The Portland daily press., 1878-10-18
FRIDAY MORNING, OCTOBER is.
Wash. Corr. Boston Advertiser. |
The Effect at the Capital.
What Will the Potter Committee Do
About lie

The Trbunes cipher kilograms relating to
the South Carolina case have caused more of
sensation here than those about Florida. The
dealings of Smith Weed were 80 undisguised
except by cipher, SO like a regular business of
purchasing under a formal contract, as to leave
no room for doubt as to what he was about
His direct communication with Tilden's neph-
ew and private secretary is admitted to bring
the matter home to Tilden, and his leaving
South Carolina for Baltimore under an agree
ment that the messengers should meet him at
Barnum's Hotel at that place, and his subse-
quent arrival and registering at that house,
make it morally certain that money was sent
down by nephew Pelton. Even Democrats
admit that Manton Marbles brief and evasive
denial, after 50 long silence, utterly fails to
meet the case aud that in fact it avoids any
mention of the most serious kilograms attrbu-
ted to him. There is general speculation as to
what the Potter committee will do when it re-
assemblies. There was project to have it
meet for the purpose Of taking which evidence
it was believed by them a short time since
would be of use as campaign material.
1t is believed that testimony has been prepared
for an attempt to show the alleged Sherman
letter genuine. But it is decided now that it
will not do to meet before November and ig-
more the exposure of Tilden's attempts at brib-
cry, as proved by the cipher kilograms. There
are number of Democrats here who are free
TO admit that it will be folly for the Potter
committee to meet again, unless 1t is willing to
make at least show OF a searching investiga-
tion into the Democratic corruption which the
kilograms OF these election manipulations show.
The Republicans, however, have decided upon
their course. They will demand at the OPEN
ing OF the session most searching investlga-
ton of the whole matter, aud to whatever com
mittee the case is sent its Republican members
will insist that all prominent parties to the
frauds now exposed in the kilograms be called
at once. There will be no farcical dealings
with such small operators as the Andersons,
Webbers and Jehkes, but such men as Pei
t Ssob.b Marble Mr. TSen n M00s S and ID
first examined. The. kilograms place
Senator Gordon in position where it is ex-
pected that he will early make personal ex-
PLANTATION and himself ask for a committee in
the Senate that can traverse the whole ground.
The movement in the House will be for the
purpose of forcing the Democrats themselves to
investigate their own frauds, bribery and cor
ruption. But the probabilities are that the Re-
publicans of the Senate will take hold of the
matter and give it the most searching investiga-
ton that can be made with the complete ma
chinery of the Senate, which is in the hands of
the Republicans. Meantime the Republicans
have been gathering evidence as to the methods
adopted to work up sufficient material to force
the movement for investigation upon the
House. The persons who figured in this and
the peculiar work they did are likely to come
out, to the confusion of all concerned There
are Democrats here who do not hesitate to ad.
vance the opinion that majority of the men,
bers on the Democratic side were completely
deceived as to the real character of the evidence
at hand, they being led to believe that il was
such as would. upon its mere production, carry
conviction OF frauds on the part of Republicans
TO the minds of the whole country.