The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-06-20
STANLEY MATTHEWS ONCE MORE.

like the Potter Investigating Committee,
but has no objection to telling the coun-
try his side of the Presidential election
fraud, and in explanation of the manner
in which he became the custodian of the
Anderson-Nash contract, that Anderson
was to have a government appointment,
if he would suppress evidence showing
that the Democrats Carried Louisiana,
the Cincinnati Times says the following
is Senator Matthews version of the inter-
view with Anderson on the 23d of April,
1877:
AS he arose to 90 he said that there
were two documents connected with Lou
isiana affairs which I ought to see. He
said he had one with him, and drew from
his pocket the so-called Nash agreement,
which was the first / had ever heard of
that. I was in a hurry and merely
glanced at it. My first impulse was to
return it, but Anderson insisted on my
having it for safe keeping. Another
glance at it convinced me that it was
document which would be less mischiev-
GUS in safe than published. Still 1 did
not place the Importance in it I should
have done. Right there I made mis-
take-committed an error which regret.
I should have handed it back to Ander-
son and shown him out of the Office more
rapidly than he came in. But he was
gone before I had time to fully consider
the matter. / put it away and made no
| Endorsement on it at the time, but few
days after did make an Endorsement.
The more I studied the document the more
I regretted having had anything to do
with its safe keeping. Still thought in
my possession it could do no harm, and l
believed that the dishonorable agreement
it records had never been carried out, and
80 the harm was small.
IfMr. Matthews said this he condemns
himself, for in the first place he met An
derson before the 23d of April, as his let
tiers of March 29th to Gen. Harlan, and
of April 18th to Anderson himself show.
Then, as to his not understanding the
purport of this contract for the perpetra-
ton of theft of the vote of Louisiana,
his letter to Anderson, dated April 18th,
shows that he had an interview with the
Secretary of State before that date, in
order to obtain the position of Consul at
Callao for him, and in this letter he
says:
I have, however, the best reasons for
saying, sooner or later, and as soon as
practicable, I shall be able to obtain for
you satisfactory appointment. Keep
me posted from time to time Of achat you
may haze in respect to places you acould like
haze, and feel competent to fill, so that 1
can better represent your wishes.
There can be no reasonable doubt after
this that Mr.. Matthews fully understood
the purport of that contract, and if An
derson had not felt that Matthews was in
sympathy with its contents, he would not
have "insisted" on his having it "for safe
keeping" Rascals of Anderson's type
do not go to highly honorable men to
have their evidences of fraud safely kept,
and the country can we'll understand why
Mr.. Matthews did not "show him out of
the Office" 1t was simply because they
fully understood each other.
But Mr.. Matthews says after studying
this document he regretted keeping it,
though as the dishonorable agreement it
records was not carried out the harm was
small. Well, Mr.. Matthews is very
stupid man if he has to study contract
to find out that an agreement to suppress
evidence in consideration OF govern
ment appointment is dishonorable. He
has, however, studied it out, and as a
mere matter of curiosity it may be anus
ing to see how long it took him to learn
this simple lesson, as well as to ascertain
why the harm from the agreement ives
small, and what part he took to prevent
the contract from being carried out.
He obtained the contract on the 23rd
of April. On the 7th of May be wrote
Anderson recommendation for posi-
ton in the Custom House of New Or
leans. On the 14th of May he wrote
Secretary Evarts as follows:
! The circumstances in which Mr.. An
derson has been placed and in which he
has been compelled to act very difficult
part are such as to give him Gerry strong
claims upon the administration in the
public interests, and do most earnestly
urge that some satisfactory public en-
ployment may be found for him at once.
On May 25th he wrote to Anderson,
saying:
received your telegram to-day, and
very much regret you are not satisfied
with the appointment rendered you, and
which, by the papers this morning, I un-
derstand was the consulate at Funchal
I am really at a loss to know what further
to do. am quite willing to do anything
you may suggest that gives promise rea-
sonably of success.
Other letters followed in the same
strain until the 18th of February, 1878,
when Matthews wrote to Anderson con-
fidential letter, in which he said:
I have never been subjected to so much
Misrepresentation in regard to everything
1 have undertaken to do. that 1 do not
think it would be acise for me to 60 to
Philadelphia or Baltimore for the pur-
pose of meeting you. In case you should
find it convenient to be in Washington
Ishan be pleased to see you.
| Now, it seems up to this time the Pres
ident's brother-in-law had not learned
that the contract was dishonorable one,
and that up to this time he would not
have shown Anderson "out of the door
of the office more rapidly than he came
in" 1t also appears that Mr.. Matthews
was constantly trying to secure some