The Portland daily press., 1878-10-18
If the Union was worth fighting for it is
worth pay ing for.
Those Cipher Dispatches.

The latest batch of Democratic kilograms
deciphered by abe Tribune relates to South
Carolina and reveals Democratic intrigue in
that State as shameful as the one carried on
in Florida. 1t seems that an attempt was
made to buy the South Carolina returning
board for $4,000, but that sum proving in
sufficient, $4,000 was offered, and, as was
supposed by Tilden's agents, accepted. But
the bargain, for some reason not now clear,
fell through. One may be pardoned for doubt
ing if the virtue Of the South Carolina poll
ticians was the obstacle, and it certainly was
not any scruple entertained by the men who
were in constant correspondence with Gram
ercy Park, or by the Presidential claimant
who had his home there. On the failure of
the first plan an attempt was made by Mr..
Tilden's nephew to buy up some of the Re-
publican members of the South Carolina
Senate. That too, ,miscarred land the electoral
vote of the State was cast for Hayes to whom
it honestly belonged. Then the attempts at
bribery in Florida and South Carolina having
failed, and the Oregon intrigue falling too,
Mr.. Tilden declared himself the victim of
fraud and has tried to look like martyr
ever since.
No one who has carefully studied the
process by which the Tribune has translated
the cipher dispatches can for a moment
doubt the correctness of the translation. By
the keys given any reader who is willing to
take little trouble can interpret the tele-
grams himself, and the Interpretation will of
necessity agree with that furnished by the
Tribune, for the correctness ofthe translation
is as clearly demonstrated as any mathmati-
cal solution. The men whom Tides sent to
Florida and Louisiana entered almost imme-
diately upon their arrival, on the work of
bribery. At first they attempted to buy up
the returning boards, and, that plan mis-
carrying, they then tried to bribe the Legisla-
ture of South Carolina. In that too, they
failed. But there is reason to believe that
the money appropriated for the purposes
mentioned above was afterwards used for the
purpose of procuring peljured testimony in
regard to the elections. Happily nothing
was effected. The electoral votes of these
states were cast in accordance with the
will of a majority of the voters, and the plot
to buy the Presidency was defeated.
Thus far, though the Tribune translation
of the cipher dispatches has been before the
country for many days, no proof has been
offered of its incorrectness. No one has ven-
tured to deny that the dispatches passed
between Gramercy Park, the residence of
Tilden, and the disputed States. No one
questions the Interpretation given. And no
man of those implicated, from Tilden down,
except Mr.. Marble, has had word to say in
defense. Even Mr.. Marble is forced to con-
tent himself with denying the genuineness
of his signature to one of the most unim-
portant dispatches, and carefully avoids say
ing anything about those which prove the
criminality of the parties implicated. If
this is bis only defense, it would be wiser for
him to follow the example Of his chief and
remain SILENT
The record made for themselves by the
Democratic leaders is so shameful that words
of condemnation are superfuous. No words,
however severe, can add to its force.