The daily gazette., 1878-06-29
SECOND EDITION
Mr.. HewItt's Reioinder.
Mr.. TlLDEN AND THE ELECTORAL BILL
MR.. HEWITT DENIES THAT He
hNhW MIR. TILDEN DISAP-
DDnyrpr, rr-,,

kNRw MIR. TILDEN DIsAP-
PROVED THE MEA-
| SURE, ETC.
Hon. A. S. Hewitt published in the
New York Sun OF yesterday two
column reply 10 the Hon. Henry Wat
tersons last communications. Mr..
WattersoD, he says, appears to be mis-
led, partly by blind passion, partly by
ignorance of the facts, and partly by a
wild imagination. which seems to para)-
ize his judgment if not his conscience.
lie denies that Mr.. Tilden disappi owed
OF the electoral bill or spoke to him Mr..
Hewitt) on the subject prior to March 4,
1877, either in approval or disapproval.
The bill, says MIR. Hewitt, was framed
by the Senate committee iu secret, and
came to us in finished state, as was
stated, with the unanimous approval of
all the members Of the Senate Commit
tee, democrats as well as republicans.
Says Mr.. Hewitt
81 went at once to New York, and
passed the greater part of January IA
with Governor Tilden. He complained
that IL was a surprise to him, and of the
attitude Of the democratic Senators in
having committed themselves to the
measure without consultation with him.
| lie objected TO some of the details of
the bill. especially the provision for lot,
and said that he would never consent TO
subject the presidency to a game OF
chance. He asked for delay, which |
told him was impossible, because the
Senate committee had notified us that
they felt constrained to make an I'M
mediate report to the Senate because of
the brief interval left for making the
| electoral count. tried hard to get him
either to approve or disapprove the mea-
sure, but he neither approved nor did
he take the responsibility of advising bis
| friends, under the circumstances, to
oppose and defeat the bill, when he was
powerless to control the subsequent
| legislation. | left him without having
secured either his express approval or
disappToyal OF the measure, but with the
| conviction resting on my mind that he
| did not wish his friends to be RESPONSE
BILE for the defeat of the measure. But
he was very urgent for more time. l
have since been told that he was at that
time engaged in celebrating plain of
procedure upon which he would be
prepared to stand but he did not then
tell me this, and had no knowledge OF
the fact until long afterwards"
In reply to another charge by Mr.. Wat
terson, Mr.. Hewitt says that he did not
suppress single fact that was within
his knowledge or keeping as to Mr.. Til
den's views. This knowledge was limit
| ed to his objections to the choice of
judges by lot, which provision had al
ready been stricken from the bill, and to
his desire for delay, which everybody,
without dissent, regarded as out of the
question. He then proceeds to traverse
MIR. Watterson's statements categorically
declaring as to the Grant interview that
before going to the interview, which waS
held in accordance with the advice of
leading democrats, he invited few gen.
tlemen to meet at his house in order to
consult as to tie steps to b. taken af er
getting the views of the President. The
communication was necessarily. in
confidence, under circumstances of pecu-
liar gravity. An imperfect account did
appear in the papers ofthe next day, and
it was a matter of some discussion as to
who broke faith and divulged what pass
ed. Mr.. Hewitt hadhis.suspicions at the
time, but from Mr.. Watterson's admis-
sion that.h cannot keep secret, it is
only fair conclusion, he says, that he
was the man. 1t was this belief which
led Mr.. Hewitt to object to his presence
vt the recent democratic congressional
caucus. His further statement, that
General Grant denied the truth, of Mr..
Hewitt's report, is declared to be equally
unfounded. Mr.. Hewitt's card concludes:
"Mr. Watterson's letter close with an
assertion that he has 'cast dishonor' on
me. He does not seem to be aware that
false accusations cast dishonor only upon
their author. tHe first proposed to fight.
He now proposes to arbitrate question
of veracity. Neither of these propositions
is admissible in this latitude, however
suitable they may be in the climate where
he resides. The public, to whom he has
appealed, must decide between us. He
began this controversy. 1t was not of
my seeking. Let the public decide, after
reading this reply, whether Mr.. Waiter
son is a man after the Psalmist's heart:
"fWho never did a slander forge
His neighbor's fame to wound,
Nor hearken to false report
IL;