The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1878-05-10
THE FLORIDA CONFESSIONS.
Al Explanation Of Their True Inward
ness By the Man who Tnearthsd
Them.


ness by the Man who Tnearthsd
Them.
Henry w. Grady, in the Atlanta Constitu
! ton.
Having dissected the causes thai
! brought the confessions into existence,
l wish to say something about the con.
fessions themselves.
| L. As to their genuiness. Despite
| the particularly with which all my
statements have been made, and the
promptness with which my kilograms
| have been confirmed from all parts OF
! the country, there are many even now
| who doubt the genuinenesS of the con-
| fessions. There need be 10 doubt on
this subject. Before telegraphing a
word had with my own eyes seen Il
| dozen of the at1idaVits properly attest
| ed; in fact all of the important ones,
except that of Dennis. BY this time
the affidavits are in New York and
have been seen by dozens of persons.
a copy of most of them were there
before the matter was opened i'll Flor
ida at all. Indeed, have little doubt
that by this time all or the most of
them have been published in their Off
is true that many of the Florida Re
pubIicans have denied and still deny
that such confessions have been made.
This is probably because they were
not consulted about them and proba-
bly, did not believe i'll their existence.
Those who did know it were bound by
the most solemn pledges and by their
own interests to suppress their knOwl-
edge and keep the matter under. IN
conversation with Dennis he at first
bitterly denied having given state
ment, and only acknowledged it when
he was convinced that the thing had
really leaked out.
The gepuineneSs ofthese confessions
being established, the extent to which
they go is the next question. To this
there is but one answer. They are ab-
sOlutely full and complete. There was
not a fraud committed that was not
thoroughly exposed. All the rascals
have confessed McIin has told about
the general canvass; Dennis, Vance
and Black, about the Alachua fraud;
Allen, Green and Martin, about the
Baker fraud; Hardin, about the Co
Iumbia county fraud; Edwards and
Bowers, about the Leon county fraud;
Hurlburt, about the Leon fraud, and
so to the end of the list. Every Sc
cret has been yielded up. Nothing is
now hidden. The confessions are
backed by the production of original,
altered or mutilated papers, and by
such circunlstantial proof as cannot be
doubted, much less diSproVed. The
Florida fraud-the most outrageous,
villainOus and Sinking that ever dis
graced the ballot system-stands hid
eous in the light of day, confessed, eX-
posed, proven.
The stories show that the Republi-
cans We're determined to carry Flori-
da for Hayes at any price and i'll any
event. 1t is certain beyond question
that the Northern Republicans knew
the infamous frauds that the local Re
publicans We're committing day after
day and night after night. Dennis
says that Moves, who was Hayes con-
feSsed representative III Florida, knew
of these events as they transpired.
When he was pressing Dennis TO
swear in the Alachua case, Dennis
said; "if you put me under oath you
will lose your case, for | will not
swear lie. III fool along all | can
till get on the stand, and then it IL
business. | won't swear falsely" At
this Noyes told him he needn't to
swear; and after this admission on the
part OF Dennis depended the Alachua
count as correct. The whole crowd
caucussed together, and the repentants
say all things We're discussed openly
in the caucus. 1t was simply imDos.
sible that the thing should not have
been known by both sections of the
party. 1t is unfortunate that there is
little room to doubt that Mr.. Hayes
himself knew of the frauds by which
he was put in Office. Dennis told me
that he had the most positive proof
that Hayes knew Of every movement
that was made in Florida, and that he
would prove it at the proper time by
the most undoubted authority. 1t is
to be hoped for the honor af American
institutions that this is not true
The Florida Republicans are all bit
ter against Hayes. He is literally
without friends in the State. The on
ly protest that Is made against the
present exposures is because of some
party affection that is felt for Bisbee,
the Republican member of Congress,
whose seat is In contest and is leopard
lied by those exposures. They de-
nounce Hayes in the Toundest terms,
Dennis remarkirg IN 1hoiye Nernacu-
lar that he'is the damnedest traitor
that ever lived since Judas went out
and hung himself
The confessions will show Il new
phase OF American politics. 1t reveals
a more desperate state of things than
was ever suspected. One witness
swears that the Republicans attempt
ed to hire him to assassinate DR.. Bah
cock, Q Democrat. eiiDot AZ lalllson-
vile; that lie refused to do this, and
was given ten dollars to beat him on
the public streets, which, having got
the money, he faithfully tried to do.
1t is sworn, also, thata movement to
burn dom the State House was pro-
posed, and that it was rsiertgd after
Stttsr.,a aad AeN Wallace and Dennis
had consulted over 1t, simply because
it was believed that the Democrats
had copies of the returns enclosed
therein,