The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-06-22

President has general and, to all intents, q
guilty knowledge Of the circumstances to
which be owes bis place. That accounts for
the refusal of Stanley Matthews to go before
the Potter committee.
'"The head and front of Matthew'S offending
was his effort to save his party friends from
scandal by the suppression OF knowledge
which had reached him No one Dretends
that he participated In the Louisiana frauds.
He was in New Orleans but few days, and
his subsequent operations against Packard
were open and above board.
II happen to know that his vote to seat
Kellogg In the Senate was given at the ur-
gent request Of the President himself and as
/ believe, against Matthews own better judg-
merlt as well as against his inclination. He
| thought that Anderson, In the first place, was
o poor devil, and he tried to help him. After
he had committed himself he discovered his
| mistake, and then tried to get him and the
| dangerous knowledge In his possession out OF
| the country Meanwhile Anderson was trading
on his information, and when he had exhaust
| ed the patience OF the administration, and
such patience as he was able to obtain by
double process Of Matchmaking, he dropped
on Matthews"
"YOu think that Matthews is innocent?'
| II am sure of it, With him all Is lost save
honor, and the only way to save that is to
keep his mouth shut, refusing all ke to perjure
| himself or To peach on his friends. His mis-
| take was to ask any committee at all In the
| Senate"
"Why did he do this?"
II suppose he was dismayed. 1t may have
| been that he did not realize the treaehery Of
the friends he Was trying to serve, O treach-
cry, by the way, which Is now generally be-
| lieved In by Intelligent and disinterested OBJ
servers at Washington. | regard the omis-
sion to invite Matthews and family to the
| Platt wedding as significant showing that
the President has abandoned him."
Regarding the possible revival OF Tiden's
candidacy he says that Tilden has been q
much abused, misrepresented man, with
whom he sympathizes and whom he desires
to see placed In o correct light before the
country. 1t Is too early 10 begin the work OF
making President. It will be found though
| that ltlden has been misled and misrepre.
scented, by the laundering Of that fussy man
! Hewitt.
Mr.. Watterson was asked, "But what about
the Wormley conference p
WattersOn laughed "Why, bless you" he
said, "the Democratic members of Congress
who were there were Ellis and Levy, of Lou
isiana, and myself. | had been asked 10 go
along with them as a sort Of witness and
referee, ard partly to learn for Gen. Butler,
OF South Carolina, whether the intentions OF
| Hayes people we're MS honorable towards his
State as towards Louisiana. The coming In
OF Hayes was already assured. / was as
thoroughly committed to 1t as Garfield, and
so was Hewitt, and so were all of US, who
acted together in executing the will of the
commission.
Naturally and properly, South Carolina
and Louisiana wished to save what they
could out of the wreck. They wanted the
troops removed. This was the burdeIf Of the
talk on their SIDE while the Republicans
present seemed to be aiming at impTessing lls
with the notion that they were not as big ras.
calls as we took them TO be- There was M
agreement whatever, verbal or in writing
There was not word said which might not
have appeared next day without embarrassing
anybody.
proctor Knott tells me circumstance haC
forgUtten-that supped with him that night
and gave him the particulars. They were
certainly known by everybody who cared Il
learn them, there being no effort or occasion
for concealment. was surprised and amused
several months afterwards to find an affair 81
insignificant elevated to the dignity of con
ference. 1t was nothing more than o. pow
WOW between persons who, having differed
on the main issue, were agreed upon the new
phase Of the situation, the fair execution o
the count and the just treatment of the PEG
pie of Louisiana and South Carolina, and whc
were not wholly lost to reason and goot
will"
"You think, then, that the execution of thu
count was indispensableP'
'TO be sure 1t was, and equally so, as mat
ter Of good faith and good policy. The sur
render was the electoral bill After that We
had nothing to do but stand by It. Otherwise
we should have drtfted into dissolution ant
chaos"
After brief reference to the general feel
ing Of the people In the South over the result
OF. the election Of Hayes, the interview ter
| minated.