The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1878-04-25
SENATOR COMBINES MANIFESTO.
The New York Senator Unbosoms Himself
to q Friendly Newspaper Correspond
emit.

!
/ The New York Senator Unbosoms Himsel
| to r Friendly Newspaper Correspond
ent.
NEW YORK, April 16.-The World Of to
morrow VIII publish long and importan
| letter from a Utica correspondents, being tn
| sum OF a series of interviews with Senate
Conkling at his home in that city at interval
/ during the past few months. The relations
/ between the correspondents and Senator, tn
| World says, were such as made entire frank
ness necessary on the part of the latter, anC
i the World adds that the correspondents name
will be forthcoming II the slightest provoca
| ton for publication should arise. In the IN
| terviews the Senator spoke with the utmos
| freedom about the successive steps that lee
/ to the formation of the Electoral Commission
| the part had In ii by prominent Democratl'
and Republican members of Congress ana Dl
| President Hayes and his friends. In the
course of the interviewing Wortd correspond
| ent asked:
| "Well. Senator would like to know wheth
| er You think the true history of the Louisiana
| electoral business will ever be told in Con
( gress, and If so, how soon"
Senator COnkling: Yes; think 1t Will.
| do not see how il can be kept down. Thert
! are too many avenues of information opened
| to-day to make concealment OF 1t much long
! er. No reasonable man can doubt there was
| some kind of q bargain between the frlends
of Nichols and that man Hayes, and thai
| Stanley Matthews and sherman were prlVy &c
| it. A very great many people have become
exceedingly curious to know precisely wna'
Tied out, and Yankee ingenuity viii be sure
to find some means of getting at the informa-
ton. 1 can not say how soon the facts VII
come out for something may occur any day
to force them to the surface. 1t will probably
be best to let them come out naturally"
"What will be the result:"
q" The result will be that the whole country
will be appalled, by the dishonor of this Adj
ministration. tell you, sir, that never in the
history of this nation has there been in the
entire four years of an administration Sc
much corruption, bartering of offices, reward.
ing of political favorites, traffic with pontlcal
leaders, and barter and sale of the elective
franchise as during this past year. the peo-
pie will not believe it until proof Is shown
them, but the proof will be forthcoming. Peo-
pie say that Hayes is good man and means
well, but they do not know what they are
talking about. When the facts are known
about this Administration, no one will at
tempt to excuse the man on account OF his
supposed goodness, nor because ne means
well and is ignorant. Inc facts that nave us
graced this Administration have all been done
before the open eyes of the PRESIDENT.
Senator Conkling then goes on 10 review
at length, the history of the Electoral Com
mission. He SAYS: "The country was In ac-
tual danger. Yes, Imean the danger was real
and imminent The point of peril was not IN
the South but in the West. 1t was under
stood the Republican leaders had determined
to have Vice President Ferry count the votes
at all hazards and Hayes elected, ana the VEST
was determined on resistance. IL was GNU l ;
play. In that section General Steeum;n
had seventy thousand men enrolled and
assigned to regiments for the purpose OF
seating Tilden in office in case Nlce-fresl-
dent Ferry carried out his proposition. lou
NAV look astonished, but these Things are
true. President Grant was at his wits end,
and he confessed to me that he dld not know
what to do. He was gathering some troops
at or near Washington, but he ana n0t Know
sherman told him that in case OF trouble the
sympathies of large majority OF the olIleers
and soldiers of the regular army would pc
with Tiden, and that the army must not ne
taken into consideration as dependents IN
any such crisis. From these facts, ana from
what was threatened and prOphesled pubic
~ in those days, you can imagine now
gloomy the outlook was At the Republican
cOnncflS tue President asked my ADVICE, anu
| frankly told him did not believe that vice
President Ferry had any power 70 ueGlare
the vote, but could merely act in clerical ca
pacity to open the envelopes ana lay the
votes of the Electoral College before the CON
vention of the two houses for their declsloh
And, by the way, ] may as well state mere
that when certain senators came to me ana
said it was proposed to make me president OF
the Senate in Ferry's place, so that the tulhS
should not miss fire, ! frankly toia H., mem I'm
that could not accept the position; that by
my Interpretation of the Constitution shoulu
be compelled to rule exactly opposite 70 lhe
wishes of himself and friends. That VIII per
haps explain one story that Is told about me
and while we are on the subject let me say
that suggested subsequently that there was
no constitutional reason why Grant SnOulu
not be elected President of the Senate. They
wanted strong man there, though | saw nc
necessity for any such change. OF course !
knew there was no likelihood OF such cholce
and that Grant simply desired 10 see ms sue
cessor peacefully inaugurated, and enjoy a
long vacation afterward. COnkllng says tna
he then suggested to President Grant the ldea
of a commission, and that the latter embrac'
ed it heartily. lie gives an account OF the
iOtpPvipNVS with the President ana
General Sherman, the difficulties the advo
Gates of the plan met with, ana particular ue
tails why he was convincedthat hayes (thel
/ in Ohio was intriguing with Southern mem
bers of Congress.
Speaking of the final vote, he says: 81 am
frank to say thought then there was some
thing not exactly straight about that LOulSl
ana business but now believe that when the
whole truth is known it will sink the ADMIN
istration President and all, to the lowest
4 You think. tier, Senator, that the Presi
dent is wholly in the hands OF the Southern
Democrats -.
lam sure of it, said Senator Conkling
| Conkling said there had been no reform I'M
/ der Hayes, even in Civil Service, and said his
/ last appointments were the worst ever made
/ ''If Hayes should send in message on civil
! Service Reform a list of some OF these APP
| pointments will be published, and it vii
make such an astounding commentary upo1
/ the Presidents words as would dlSconcert
more philosophical Cabinet than that II
J
/ erS."
Further on in the interview the correspond
ent asks: "Do you see no hope OF bringing TN
/ President in accordance with the RepuDllcal
| leaders?'
senator Conkling replied: " must comics
| that have ceased to have any expectation
| OF it. No opportunity for harmonizlng mat
tiers is given by the President. In my opinion
/ il is not possible to speak in too extreme
manner of this Administration. LOOK at 1t
usurpations of power. In Ohio 1t openly dlc
tates the election of United States Senator
In order to do this it bargains with men t
| whom succession properly belongs 10 ste
| out of the way promising to use its influence
| the influence of an army OF office holders an
! their positions to make him Speaker OF tn
| House. People don't stop to think what TIN
act really is. A President who holds the vet
| power of legislation promises to interfere l
| legislation and control its course by dictat
ing who shall be Speaker OF the House c
Representatives. Fancy the sovereign G
England trying any such game with TN
| House of Commons. There would be sue
an uprising as there has not pee
since Charles the First lost his head. Yet tn
people are strangely quiet, and say tina
HAYES is good man, etc, and at every mo
mcnt he is attempting to place all the poWe
in the hands of personal friends. III Gran
had ever attempted any such usurpatlon {
authority the whole country would haV
rung with it and he might not nave escape
Impeachment"
In concluding the Senator said: "Republ
cans in and out of Congress have borne
great deal from Hayes because he is Repul
lican President but they are not quite pre-
| pared vet for Southern dictation. can 100
for no good from the President and his Cab
net: they have not got it in them When til
people know him as Republican senators d'
the party will be thoroughly united, leaVln
out the Administration"