The New York herald., 1878-10-10
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than a hundred cipher dispatches. which.
as the STORY goes, passed between Tallahas-
see, the capital of Florida. and No. 10
Gramercy Park, the residence of Mr.. Tilden,
within the month which followed the pop
ular vote for Presidential electors in 1875
To the verbatim copy of each despatch the
Tribune subjoins translation into plain
words, founded on key or keys which it
processes to have discovered, describing the
process of discovering and explaining the
application of the key or set of keys. The
cryptographic system which 1t sets forth is
too intricate and complex to permit sus-
picion that it is an invention of the Tribune
as whole, even if some Of the alleged cipher
dispatches have been interpolated into the
great mass which bear on their face marks
of genuineness. We do not allege that
any Of the dispatches are surreptitious, the
probabilities being the other way on the
prima facie presentation made by the
Tribune. They seem to fit into each other
so perfectly, and they SO tally with the we'll
known events of the period, that there il no
reason to doubt the general authenticity OF
the dispatches.
The fact that they were in cipher affords
no reasonable presumption against the
honor and integrity Of either receivers or
senders. Politicians on both sides had an
interest in concealing their movements
from their adversaries. The resort to
cipher was no offence against political mo-
rality so long as the objects attempted to
be accomplished were legitimate. We
may also add that the dispatches inter-
changed between Tallahassee and Gramercy
Park, from the time of Mr.. Marbles arrival
up to the I'd Of December, 1876, contain
nothing which should be regarded as seri-
ously compromising to any of the parties
to the correspondence. To be sure, there
were dispatches relating to the payment of
money, bat the sums named were small,
and it was only fair that the democratic
visitors in Florida should have their ex-
penses reimbursed. They were send
ing out agents to all parts of the
State to collect information respect
ing the actual vote in tho polling
precincts-a kind of information to which
they were fairly entitled and which could
not be procured without some expense
The great mass of the published dispatches
might be acknowledged by the senders
without any discredit to their character
among people who are conversant with the
habitual methods and morals of American
politics. If this were all the general verdict
would be that the Tribune has discovered
political ''mare's nest"
But the dispatches alleged to have passed
between the 1st and 5th Of December, 1876,
are of different character. Unless it can
be proved that the alleged cipher kilograms
titious or have been incorrectly translated
their publication must ruin irretrievably
every person who had any hand in them.
The substance of these dispatches as in
terpreted by the keys applied to them is
that their recipients at Gramercy Park were
informed by Mr.. Marble and Mr.. Woolley that
an offer had been made to them to sell the
decision Of the Florida Returning Board for
the sum Of fifty thousand dollars, and ask
ing Instructions as to how the offer should
be treated. To these dispatches there was
Q reply which was SO obscure that Mr.. TIL
den's agents at Tallahassee could not un-
derstand it, and they returned an answer
that it was unintelligible. Thereupon an
other cipher despatch was sent to them from
New York authorizing them to accept the
proposition and pay the fifty thousand dol
lars for the profered vote of . member of
the Returning Board.
We will not attempt to characterize this
alleged reply to such an offer, because it
could not be done in that moderate lan-
guage which BELTS the present state of the
controversy, when there is still possibil-
ity of disputing the truth Of the alle-
CATION. We have heard the ACCUSE
tion, but have not yet heard the de-
fence. II it can be shown that these
particular cipher dispatches are not
genuine, or that, being genuine, they have
been translated by false key, or mistrans-
lated in some other way. the senders and
receivers will be exonerated and the accu-
sation will fall to the ground. But sup
posing Qf it be possible to suppose) that
the cipher dispatches conveying and nc
cepting that offer really passed between the
parties, and are correctly translated, there
is only one judgment which honest men
can form Of the transaction. The case
as presented seems SO plausible that it
will inevitably be accepted rs true
unless Mr.. Tilden and his Florida agents
shall put in denials supported by reasonable
proofs. That part of the public which has
not prejudged the case desires to hear from
them and will listen with candor TO any
valid defence. The friends Of the parties
accused by the Tribune are reduced to as
tonished silence until reasons are given for
disbelieving these damaging. these utterly
ruinous allegations. 1t is not a case that
admits Of much delay. Unless the incul-
pated parties assert that these dispatches
80 Gois4iex,a IA A. inoxifahla TINT fha raub.-