Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-07-25
The Potter Committee.


yesterday at A.laO!ic City before the Potter
Committee. The testimony OF M:5SrS Kelley
Bakcr, Hale AMI panfora was tak5o, gl7loI
each en- account Of his rnisioo to New Oi!aaos,
and each tes:iffing that uoth!og was dooo 10
influence the decision OF the Returoirg Bard
or to falsify the result Of the election. ). Hale
Sypher (bro,htr to j. r. Sypher, counsel Tor
Anderson, testified that d. A. Weber showed
him Rha! Lurpurted to he letter from Nlr
Sherman, which, according 10 III: rccoteetloD,
correspopded substantially With the alleged
Sherman letter exhibited by James i. Amber
SOD.
Mr. Hale testified that lie Weut to New Ot'
leans solely at tic request CT PRESIDENT Graot
and not at the instance OF General Hayes or .ny
person for him. President Grant requested
him with other gentlemen, to witness the count
Ct the vo:e 10 Louisiana. lie and Senator
Sherman were intimate and they expressed
their views to each other with freedom. All
the republican visitors maintained the position
that they should be careful to abstain from any
attempted llfueuce on the returnng board
So far az be knew this prirclrlc ~a5 strictly
carried out. Witness had uv recollection Of
hearipp of James f., Anderson While lie was III
or heard of Weber, lie did not know Of Sena.
tor Sherman being 10 secret consultation cut
sidy of his owa immediate associates. The
witness and Senator Sherman We're together
ayc1y day. He had moi seen the letter rur
nortlng 10 have been written by Weber and
Anderson, dated November - 1916, and the
alleged reply of Senator Sherman. 1t such
letters we're written, he thought, from his lutl
macy with Senator Sherman, hat he would
have heard of the fact. The witness testified
to the part he took 10 the examination CT the
returns from E.st Baton Rouge, aud, like the
Witnesses who preceded bu, be characterized
as false the testimony Of Weber about the visit
Jog republicans iLildenoiog the action Of the
returning hoard.
Gen. Rutler-From all that sou saw while
witnessing the action OF the returning board,
did you SEQ anything to convince you that it
Hayes Vas elected pfesiden! Packard vas rot
elected Governor.
MIR. HaIe-No, sir. | thought that if Hayes
was elected President Packard was elected Gov
crnor. thought both we're cleoted,
General Bulcr-That is all | want to Enow
Secretary Sherman -cede a statement hat be
is now Secretary CT the Treasury, but 10 80
7ember, 1876. vas a Senator OF the Unted
States. He vas invited By President Grant by
telegram 10 terms something like the following ::
81 would be gratlfad if you would 90 to y q"
Orleans to witness the count At first be de.
clined to &C; but second telegram was recei7.
ed from President Graut, saying: II tblok it
important for you to &C: but he did not go
till the Wednesday after, ga his way to Cin.
cinnati be stopped at Columbus, where he saw
Governor Hayes. Ia reply 10 Undergraduates
BY Mr.. Hiscock, be said It's conversation With
n liz MN I'm all
ton, al! then beog in the dark. He took with
him COPY Of the election laws Of louisiana. -
He reached new Orleans % the in OF No.
7ember, and on the nezt day met in colsu!s'
ton the other gentlemen appointed BY the
President. Secretary Sherman then snhstan.
italy stated from the printed report the propo-
sition made to them By the democratic visitors
with reference to the count, the response OF the
republicans being that they could not latertere
with the election officers, as they were there at
the request Of the President simply to witness
the couot, aud that their position was rather as
citiza to report actual facts trahsprlng IN
| their presence.
ATLANTIC CITY, \. j., July 2j.--General
Garfield arrived this morning to testify before
The Potter Committee. The orig other wit
nesses as vet here are Secretary Sherman, Judge
| Trumbul and Frank Mawry, Of louisiana
Senators kellogg and Patterson are in town.
ATLANTIC CITY, n. D., July 2j.-Secretary
Sherman resumed his testimony this morning
before the Potter Committee. There vas, as
on previous occasions. large Attendance Of
auditors. The Secretary was iotcrroea!ed b9
Representative Hiscoek, and said that Oh the
18th Of November the visiting republicans call
ed on the returning board to pay their respects,
having understood that the visiting democrats
had paid similar visit Of courtesy the day be.
FORE The republicans stated that they came
TO New Orleans at the request OF President
Grant and Of political organizations to witness
| Tho count. not to Interfere with tho official
duties of the board, and they expressed the
| hope that the proceedings would be conducted
openly. The board adopted resolution lovlt
| ing five ceatlemen on each side 10 be present
| as witnesses Ct the proceedings. The republl
| can visitors thought the democratic visitors
were more active than they were, mlnglng
with the board and examining papers. In ali
other respects the conduct Of both parties vas
the same.
Shortly after the board commenced their
business ou the 20:h of November, and teStl.
mony began to be taken under the rules 1t be-
came necessary to prepare interr2satorles aod
cross Undergraduates. The visiting republicans
eudeavorcd tc procure copies. As fast as they
could 90 the republican side as these ac'
cuuulated rapidly, the work Of ezamln'
log the bulldoz=d parishes was divided,
Cortlaudt Parker being assigned to East
FeIiciana, General Garfield to West Ieiclaua,
Mr. Hale to East Baton Rogue, Gen. White To
Ouachlts, aDd Judge Kelly to Moorehouse
parish. The republican, Visitor designated five
persons to attend the board 10 pursuance Of ln'
vratiop; the frs: day the witness attended.
@. Did you or any of your associates meet
privately With any member or members OF the
Board A, reply empbatcalIy no. | Was
never privately or alone With any mem Der OF the
BOARD | treated the members the same as |
would have treated any other court or tribunal
before which | appeared, either as witness
or an advocate, ate dinners With them and other
guests but never alone. never mentioned the
duties OF the returning board or alluded to the
Investigation or protests TO any member OF the
rc'uruiog board; while 10 New Orleans was 10
the Custom House several times, but De7cr
L..