National Republican., 1878-07-29

cided, and manly testimony before the COM
mittee brushes them all away. lie passes
the ordeal without the smell of hre on his
garments or the slightest taint upon his
reputation rs q statesman and citizen In
connection with the election Of 1876 At
this his friends will be grotihcd, while he
no doubt has enemies who will suffer dis
comfture over the outcome Of the affair.
We became thoroughly satisfied months
ago, when brief interview with the secre-
tary appeared in THE NATIONAL REPuB-
LIcAN, wherein he asserted most positively
the rcctitude Of his motives and conduct In
visiting Louisiana during the electoral
count, that he was so strongly intrenched
In right that, though efforts might be made
to taint him, they would utterly fail. Our
anticipations in that regard have been real.
lied.
The cry Of conspiracy between the Re-
publican visiting statesmen at New Orleans
and the returning board has turned out to
be idle and fallacious, for 1t nowhere Is
made to appear by credible testimony thi
there were secret conferences with them, or
any influences exertcd toward them with o
view to biasing their decisions.
The .cock-and-bul story trumped mp by
turns out as we supposed 1t would-the
shcerest fabrication of ANDERsoN's fertile
imagination. Nothing was said about q
forged protest, nor was there any apparent
hesitation Oil the part of ANDERSON and
WEBER as TO their determination 10
stand by tho afiidavits they had pre-
viously made. Secretary SHERMAN's ties
timony is positive aud emphatic as to
the alleged JENKs letter; that he never re-
ceived any letters from ANDERSON and
WEBER, nor did he write any letter In re-
ply. One stalwart thing, however, Secre-
tary SHERMAN has done In his testimony
before the POTTER comnittee-he presented
the matter of Democratic intimidation and
bull.dozing in such living colors that IT
doubts existed in the Democratic mind b.
fore on that subject they must give way to
positive conviction, in view Of his absolute
and intelligent declarations on that point.
In this, however, he preserves consistent
line of conduct, for the statements made
now were substantially uttered in the
United States Senate soon after he returned
from the South.
The conduct Of the committee toward
Secretary SHERMAN, in holding him at bay
30 long under the insinuations which had
been cast upon him by Intermediates in and
out of the public press without an earlier
opportunity to put these ISLANDERS and in
situations to shame, Is scarcely defensible
upon any principle of fair dealing. But he
has been heard, and his vindication is com,
plete. If the committee have hoped to
smirch Secretary SHERMAN and Mr.. MOVES
then can do no less now than to fully ex-
onerate them before the country, and that
too without needless delay.
It looks TO us now us If the POTTER con.
spiracy investigation should close theil
investigation at once and retire from the
field of their operations. No conspiracy
nor even the shadow Of one, has been proven
nor can it be. Dirt enough has been dug
up and scattered around to distinguish the
committee unenviably. The character oI
the witnesses by which the attempt ha'
been made to establish conspiracy ia suili
GENTLY shabby to put even the committee
itself to the blush. The country has been
sufficiently disgraced and disgusted by thu
operations of this committee, and none,
enough has been expended to sustain III
operations without pushing the farce any
further. The case is so trivial and mnlevo
lent that 1t should be hooted out Of court
and tho committee should make haste t.
confess to the country the utter failure o
the enterprise.