Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-06-05
ALEXANDER STEVENS
Shows up the Reasonable
Designs Of the DemOc-
racy.
Alex Stevens W Potter,

= Alex Stevens W Potter.
nj WAsHINGToN, May 29.-Alex Z
Stevens has replied to an allusion {
o him contained in the letter of Clarb
= son N. Potter.
Q MT. Stephens says regard ing thes
i First.-If there was any gross mis-
: take in this matter it was by Mr., Poi
o ter and not by me. So far az thi
i statement is intended to convey tn
: idea or impression that had give
\ republicans list Of any names VIII
0 would follow in any motion to pre-
i vent investigation, it is entirely with
j. out foundation. As matter of trut]
1t has not shade of the shadow of
fact to rest on.
Q l had not conferred directly or in
Q directly with Mr.. Hale or any othel
4 Republican upon tho subject. haI
j. NOT spoken directly or indirectly will
r Mr. Hale within the last two week.
Q before upon any subject, nor had
Q any words with Mr.. Garfield upon thil
q matter, except what were made some
; weeks before when he objected TO tht
\ reception of the Maryland memorial
ct which time 1 urged him in the
House to withdraw his objection and
let this memorial of state 90 to tho
committee ON judiciary and be re-
4R2rted. upon with view of quietine
al questions attaching to the presi.
Dental title. My speech upon tina,
occasion and my appeal to him was
ou!y reported in the RecUrd. Nor
nad at any time any conference with
the President, as l have seen alleged
IN some papers upon this subject.
On the Monday that Potter's resolu-
tions were offered l had appeared in
the House solely with view of get
ting suspension of the rule for the
purpose of having passed the bill of
the committee on coinage providing
for the retirement of the three and
five cent silver pieces and having
them recoined in other denomina-
tions, as also for making the debased
or subsidiary coins legal tender
wnen they are presented in amounts
OF $D and upwards and have them
redeemed when presented to the
treasury in like amounts. This bill
upon being read was alm ost unani-
mously passed. / then got leave Of
absence for one week on account of
my health with q pair with Mr.. Har-
rls, OF Massachusetts,. 1 was told that
mad hardly gone out of the capital
when this cyclone burst upon the
House. | had no intimation of il be-
fore. On reaching my room was
confined to my bed and it was not un.
til next day that I knew of what had
occurred in the House after left.
Mr.. Potter himself was one of the
first whom l conferred with on the
subject.
On Wednesday the 18th, after the
House had come to q dead lock, from
sick room / addressed to Mr.. Potter
the following note, of which General
Knott furnished me copy to-day. 1t
is in these words:
NATIONAL HOTEL, Washington. d.
@, May Is, 7S.-The Hon. Glarkson
~. Potter. House Of Representatives
MY DEAR SIR Il am still confined
to my room in this city. Igreatly re-
gret that l cannot 60 to see you in
person. Let me then say to you in
this way that I think it will be q great
mistake if our friends in the House
shall pass your resolution under the
previous question, thus cutting off
Mr.. Hale's or other amendments,
looking to an enlarged investigation.
DO not insist on the previous uues-
ton. l could not vote for it if were |
present, and were I not paired as l |
am, nor could l vote for the resolu-
tion under the previous question |
without allowing amendments. It'll
would only divide the democrats and
unite the republicans. NV opinion il |
that mischief instead of good will
come OF the investigation by the pas
sage OF your resolution as 1t is, under
the previous question. Please excuse
faisy ynate. .-Lfeel itmY duty, feeble as |
ALEX. II. STEPHENS.
Mr.. Stephens wrote q similar note
to Milton A. Chandler and Mr.. Har-
ris. From these notes it will clearly |
appear with whom had conferred |
and the opinions entertained of the
effect of the proceedings then going
on in the House upon the Democratic |
party IS well as on the country. 1
looked upon them as nnwise and un- |
timely and fraught with mischief. 1t
clearly appears from these notes that
l was not in favor of the motion to |
defeat investigation of frauds of any
kind. was only against one-sided
investigation. also, as have been |
since the Presidential contest, was
constitutionally decided against any
investigation with a view to
impeach or assail the title of the
present incumbent of the executive
chair. The democracy of the school
in which was reared was planted
upon the principle of law and order,
upon abiding by the law as constitu-
tiOnally expounded. This was the
state of things when l made my ap-
pearance in the House on Thursday
the 10th inst. had not heard from
Mr.. Potter. L had not consulted di-
rectly or indirectly with any repub-
lican in the House or out Of House.
l made an appeal to Mr.. Potter to
withdraw his call for the previous
question and to allow me three min
utes only. My object was to get him
to withdraw the call for the previous
question, or if he would not, to ap-
peal to the House, to patriots on both
sides, to vote down the previous ques-
ton and allow Mr.. Hale or any re-
publican to offer just such amend
ments for the enlargement of the in
vestigation as they might see fit. 1t
wss then that Mr.. Potter declined to
withdraw the call or allow me the
three minutes. He said it was from
no disrespect to me but that he could
not do it, as he was acting under in
structiOn. Whether Potter had CON-
municated to others the purport of
my note, or because he determined
that should not be heard upon the
subject, ! do not know, but certain
ly had not suggested in that note that
the Democrats should do anything
else than receive all amendments or
additional propositions for investiga-
ton that might be offered from any
quarter.
Second-Mr. Potter seems to con-
found his dates. He speaks of what
occurred when he rose to make q
proposition to Mr.. Hale, as II done
upon the second day, upon which I
asked 10 address the House, In this
he is mistaken. His proposition to
Mr.. Hale was ON the next day, Fri
day, and had no connection whatever
with the proceedings in which I was
denied hearing.
TAird-Potters reasons for refus-
ing Hsle's amendment appear to me
singular and most untenable. He
says it was because 1t was not GER
maine. Why it was mot germaine
Ican't zee. All frauds, il would seem
to me, are Ofa kindred character
They are all Of the same class oi
crime, belong to the same family only
different in character and degree
If . fraudulent electoral count il
Florida was germaine to like fraud
ulent count in Louisiana why is not ,
like fraudulent count in Oregon o.
any other State equally germaine.
| Fourth-Potter justifies his cours
in refusing investigation because h
isaid 1--WE understood Hale's amend
ment contained recitals to which w,