The Portland daily press., 1878-05-28
THE CONSPIRACY.
Potter Attempts a Defence of His
Resolution.
THE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. IN
TERvREW.

Florida and Louisiana elections. and the oh.
jects to be accomplished by the Investigation.
AS to the latter, he says:
'You suggest that to raise question about
the last Presidential election will BRING IN a
disturbance or revolution; not at all. About
that possess yourself in peace. There ia not
the slightest chance OF a revolution or distnrb.
ance. When the whole country was at fever
neat on the supJect OF ne election, way was
found to establish a tribunal to pass unon the
election and every one submitted to that de-
termination. The Presidents title rests nnon
that If, now, it should appear that there was
fraud which palpably effected the electoral
vote and which the commission did not notice,
and if legal remedy exists for Correcting the
error, you cannot believe such proceeding
under the law could lead to distur bance. If
there be no such legal remedy existing and
Congress should hereafter by the approval of
the President or by two-thirds of both houses
without that approval provide one, why should
the legal determination thereafter had produce
any more disturbance than the decision of the
electoral commission did? 1t is exactly be-
cause this is not Mexico and because the geo
pie prefer determining questions by legal
methods, and if the legal methods have not
been provided 10 invent legal methods of de-
termining then, and to submit to the determin.
alton thus arrived at, that this country cannot
be Mexicanized.
But you will ask whether if thers be no
danger to public order from legal proceedings,
there may not be from the action of Congress.
No: no more than from the action of the
courts. Congress represents the people of the
country, but does not march before them. 1t
expresses, but does not anticipate their will.
Should the fraud connected with the electoral
count appear so gross and palpable that you
and all honorable men should unite in de-
nouncing it, Congress might then take action,
but if so, what Congress might do, being the
result of the action of men of all parties-of
the great BODY of the people net of one party
-WOQld effected certainly
without violence or disturbance.
In saying this do not mean that l expect
investigation to be followed By legal or con-
gressional action. What if anything should be
done because of the inquiry must depend
upon the results of the inquiry. But 1 do
mean that whatever action, if any, should
follow the investigation such action can neither
disturb the order nor the prosperity of the
country.
What then you ask, is the purpose of the
inves igation?
1 answer-To ascertain the facts go that If
frauds be established repetition of such
frauds may be prevented, and il not, to clear
up the general belief throughout the country
that there were such frauds. 1t is true that
not every allegation of wrong is to be inquired
into by Congress, but when a large portion if
not large majority of the people believe that
the last Presidential election was secured by
organized fraud, surely an inquiry to ascertain
the facts ought to be had. The feeling amongst
many of the Republicans was that while we
had bulldozed the negroes as badly so that the
counts of wrong were about equal. This be-
lief in the bulldozing of the negro was based
mainly on the fact that in several districts in
the South which usually are Republican
maJoritleS there was not returned thas year a
single Republican vote, Now the people of the
North have never understood that this condi-
ton of things was fraudulently prepared by
the Republicans. The ought to understand
that and beyond that they ought to understand
fhoff horA n ivarvc
free government as returning board with
discretionary power to revise the votes cast, be-
come TINS the body that elect. So long as they
exercise their functions under the protection Of
the state alone the Influence and indignation
of the people will prevent them from any
fragrant and enormous outrage.
The public pressure will necessitate some ex.
cuse for avertlng the choice of the people,
But separate them from the choice Of the PEG.
pie by gordon of federal troops under the pre-
tense OF preserving order, summoned them
with federal bayonets and they cease to be re-
sponsible to any one but the national admins.
tration which protects them There need then
be no limit to. as there is no longer any check
upon, their abuses. 10 throw out the votes of
one side and keep in the votes of the other
without cause, to invent pretext for such
wrong, to accept after a contrived protest and
manufactured objection as color for their
action, to permit figures to be altered, returns
to be forged, frauds to be perfected aud gener.
people may be frustrated and the popular voice
stjfed, then becomes possible and there may be
thus condition OF things absolutely desIruc-
tive of free government.
We believe it was by such proceedings we
were cheated out of the election. Unless the
proceedings be exposed the outrage will be re-
peated. Ii an administration can defraud its
opponents out of the result of an election at
which they had II electoral and 300 900 popu-
lar majority and no effort is made to enquire
into r. fhArn 10 @l,o
to prevent the same administration cheating
their opponents even though the latter have
40 electoral votes and a million popular major
ity, and this will go on time after time till the
outrage becomes intolerable. Let US rather, as
Mr. Jefferson said, have Jealous care of the
election by the people and seek safe and mild
corrective for the abuses which, If no peaceabe
remedy is provided will be Tapped off by the
sword of revolution.
1t has been said that there was nothing mora
cowardly than $1.000,000 except $1,000 O00
This is natural, but it is the mistake of capital
to magnify the dangers on the surface and
overlook those that lie below. just now your
capitalists are troubling themselves about the
commune and oppose the reduction of the
army viii ID they would have kept up as a ma.
t1onal police, and yet 10 no great country of the
world is there so little danger of communism
as In this. for no where is property SO generally
distributed. But the capital stood by suplnely
when the army was used to protect the return
ing boards in sitting the votes of states and
frustrating the will Of the people and under
the pretence of maintaing order to subvert the
very principles of free government Believe
me 10 this there was real danger.
Whatever may result from the proposed in
vestgatlon you may be sure nothing can result
that will disturb either your hoclls or your bal
ances. The trouble to capital, property and
freedom will come not perhaps in your time or
in mine, but come at last from refusing to in
quire into frauds. To confront the evil if you
may not right is, is to prevent its repetition. To
shut your eyes to it supinely is to jeopardize
and not to preserve the future peace, safety
and prosperity of the country.
Attempt TO Trap Secretary sherman-Mis
Interview With Anderson.
WASHINGTON, May 27-An account of an
interview with James E. Anderson of Louis
lana is printed, and reports him as saying that
Secretary Sherman wrote to him and Dan Web
Der, stating that they should be properly cared
for ii they stood firm for the Republicans. An
derson says he was invited Saturday into the
office of the Secretary of the Treasury where
he was received by Sherman, Shellabarger and
Mr.. Morris. Anderson says he replied ciyilly
to certain questions, until he observed a steno-
grspher taking down the conversation. He
suddenly fired up and said he did not come IN
to be spied upon, and remarking that he was
SICK OF the whole administration, departed and
refused to return.
Secretary Sherman tells a very different
story. He says Anderson called at the Treas
ury at his own instance, and without any invi-
tatlon. What conversation ensued was taken
down by stenographer, and if what Anderson
said is OF the slightest Importance to the inves-
tlgating committee they are welcome to a uran-
script of the stenographer's notes.
Mr.. Shellabarger gives the following version
of the interview
Anderson called at the treasury in company
with ex-Judge Marks of New Orleans and sent
in his card to Secretary Sherman. The latter
declined at first to see him, and sent for Shell
labarger, who advised him to receive him. The
interview took place accordingly and proceed
ed quietly until Anderson, seeing stenograph-
er writing, fancied he was committing himself
In some way. whereon he took his hat and
abruptly left.
Sherman says any letter pretending to come
from him to Anderson or Weber, or both, is
simply forgery and fraud, because he wrote
no letter to either of them or to any officer con-
nected with the Louisiana election.
ii. q. Pyles, clerk of the Louisiana return
ing board was, until recently, employed ia the
pension office. He applied to be reinstated,
threatening damaging disclosures The COM
missioner OF pensions asked him, "Do under
stand you to say that you were party to acts
or transactions which throw discredit upon the
action of the returning board?"
Pyles answered in the affirmative.
''Then," replied the commissioner, "you can
never be an employe of this bureau with my
consent
Meeting of fs,a posfer Cn,,,r,;s,eo