The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-06-13
AEH. POTTER,s COMlI1TTEE.


EAis Letter 70 o Northern Friend About the
Frauds Tnvestigasion-The Cry OF ..Jiovo-
luton" Only q Republican Pretense for
Partisan Purposes.
Hon. Clarkson n. Potter has been an.
peaiei TO so generally by letter and iby
representatives of the press to express
bis views as to the investigation into the
Presidential election frauds that he de.
cided to make public o private letter
which he wrote in reply to one from q
clergyman in New York, and which
covers very fully, the inquiries addressed
TO him, not only from that but other
quarters. MIR. Potter shows very conclu-
sively that the cry of "revolution" which
the. Republicans have Get up over this
Investigation is simply the cry of wolf
when there is no wolf, and 10 o repetition
of the bloody shirt business. The letter
is as follows a 0ae 80
ls4 WAsHINaToE, May 81, 1873.
Ny DEAR Sir: have your letter. of
the 25th. I agree with you in wishing
congress would adjourn. I am one Of
chose who think the world is governed
too much. should be glad TO see the
power Of Congress over matters Of private
and special legislation entirely cut OFF.
And since much of the public legislation
Pfopose1 disturbs business and unsettles
!ndustFy, have thought it might be we'll
81, Congress- unless convened by the
frcsident met but every other year. as
is the case with the Legislatures In some
or Che States. l accordingly proposed
an amendment to the ccnssitut!on pro.
viding for biennial sessions of Coprreas.
ens Z n: ans b5an received with any
favor: Other sections of the country do
not feel as we do about this, and want
currency or subsidy or other ieeislat;on.
You ask me why Mr.. Stephens was
''howled" down, The "howling" was by
the newspapers, To interrupt the pend
ing order of business by O motion or n
statement requires unanimous consent.
and every member hes The The shhzoi;;ts T;Yhs
70 object to the interruption. This Oh.
jection, 10 expressed, by the words. az
object or demand fer st'the regular
order" Sometimes one person wilt pre-.
vent the interruption, sometimes the de.
sire TO prevent 1t is general, and then the
cry of regular order7 will be from many
persons. 1t so happened that there was
Q very general unwillingness to hear Mr..
Stephens. He had suggested that We
skauld receive and adopt the Hale
amendment. It was repo.ted that he
i mas EISat sii5 Republicans sis. ..
twenty-five names who would follow him
in any motion OF his to prevent inveati-
CATION. About this 10 was1grossly r;is-
taken, and this made our side especially
nngilliRg to hear him. But you wifi
es:ser.e that sshen 2 rose &c make prop
osition to Mr. Hale, and the Republican
outcry prevented my being heard, IL was
announced by the press that "Mr. Pot
ter's II JURY was interrupted" )" ..sile Mr.,
Stephens was head-lihed as "the venera.
BILE statesman howled down by Potter's
mob" Yon eak me why we would not
let tne Hale amendment be attached to
our resolution. Because it was not GER
name. An inquiry into frauds accom-
plished, and which changed the electoral
vote, is proper, TO prevent their Hepeti-
ton, but an inquiry into mere attempts
as fraud which resulted in nothing is not.
Flrst, because we understood IL contained
recitais to which we could not assent,
anu 0hiou W0uid hav:5 Eorced us 20 vote
against our owl resolution; second. be.
cause we offered Mr.. Hale eyery oppor-
Itunity to have his amendment adoptad
as separate resolution. That IL WAS not
so offered ahows 1t was really not desired.
Third, because its incorporation iato the
resolution might have had the effect Of
preventing any report upon the resolu.
ton. AS it is, the committee will haya
| probably but one opportunity to report
In this Congress, and this amendment
could, If added to the resolution, be nnnde
to prevent the report at that time. and
thus 70 deprive us of an opportunity to
report at all. Just as ne got ready to
report, we should be liable to be stopped
to take further testimony in some OF the
added States brought forward for the
very purpose Of preventing report.
Hut you suggest that to raise q oues-
tion about the last Presidential election
will bring on disturbance or revolution.
Not at oil. About that possess yourself
in peace" There IL not the slightest
chance Of revolution or disturbance.
When the whole country was ut fever
heat on the subject of the election q vay
was found to establish tribunal to pass
upon the election, and every one submit.
ted to that determination. The Presi.
dents title rests upon that. IF now It
qhopld appear that there was fraud which
palpably affected. the electoral vote and
which the commission did not notice.
and it Illegal remedy exists for correct,
Ing. the error, you cannot believe that
such proceeding under. the law could
lead to disturbance, If the.e BE :.S s;;ch
.eesel remedy oz::sssi.3 oz::ssssi.3s, s;il Coi,ETsss.
| should hereafter, by the approval OF the
President, or by two-thifds Of both
Houses without that approval, provide
ene, why should the legal determination
| thereafter had any more produce distur-
bance than the decision OF tho electoral
commission did2 Is it exactly because
this Is not Mexico, and because the pe0.
pie prefer determining questions by LEGAL
methods, and If the legal methods have
| not been provided to invent legal meth!
ois OF determining them and ss.s..,.:Ais ss.., e
| the determination thus arrived ut. that
this country cannot be Mexfcanizedi
| About the enumeration OF electoral votes
there could be no question. Eighg and
eight conld only be counted 4aB sixteeu,
| Neither could there be auastion that tiie
conceded vote of overy State should be
counted. To refuse that would be revo4
lntionary. But when there werd two
bona tifc returns Gfona q StatO. each
claimed to.be its vote, 1t was q afnecessity
to decide between thtSe Teturna before
either return could bt counted. Thii
determination could only be made ~
the Vice Pfesia aens; Who opened The Tcs
tnrnes or hyithe Con grass Id whose pre-.
e1ce they Fare opened. ] thought Il
4 clear frcn the nature Of our government,
nom the pfecodeEts3 and from the opir.
Ions 80 tnany slateSsnen had expresaetl
that this grave power Upon which ths
i last election, did and upon which nnJ
4 election might depend, could only ~
\ ycated in CongressL If thia power res "a
IN sCotigfess alone, then the action &