Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-06-29

meet the fate that is in store for me. Some
| of my friends have united in recommending
| me to the President for appointment to the
| office of United States district judge for this
| State, and the executive committee, members
| of the old cabinet and other friends have
| Joined IN the request. | would be pleased to
have you say good word to the President in
my behalf: However, pray you do not think
| that prefer any claim on account OF the re-
| cent canvass, only performed my duty con-
| sclentiously, and If it proves unavailing,
will never cease to regret it as long as | live.
My reasons for seeking the appointment are
urgent. My contest for livell-
hood with the proscrptive Democracy will
be very unequal one, and my health will not
/ permit me to live In a colder climate, you
can thoroughly appreciate my situation and
| the magnitude of my triumph should L be
honWed with the appointment. The office
| will probably be filed at an eariy date, and l
am nece ssitatedtto apply at once. If fail in
! this there is nothing left. A kind word spo-
| ken by you to the President Will be of good
| service. Hoping that CLEAN of light may
break through the thick fog of surrounding
darkness, and that Governor Hayes may be
inaugurated In accordance with the will of
the people, remain yours, very tr u y Kerr
| will state how 1 came to go to Florida:
! There was meeting of prominent Republic
| cans at the office of Mr.. Bateman, United
| States attorney for the southern district of
| Ohio, and at that meeting Richard Smith. of
| the Cincinnati Gazette, was present, and told
| US that he had received kilograms that the
| Democratic politicians from the north were
assembled at New Orleans, and he, with
| other Republicans present, thought 1t was for
| the purpose of taking from Hayes a State
which they firmly believed belonged to him,
| and it was right that some Republicans from
| the north of prominence should go there to
| lonly oft fho NO. Unr0
| suggested (my own among them, and finally
John Z. Stevenson, former member of con-
| gress from that State, said he would go if |
| would go, and that very night without any
| communication with Governor Hayes or any
one else, Mr.. Stevenson and myself started
! for New Orleans. | do not remember whether
| Senator Mathews went with US or met us
| there, but he was there at the same time.
| We remained there two or three days, during
which time nothing was done, except to ar
range preliminaries with the Democratic
| visitors. There were various Republicans
down there, who had come from the north.
| Finding my presence not necessary, pre-
pared to go back to Cincinnati, but about
| that time Eugene Hale received a dispatch
| from the National committee stating there
| was great danger that Florida would be
| stolen away from us, and saying that a strong
| committee should be sent to Tallahassee.
| For some time nobody would consent to go,
but at last Mr.. Kasson and General Wallace
said they would go if | would, whereupon,
! without having been specially designated by
anybody | started with those two gentlemen
| for Tallahassee. That is the whole story of
my going there.
In speaking of the Archer precinct witness
| said: 81 desired, In preparing the case, TO
| know from the electors themselves how many
| of them had actually voted the Republican
| ticket. We went down there to get evidence,
| and my remembrance is that out OF 399 Re-
| publican votes counted and returned we
| proved about $40 Or $50, and | was told they
| could not get the rest because the parties had
| scattered in various directions, but we came
| so near it as to make the Democratic theory
| impossible that PIG votes had been added.
| That satisfied me, and seemed to satisfy the
| canvassing board. | wish to say that no
mortal man ever told me- or intimated to me,
| while was in Florida, that there was any
| thing fraudulent about that return except
| what was sworn to before the canvassing
| board and was made public. | mean that
| had no private information, derived from any
| source whatever. | honestly and conscienti-
| ously believe that the return made and argued
| for by me was right, and | can say that we
| made case which would satisfy any unpre-
| Indeed court In chrlstendom. | wanted Dem
| MS to be witness, as he has sworn, because
| from the beginning he had insisted ON the
! truthfulness OF that return, and had undertaken
| to prove land had proven 1t to my satisfaction,
| ACQUAINTED
| with the county and knew the people who
| lived there, and could testify as to persons
| whose names appeared on the list. ] desired
| for that reason that he should appear as
witness. Perhaps l asked him several times
| to be witness. He says he never made any
reply to it but once, and then by some form
of words which he does not undertake to give,
he tried to give me the impression that if |
| put him ON the stand he would injure my
| case | do not doubt his word when he says
he meant to convey that impression, but
| soIemnly swear that he did not convey that
impression 20 me. What he said was in the
presence of General Wallace, who is now In
the room, and he will testify on that point.
had already learned that Dennis's life had
been threatened, and that he considered him
self in very great danger. He had related to
| me ON one occasion that when his life was
threatened, he had called together in a church
somewhere all the colered people in the vi
cinity, and he had made them kneel down
and swear that if he was killed they would
lay waste and revenge his death. Remem-
berinG what he had said, | received the i'm
preston on this occasion that the reason that
| he did not want to testify was that he did not
want to bring himself into conflict with those
people any more, especially as he was himself
a candidate for the senate, and his own cleo
ton was at stake. That is the only impress
sion | got from him. said to Cow
gill and NJ Lin that all l
wanted of them was to do their
duty honestly and fairly; l said to them that
| if the State had honestly cast its vote for Til
den it was their duty to declare SO; but If it
| had gone for Hayes we wanted 1T, but we
expected nothing of them except what hon
est men could do; l never made one of them
a promise, nor intimated promise, nor held
| out any inducements to have them declare
that the State had gone for Governor Hayes,
rather than for Governor Iilden. Before the
1 LII l1@. al 4
the vote of Florida had been cast, M Lin
came to me, greatly depressed, and said he
| did not know what would become of him;
that he had so excited the hostility of the
| Democrats that he could not any longer live
| in Florida In peace; that he was poor and
sick, and almost IN despair. L said to him:
'Mr. M Lin, you have done your duty hon
esty and fairly, as l think, and l shall take
| good pleasure in saying so to Governor Hayes
| If he should be declared President of the
United States, and | will take pleasure also
in recommending you for some position where
you can take care of yourself and family"
| About the time was going away L also SAID
to Cowgirl, the other member of the returning
board, that | had been greatly impressed
| with his honesty OF purpose and manly bear
ing during the canvass, and if | could ever
be of any use to him he could command me
freely. L will add that | dld more than some
politicians do, l kept my word, and | did
recommend both the gentlemen to the Presi-
dent, and am sorry they were not appointed
to good places; if l had influence enough
with the administration they certainly would
have been appointed; | never saw NJ Lin one
minute alone to talk with him on any subject
until the final vote of Florida had been cast;
l never represented myself to either of these
gentlemen as the special friend of President
Hayes, nor sought to convey the impression
that they would be taken care of in case
Hayes was elected, previous to the canvass
being announced and finished; this applies to
anything | said after | returned to Florida;
if he says 1t applies to anything before the
count he is mistaken; l am positive l never
spoke to him prior to the count except on
this occasion that have spoken Of; want to
state that in no sense of the word did con-
ceive myself authorized to speak for Hayes
or make any promises for him.
Witness here read another letter from
Lin,
TALLAHASSEE March 2, 1877.
To Hon. E. F. Moves. Washington, D. c.: