The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-06-20
STANLEY MATTHEWS ONCE MORE.

| iEe AftSiuentS u DIOtnef.ln-lQW does not
like the Potter Investigating Committee,
but has no objection to telling the coun-
try bis side of the Presidential election
fraud, and In explanation Of the manner
In which he became the custodian of the
Anderson-Nash contract, that Anderson
was to have o government appointment,
II he would suppress evidence showing
that the Democrats carried Louisiana,
the Cincinnati Times says the following
is Senator Matthews version of the inter-
view with Anderson on the 23d of A pril,
1877:
AS he arose to go he said that there
were two documents connected with Lou
islana affairs which | ought to see. He
said he had one with him, and drew tom
his pocket the so.called Nash agreement,
which was the first | had ever heard Of
that. | was in a hurry and merely
glanced at it. Ny first impulse was to
return il, bit Anderson insisted on my
having 1t for safe keeping. Another
| glanc, at it convinced rc that it was
document which would be less IL .,chev-
GUS il safe than published Still did
not pace the importance in it l should
have lone. Right there / made mis-
take-committed an error which regret.
/ should have handed it back TO Ander-
BON and shown him out of the Office more
rapidly than he came in. But he was
| gone before l had time to fully consider
the matte put it away and made no
indorseD"nt on it at the time, but few
days after did make an Endorsement.
The n IRE Istudied the document the more
| regretted having had anything to 10
with its safe keeping. Still thought in
my possession it could 90 no harm, and
believed that the dishonOrable agreement
it rJcords had never been carried out and
so the harm was small.
If Mr.. Matthews said this he condemns
himself, for in the first place he met An
derson befo:e the 23d of April, as his let
ters of March Goth to Gen. Harlan, and
of Apni 18th to Anderson himself, show.
Then, as to his not understanding the
purport of this contract fer the poTPettTa-
tion of theft of the vote of Louisiana,
his letter TO Anderson, dated April 18th,
shows that he had an interview with the
Secretary of State before that date, in
order to obtain the position of Consul at
Callao for him, and in this letter he
says:
l have, however, the best reasons for
saying, sooner or later, and as soon as
, practicable, I shall be able to obtain for
you q satisfactory appointment. Keep
me posted from time TO time of ,ohat you
may have in respect to places you ar0uid lie
hare, and feel competent to fill, so that
can better represent your wishes.
3 There can be no reasonable doubt after
this that Mr. Matthews fully understood
t the purport of that contract, and if An
} derson had not felt that Matthews was in
Q sympathy with its contents, he would not
have insisted" on his having it "for safe
, keeping" Rascals of Anderson's type
t do not go to highly honorable men to
f have their evidences of fraud sately Kept,
and the country can we'll understand why
r Mr.. Matthews did not "show him out of
0 the office" It was simply because they
t fully understood each other.
But Mr. Matthews says after studying
0 this document he regretted keeping it,
!, though as the dishonorable agreement It
Q records was not carried out the harm was
= small. Well, Mr.. Matthews ia 8 very
: stupid man if he has to study contract
y to find out that an agreemer: to suppress
g evidence in consideration of a govern
Q ment appointment is dishnnorah!e. He
Q has, however, studied it out, and as a
3 mere matter of curiosity it may be anus
= ing to see how long it took him to learn
: this simple lesson, as we'll rs to ascertain
1 why the harm from the agreement was
! small, and what part he took to prevent
r the contract from being carried out.
t He obtained the contract on the 23rd
of April. On the 7th of May he wrote
Anderson recommendation for q posi-
D tion in the Custom House of New Or
8 leans. On the l4th of May he wrote
Q Secretary Evarts as follows:
=. The circumstances in which Mr.. An.
Y derson has been placed and in which he
he's been compelled to act q very difficult
part are such as to give him rery strong
! claims upon the administration in the
D public interests, and do most earnestly
3 urge that some satisfactory public en-
. ployment may be found for him at once
Ou XhAy Ictu ue HTOte 10 Anderson,
f saying:
t I received your telegram to-day, and
, very much regret you are not satisfied
with the appointment rendered you, and
which, By the papers this morning, I un-
) ;.orst9nd was the consulate at Funchal.
, am really at loss to know what further
to do. am quite willing to do anything
you may suggest that gives promise rea.
sonably of success.
Other letters followed in the same
strain until the 18th Of February, 1873,
when Matthews wrote to Anderson con-
fidential letter, in which he said:
i have never been subjected 20 80 much
Misrepresentation in regard to everything
have undertaken to dc, that I DC not
think it would be ,cise for me to GO to
Philadelphia or Baltimore for the nur
pose of meeting you. In case you should
find 1t convenient to be in Washington
shall be pleased to SEQ you.
! Now, it seems up to this time the Pres.
ident's brother-in-law had no. learned
that the contract was dishonorable one,
and that up to this time he would not
have shown Anderson "out of the door
ofthe Office more rapidly than he came
in" It also appears that Mr.. Matthews
was constantly trying to secure come