meet me that night at my
rooms. He came about midnight and
said by reason of his interview with Gen
eral Gordon and myself he had that
evening procured meeting of some gen.
tlemen from Louisiana and South Caro-
lima at Wormley's Hotel, at which also
Hon. Henry Watterson was present. at
the conclusion of the conference these
gentlemen had expressed great satisfac-
tion at what had been said to them. On
leaving he remarked that I should have
two letters next morning. On the next
day he came to my desk in the House of
Representatives and handed me an un-
signed letter.
T read it, took my pen and erased one
paragraph, and told him that it could be
made fuller and stronger, but that from
the honorable men who gave it in good
faith it was sufficient. In an hour after
ward went to2his desk and he delivered
me letter signed by himself and MIR.
Matthews. L observed that it was in
different handwriting, read it hastily and
remarked to him that it contained some
generalities I did not like. He replied
that Mr.. Matthews had rewritten it, and
added, "Brown, it is intended to cover
the whole case, and I can promise you
there will be no doubt about the fulfill
ment of all the assurances I have given
YOU"
and said, "Sign that also," and he re-
Piled, Certainly, with pleasure" As ].
was leaving he called me back and told
me that President Grant would, as soon
as the count was completed, issue a
certain order to General Augur in Lou
isiana. He requested me not to mention
this fact for several days, but expressly
gave me permission to make any use OF
the letters I might desire. The order re-
ferred to was issued by President Grant.
I gave copies of the letters to Messrs.
Levy, Ellis and Burke, of Louisiana, and
to General M. G. Butler, of South Caro-
lima, with authority to use them when
ever they pleased. When I saw that the
Democratic victory, so fairly won, was
lost, my deepest concern was for my suf-
fering Southern countrymen. To contri-
butte to their deliverance from bondage
was the passionate aspiration of my heart.
Had I believed that the policy of Mr..
Hayes, if inaugurated, would not relieve
them from the hateful and unrepublican
supervision by the army and the further
plundering and oppression by men alien
to them in birth and sympathies, should
navor have voted az did Hon Charles