The Portland daily press., 1878-06-15
THE INVESTIGATION.
Further Testimony Regarding the
Louisiana Returns.
The HarIan-McVeagh Commits,
sion Correspondence.

WASHINGTON. June 14.-The Potter investi.
eating committee met this morning at II
o'clock, but after short session with closed
doors took recess till o'clock this aftern CON
AZ that noor tnere were present the Chairman.
Messrs Cox, Blackburn, Butler, Reed. Hiscoch
Hunton and Mcmahon. ''0o'A'
Testimony of Orlando HI. Rrews,er
Orlando 81. Brewster, one of the msmhors IF
| the Electoral College in Louisiana. dnrio~ tho
election OF 1876. was examined BRIEFLY in
regard to his connection with the signing
certificates OF the election. He testified he
resided in Wachita parish, and held a nosition
| of surveyor general, to which office he was an.
pointed in 1874. He attended the meeting Of
the Electoral College in New Orleans.
December 9th: On the morning of the meet
ing ne remained in the office of the surveyor
general, and did not 60 to the College until
about or 3 in the afternoon when he was
chosen to supply vacancy arising from his
own nonattendapce in the morning.
Odd you proceed to vote for President
and Vice President that same afternoon?
Ayes sir.
Q.-And then the College adjourned?
Ayes sir.
Odd you then sign any certificate for
| the votes?
Al have no recollection of the time when
signed them, think either that afternoon or
the next morning. Two or three weeks after
wards heard defect existed in the certificate
for the State of Louisiana.
&-GLVui WhOul I'LL yUu uT5k learn CQ9C
fact?
A.-From HI. Conquest Clark, secretary of
Gov. kellogg. and acting as clerk OF the
Electoral College.
Odd he state what the defect was?
A.-As nearly as [ can remember he stated
| 1t was clerical defect Some of our friends
thought perhaps that it was of no Importance,
but to be sure Thought new sos shoala DO
Q-What next did he say?
Ave had but very little conversation on
the subject. My impression is that he said
that it should read lists Tin The
pluraI where it then said list. 1t is very indis-
tinct in my memory. Immediately after that
conversation he presented the papers and L
| signed them. don't remember who were
present but think there were men in the
office al the time. That is all the conyersa-
| ton had with him.
Q-Did you examine the certificates Won
| signed?
Al did not
Q-So you would not be aware of the defect
| between that second paper and the first one?
Q-would you recollect the certificate you
| first signed?
A-No sir.
Cat the time you signed the second paper
abouttwo or three weeks afterwards can you
| now say whether any persons had signed this
| before you?
Al cannot.
Q-Were any other of the electors present i?
Al think not.
Q-Was Gov. Kellogg there?
A-No sir, he had great deal to do and
| Clark seemed to attend to it.
Witness identified the returns which were
| shown him and his signature on them includ-
| ing his signature on the envelope. He testi-
tied he did not know how many times he signed
his name on the first occasion or the second
either. It seemed to him that it was more
than half dozen times. He had nothing to
do with drawing them up. He merely signed
as he was obliged to, supposing it was all cor
rect. He did not know whether anybody else
signed or not.
In answer to Butler he said he held the office
OF surveyor general up to the time of election
He sent in his resignation three or four days
after the election, but asked that it should be
held back to the 4th of November
Q-Why did you stay away in the morning
from the meeting of the college?
Al had my doubts about my being legal
Presidential elector, and wanted to remedy
that defect by staying away.
O. suppose your colleague knew what Won
renamed away for?
Ayes, sir.
By Mr.. Cox-Did you undertake to make
comparison yourself between the first and
second set of papers to SEE what the difference
was? .---s--..
A-No, sir.
Witness said the affair was conducted with
some privacy but he had no suspicious of any
wrong.
A good many questions were asked for the
purpose apparently of showing that witness
knew that some sort of job was being put up,
but nothing of consequence was elected. !
Letter From Secretary Evarts.
WASHINGTON Juue 12
10 the Hon. Clarkson N. Potter chairman of Inyes-
tigation, ETC., House of Representatives:
Sir,-I have had the honor to receive fiom the
clerk OF the committee of which you are chairman
the following resolution:
ResolUed That the Secretary of State be requested
to furnish this committee all original communities
tions, whether written, printed or Geographic now
in or which may have been in the Office of the Secre-
tary of State, and which may be under his CONTROL
received by him or other persons in the State De-
partment, purporting to from either or all the
members Of a commission of which Hon. Wayne
McVeagh and the Hon James A. Harlan were mem
bers which commission sent by the President to
New Orleans. La, in April 1877, and also certified
copies of all communications, whether written, print
ed or telegraphic delivered to sent to said com,
mission, or to all or either of the members of said
President which passed through said department.
Upon laying this request before the President I
am instructed by him to say that while he considers
it not at all incompatible with the public interests
that all the documents sought for by this resolution
should be made public, yet he is unable to perceive
that the subject embraced in said resolution is with
in the authority for the enquiry instructed to you by
the omission of the House of Representatives The
President has upon this view of the matter directed
me to communicate to the House of Representatives
the information sought in the resolution of your
committee for such disposition Dy that honorable
body as shall seem to it meet.
Your obedient servant,
VIM. NJ EvARTs.