New-York tribune., 1878-10-16

BALTIMORE, Nov. 2.
General J. B. GORDON, Columbia;
Have Bath hfld on to Cuba until YORK OF Aprn
May be little delay. W.
By a comparison of the seven instances in which
the word "Bath" occurs, and careful
| consideration of the events of the days
to which these dispatches belong. we have
satisfied ourselves that "Bath" is the
South Carolina Supreme Court; "Cuba" seems
to be the canvass of the electoral votes. " YORK"
is found only twice. and in both instances 1t reads
l az if 1t might mean "fxed": "April" occurs but
twice and is perhaps equivalent to failure" These
renderngs of course are merely conjectural:
Have the conrt hold on to the electoral votes,
| ill fixed OF failure. May be little delay
Having dispatched this, Mr.. Weed. instead OF re-
turning to Columbia, went to New-YOrk by the
night train to consult with headquarters The books
of Barnums Hotel show that he left there after sup
per- The TRIBCNE of the 22d announced among the
prominent Arrivals" during the preceding day
"At the Fifth Avenue Hotel, Smith NJ. Weed, OF
! Plattsburg"
| To understand the sudden change Of plans we
| must see what was doing at Columbia. As we have
already remarked, there was not the most perfect
| accord betwhen the Tildon party and the Hampton
| marty. and the proceedings in the Supreme Court
dd not always suit the plans of Gramercy PARK
On the Goth, the power Of the Board of Canvassero
to 90 behind the returns was argued IN the court,
the Democratic counsel who had now changed
! 'front.' completely. according to Smith NeeGS pro-
| posal asking for an order to compel the canvas
| sers TO revise and correct their figures. but to
certain extent only. The result Of tabulat'ng the
returns for Presidential electors was publicly knoWh
but it had not yet been reported to the Court, IN
compliance with the order OF the lfth; tno
Court instructed the Board to report on
/ uDgpttlel
1t perhaps seemed to SIR Tilden that $4,000 was
large sum to pay for votes which might never be
cast aud il IL not at all unlikely that he was tor
tured by doubts at the last moment whether tbe
three purchased members of the Board were acting
IN good faith" with HIM, so he proposed that the
Court which had already usurped the authority OF
q sort of revisory Canvassing Board, should hoiu
on TO the electoral votes" till the thing ws fixed
OF till it failed.
THE SOUTH CAROLINA COURT.
What hidden springs of action moved that august
tribunal over which Chief-Justice Moses presided
II would hardly be worth while TO inquire. On the
morning Of the 21st the Canyaising Board submit
ted the returns to the Court They showed on their
face the election of the Hayes electors and Repubi
can State officers with three Republican Congress-
men out Of five, and u Legislature Republican
in the Senate by three majority, and Democratic IN
the House by four majority. The Legislature had
TO canvass the returns for Governor and as the
Democrats by this showing had majority of one
ON ioInt ballot the result would be the counting III
If Hampton In presenting the returns, however
the Board reported that the votes OF EdgCheld and
Laurcns ought 90 be thrown ont on account of out
rageous frauds and violence, and that various palpa-
ble irregularities. ETC., ought to be corrected. The
consequence Of doing as they recommended would be
lbe choice Of the Republican electors and LegiSa
II T.. b.t Ir,y ba vtrpp prI mar
behavior Of the Court in this juncture matter Of
history II commanded the Board to ccrIfy the
election Of all members OF the Legislature who ap-
pcared 10 have the greatest number OF votes on the
face Of the returns but ia relation 10 the electoral
ticket IL took the opposite ground and commanded
the Board TO rcyise and correct the hgur's accord
ing To the precinct returns. And IT was thus that
"Bath" held on TO CUBA"
This order was issued on the 92d But on the 22d
at noon the power. Of the Canvassing Board expired
by Limitation. Pcrceivlng that the purpose Of the
Court was TO prevent any canvass OF the electoral
vote (which would have been equivalent To giving
the Presidency to Tildonl, tho Board met
ON the morning Of the 22d, and before the
orders could be served it had coppl"tcd
,ts work, issued certificates to the Hayes
Electors and a Republican Legislature five
Detnocratic Assemblymen from Edgeheld and three
from Laurens bong excluded, and then adjourned
sine die so that when the precepts of the Court
were ISSUED there was no longer CanvasSing
Board i'm existence to receive them. With this sud
den movement brought on by tho lawyers OF his
own party Mr.. TIldcn's chance OF buying the Board
forever disappeared, and all the negotiations Of
Smith Weed were brought 20 nOuCht. The result
might have been very different If Iilden's secret
agents and the local leaders OF the South Carolina
Democracy had not been often at cross purposes.
Weed no sooner reached New-lork than he placed
himself at the end Of the telegraph wire in the Ey
erett House headquarters and began TO send and re-
ceiye cipher dispatches The messages Of "Spain"
and Pope" AT this timo seem to refer 10 small
Sums of money which may have been only for legal
expcnses although some Of thsm have a suspicious
look. In printing our conicctural transac-
tions, wo again wish it TO be understood
that while the reading OF the transpositOn and die
tionary cIphers s matter of positive demonstra-
tion these rest only on guess-work, OF which our
readers must form their own opinion. "E June"
is the only cryptOgram in the whole collection to
which an initial letter has been affixed. Ii is very
common device to represent numbers by the first
letters Of the alphabet; and If we assume az" in
this case TO Do ,, June" is probably " thousand
The Dispatch it will be observed was written while
the Democrats were eIertlng themselves to obtain
from the action Of the Court a Democratic Lcgsla-
ture which would count in Hampton:
l30
COLUMBIA, Nov. 90.
SMITH WEED care Of Hing, EreTeh House y; Y:
Send June immediately TO Spain. February
expect TO get Naples House and - May but T. |
June can make Naples January. This will make
both Bath all right Cuba postponed. VIII remain |
i'm Bath and make Cuba January. Pope.
Translation.
Send 5000 Immediately 10 Haskell. February |
ri expect 10 get majority House aud - Senate /; |
bit 5000 can make majority Democratic. This |
IT 1 make Court all right Electoral canvass post
noned; will remain IN court and make electoral |
vote Democratic.