New-York tribune., 1878-05-14
DEMOLITION TIE OBJECT.
,,p POTTER DENIES 1T, But THE PURPOSE CoNLS
OFT CLEARLY DURING THE DAY.


my TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.J
v,..c,vcroN. Nav 13.-The Democrats have
~. onsned the campaign of fraud" and have
i"iiII orst of it in the first days engagement.
sVr mon who are responsible for this movement
close corner. For month past they have
,roclaiming to the world their intention to DIS
~ 1no .in;outous frauds" of the Presidential
i..,or in Florida. BY mere accident they let sip
~. t,o so-,alled confessions of McLin and Dennis.
yUho II came actually to framing resolution Which
A. Uouse would pass, and which would not turn
e,,t 70 he n boomerang to break their own heads
tbev foupd il very difficult matter. This explains
n,o lo,g DELAY that was becoming so embarrassing
20 The Democrats, and which was 10 longer endula-
hlo The Democrats do not dare to extend their IN
ou;r n an Investigation of all the frauds that were
committed or attempted during the Presidential
oleeton of 1876. The only safe investigation III
which they can engage is one from which all reler-
once to the dOings of Democratic agents and ofclals
sha be rgidly excluded, and that is the KIND OF an
Investigation which they attempted to set on loot
to-day
Mr. Hale's amendment which Mr.. Potter and the
Democrats would not allow to be read because they
we're unwilling that it should go into The Record as
part of the proceedings of to-day although they all
knew what il contained from the copy of it in THE
tbem was not one of those devices that are some
times prepared for the purpose of sitting inquiry.
II wss not based on vague Tumors or the sO-called
confessions of men who swear themselves to have
been peTiurers, but upon kilograms that passed
between Mr.. Iilden's friends or agents, and events
which are mostly matters of official record.
But the Democrats want no such investigation as
that amendment cOntemplatos. They do not dare TO
permit it and it is the weak spot of their whoe
conspiracy that they seem not to have toreseen hat
TO propose an investigation and then show their fear
Of allowing it to extend to alleged Democratic
frauds would put them the defensive IN the start
The weakness of their position is the more marked
because Mr.. Potter disclamed for his side to-day
any intention of attacking the title of President
HAYES to the office he holds. If the avowed object
of the present movement was TO depose President
HAYES. then there would be some sense and reason
in cOnflning the inquIy to those circumstances ana
proceedings upon which his title rests. Other
events having no bearing on his title would OF
course be alunde But as this is not the purpose Of
the Democrats according to their assertions in the
House. and as their ostensible object is to expose
fraud in order that the people may have an ODpor-
tunity to rebuke it at the balOt-box, it makes no
difference to honest men whether the frauds were
committed by Republicans or Democrats; whether
they were perpetrated in States on which the cleo
ton turned. or in Others
There were two features of tO-day's pro-
eeedings that were more striking than any
uthers-both of them Democratic blunders. The
FIRST was the refusal by Mr.. Potter to allow
hr. Hales amendment to be Offered, and the
second was accidental admission that the object
Of the investigation is TO find ground for attacking
President Hayess title The first of these blundeTs
was the most serious because of the character of
the amendment upon which the Republicans de-
sired TO vote. 1t was not drawn for the purpose
Of limiting or defeating the investigation, but to
extend it and make it more effective. If the Dem
ocratic politicians applaud this onesided Kind of
an inquiry honest people everywhere will certainly
see through and condemn it,
The second blunder was accidental. Even the
most radical of the Democrats do not dare at this
stage Of the proceedings to propose the removal of
President Hayes although there is no doubt that
many of them, like Montgomery Blair, expect to
make that an issue in the future. To-day their pol
icy was to dsclaim all purpose of disturbing the set
tlement made by the Electoral Commission last
Winter; but when Mr. Hale was pressing Mr. Pot
ter TO allow him to offer his amendment, Mr.. Potter
refused because he said. the election in other
st9tes than Florida Louisiana and South Carolina
dd not affect the result. This declaration General
Garfield seized, and showed very foTcitly what it,
meant; that If the inyest CATION was to be confined
10 ihe states ~ which the election OF President
HAYES depended, the object must be to question the
validity OF that election To- this Mr.. Potter was
unable 20 reply.
The country may as well understand at the outset
that the leaders in this conspiracy against the peace
OF the country revOlutiOnists, who are deter
mined 10 deDoSe President Hayes if they can.
lna0nty OF the Democrats are now opposed TO any
thiug OF this kind, but they viii in the end be
drven Ia support the extremists, if there is any
tmng developed in the proposed investigation
which by any sort OF twisting can be made to APP
pear as throwing doubt upon the actual result of the
election of 1876 in either of the States of Florida
OF Louisiana. There was a time when majority of
the Democrats were opposed to invest CATION, but
they had not the courage to hold out when the mat
Ter was squarely brought up, aud they VIII be no
more courageous when the more revolutionary meas
ufe IS proposed.
HUNT FOR ABSENTEES.