The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1878-07-18

John Sherman has been making q
effort to change the issue be-
fore tho Potter Investigating Commit
tee from that of inquiring into the
part the. visiting statesmen-and es-
pecially himself-took in the Loaisi-
anna and Florida frauds to . rehesr-
ing Of the alleged acts Of intimidation
which haye already been iully inves-
tigated. But Mr.. Sherman has thus
far met with very poor success in d.
yerting attention from the part he
acted in the great crime, and judging
from the following letter he is not
likely to succeed any better in the
future:
"HoUsE OF Representatives, July
1O.-SIR: received this morning your
letter of the 9Th inst, and have laid it
before the Committee. General Gar
field aud other gentlemen who visited
Louisiana, named in the list sent me
by Mr.. Shellabarger, will be sommon-
ed at as early date as practicable. As
tOWeber's examination, ,neitherG
al Cox nor myself could remain over
the Sd, and as he desired.Weber to be
| in New Orleans for further examina.
ton by him on the 10th, 1t was arrang-
ed that Messrs. Hunton and Springer
should continue Weber's examination
so far as they desired to do SO that
day, and that Mr.. Shellabarger should
attend for General Cox.
The stenographer's minutes of the
session do not disclose any objection
by Mr.. Shellabarger which was not
assentcd to, nor any request of his re-
fused and / understand from those
gentlemen that they were not aware
that any difference between them and
Mr.. Shellabarger as to the conduct of
the examination existed whatever, NOR
that any thing occurred to which he
took exception.
AS to the publication by you Of your
letter to the Committee, do not find
that was under any misapprehensiOn.
Your letters of the 10th of May, 1st
and 10th of June, and Sth inst, were
published in full when sent. That to
which Mr.. Morrison proposed reply
was not, indeed, itself published, but
the substance of it was given to the
press at the time. AS to testimony OF
intimidation in the parishes of East
and West Feliciana proposed, in neith-
er of these parishes did the election Of
ficers make any protests with the re-
turns, and as receiyed by the Return
ing Board the returns of the election
of 1876 in those parishes stood abso-
lutely without objection. Aftcrward
Anderson, as Supervisor of East, aud
Weber az Supervisor of West Felicia
ma, undertook to furnish protests up.
on which the Returning Board might
reject the vote of those parishes. 1t
is claimed they did this without cause,
solely for political promises; and it ia
in evidence that they have themselves
confessed that. 1t is also claimed that
the fact that there was not q Republi-
can vote cast in certain sections which
had heretofore been largely Republi-
can, was conspiracy TO withdraw tho
Republican vote there in order to af-
ford a pretense for claiming that the
result was cccasioned by intimidation,
and thereby furnish grounds for re-
jecting these parishes.
The Committee have not considered
that the evidence you propose (and
which has been taken by former Com
mittees) of certain alleged murders,
whippings and raidings, not known to
Weber and Anderson, nor connected
with the alleged conspiracy, and upon
which neither they nor the parties en-
gagged In the conspiracy could have q
bearing upon these questions, nor up
on the action of the Returning Board
on their protests, and they therefore
decided not to take the same where in
the course of examination the wit
nesses, T. H. jerks, Pitkin and Web
er, have referred to intimidation in
those parishes, it has been incidental-
ly, as bearing upon the conspiracy.
Should it later appear that the spe.
cific acts to which you refer have any
bearing upon the conspiracy, or upon
the good faith Of Weber or Anderson,
or of the Returning Board, in respect
of their protests, the Committee will
then consider the practicability OF tn
ing testimony, and that In contradic.
tion of it, or of permitting you to use
instead the reports of such testimony
taken before former Committees.
Respectfully, your obedient servant,
CLAKsoN N. POTTER, Chairman.
To Hon. JOHN SHERMAN.