Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-07-03
The Investigation,

The main part of the Potter committee
has been at work in Washington while
three members have set up shop in New
Orleans. There has been little progress
made. great part of the time having
been spent in allowing Gen. Butler to rake
over the things done in Washington and
New Orleans in February, March and
April, 1877.
The Florida matter has been gone over
to some extent and minister Noyes. VIM.
f. Chandler and others have testified. The
charges made against Gen. Noyes in the
beginning of the investigation resolution
have fallen to the ground and there is lit
tie doubt that the committee will with
unanimity acquit him of the charges
The testimony of Chandler indicates q
firm belief on bis part that Hayes carried
Florida; and it also shows very general
distribution Of offices by the president
among Florida republicans that was much
more in accordance with the old demo-
cratic rule to the victors belong the
spois" than with any civil service doc
trines George William Curtis or Dorman
B. Eaton have advocated in public.
1t is easy to see that in the matter Of
southern appointments the president was
very much between the devil and the deep
sea. If he appointed any man who wasn't
49, to,,c,l
tion and the cry was raised that southern
republicans were being deserted. If he
"stood by" the republicans recommended
he got such riff-raff as Anderson, Dennis,
McLin, the Jenkses and so on. But it would
have been great deal better to have at
least kept the civil service theory from
getting quite so much the start of civil
service practice. If the latter couldn't
have been pushed forward the former
might have been pushed back-ust little
anyway till Dennis and McLin could SORT
of study up.
The committee has concluded its exam
ination of Mrs. jerks who was as fippant
at the last as at the first, and whose story
may be the telling Of n rather remarkable
fact and its curious consequences or the
telling Of an equally strange lie. 1t is
suggested in New Orleans that the person
she "dictated" the Sherman letter to.
must have been Judge Leonard who lately
died in Cuba. But her talk concerning
the matter was very ncertain-wheren
we believe Mrs. jerks talk greatly re-
sembles herself.
The request of Sherman to be allowed to
bring witnesses to show that there was in
tmidation in the Feliciana parishes so as
to have justified the protest filed by Ander-
son has been refused on the ground thai
the testimony has been given before and
that it has nothing to do with Sherman S
bud acts if he did any. So the work of the
committee is reducing itself to question
of mud throwing against individuals and
is not an examination into the merits of
the presidential election.
Capt. jerks however who was out with
Anderson is confronted with an affidavit
said to have been signed by him May IL,
1877, in which he says there was no intim-
idation in East Feliciana. In fact Ander-
son has jerks on record the same as he has
Weber. The only difference in the cases
is that jerks came forward yesterday and
swore he never signed the affilavit, while
Weber lost his life by one of the higher
manifestations of Louisiana politics and
cannot swear for himself.
Dan Weber left Il brother however, one
E. L. Weber, who swears he is an out and
out republican (but he ties the admins
tration) and that his brother Dan severa
times showed him the letter which he 90
from Sherman and that he knows it was
letter from Sherman whose writing ht
very well knows. Mrs. jerks and E l.
Weber. appear to know great deal NOR,
about that letter than Sherman does him
self. Next time he goes out rs a visilin.
statesman John Sherman had better taxi
along copying press and man to watcl
him tn see that he don't forget whether b,
uses the press or not. Then Mr. Sher
man will be saved from that state of doub
which Mrs. jerks and Mr.. Weber mus
cast him into with their differing stories
The Sherman letter, whether genuine o
forged, is of no importance whatever I'm
less preceded by a knowledge on his par
of an attempted fraud, instead of hest
tatingly performed duty, by Anderson an
Weber. But that does not save Secretary
Sherman from the ridiculous position. a
he listens to the jerks on one side and t
Weber on the other, of the old lady VIII
remarked sometimes think, and the
agin don't know" 1t is always better t
make things " certain to certain intent
if they are worth making at all.