Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-08-11
MANTON MARBLES
versy n Surprise in Many Quar-
ters in WashInztOn. and May
Lead to Angry Controversy.
some Further Facts as TO Mr.. Tilden's
Position During the Crisis-The
Fraud by which the Count was
Made and the Threatened
Civil War.

Made and the Threatened
Civil War.
Washington Special to the Balti-
more Sioi: The contribution of
AIR. Manton Marble to the secret his
tory of the Presidential count will excite sur
prise IN many quarters, and may possibly lead
TO angry controversy. IL Is well known that
Mr.. TIlden invited some of the leading Dem
ocrats to visit New York in November, 1876,
on the eve of the meeting of congress. They
went there expecting to find some plan of
action either matured or prepared for consid-
Grafton. 10 their astoulshment Mr.. Hidden
had no definite indefinite proposition to
offer, and no plan of any KIND appeared to be
formed in his mind. HE had vague hope
that Mr.. Conkling, General Butler, Mr..
Drexel, the banker, and others, who from
their position In the Republican partT. or
their personal relations with General Grant,
would be able to exert such an influence at
Washington as to prevent the contamination
OF the conspiracy In congress. AT that time
he certainly did not suggest any mode OF uni
flying Democratic action or of confronting the
Republican leaders with a settled and posi-
tive programme of policy which would draw
the line distinctly between the two parties,
and enable public sentiment to crystalline on
one or the other. Congress met on the fourth
OF December, 1876, and from that time for
ward, until the joint committee reported the
SicClOIdl Ill III Vi JdDudA1S
1t was found to I've wholly lmpractl-
cable to get any clear understanding OF Mr..
Tilden's views and Wishes. Members OF the
senate and of the house OF representatives
visited New York to con fer with him on this
subject, IN order to assure perfect co-opera-
uon between the party IN congress and the
Presldent-elect. Some of them went as IN
formal committees and remained days IN con-
ference without reaching any conclusion
whatever. They returned to w ashlngton no
wiser than they went away, uniformly report
ing that they found MIR. Iilden unsettled IN
Judgment as to any measure of his own, and
equally uncertain between various modes al
Tentatively suggested by his visitors. II,
therefore, as Mr.. Marble states, sit is no
secret now that upon this issue Ito resisG the
count or the electoral vote by the president
of the senate) Mr.. Tilden counseled many OF
his friends in the leadership of the house who
visited him In New York during the Christ
mas holidays not only to stand bat to force
the debate, first In the house, then n the SEN
ate, he concealed that counsel from several
leading members, who are still living and
can speak for themselves. There was no di-
vision of opinion among the Democrats In
regard to the prepoSterous pretension of the
president to count the votes. But if the
Issue had been made and fought to
the bitter end it would not have PROTECT
MIR. Tilden In the least, with a hostile
senate ready in the last resort to prolong dis
CUSSApn " Tic lOuEiH Vi DldECIlJ anu q QOSJllO
President willing to use and to abuse execu
tive power and put Mr.. Hayes In the White
House or president of the senate. While
this state of uncertainty existed troops were
gathered at the capital from the distant from
tiers and put on "a war footing. Other pre-
parations were made indicating a revolution
airy design to hold possession of the govern
meut by any means, fair or foul. The dam [
ger of a coup a etat was far more imminent
than the country believed at the time. Things
drifted along to a crisis, like a ship tossed by
the pillows without rudder or compass, and
no sun to take an observation, anu breakers
were seen ahead. There was no pilot or di- !
rectiBg mind to weather the storm. Mr..
Iiiden, the chosen leader OF the party, gave
no sign. Had he lifted a finger, or in any
way positively indicated purpose, he would
have been followed to any extremity. He
had his own chosen agents in Washington
speaking for him and acting a part that
seemed to shift with every changing scene. /
Colonel Pelton, his nephew, and a strange
following were established at the Arlington |
from the beginning of the session, and man. |
aged matters so as not to win any /
was the offspring, legitimate or other |
wise, of this hesitancy and doubt. The |
responsibility, for it ais easily fixed. Inc |
Democrats who consented to it knew, OF |
course, that they ran risks and had to take
chances in the integrity of the men who COM
believe that the merits of the disputed cleo
tions would be fairly considered, and were
not prepared for the opinion of judges of the |
supreme court that testimony exposing frauds
and forgeries in the certificates from Florida
and Louisiana would be excluded as aliuHde.
The true and full history of the electoral bill,
and the causes which led to its acceptance by
the Democrats, has yet to be written. No
men ever acted more periodically or dlsin-
terestedly than they did. They may be said
to have saved the country from civil war,
which would have plunged it into anarchy,
and have brought desolation to millions of
fresides-not war of sections, but of neigh
borhoods and families. The paper now put
forth by Mr.. Marble is interesting and well
written, and furnishes some details not here
tofore made public, but all the efforts of the
personal friends of Mr.. Iilden cannot weaken
the indisputable fact that to his own indecls-
ion was greatly due his loss of the Presiden-
cy. Only few days before the adjournment
of the last session of congress some CORE
spondent had private conversation on this
very subject with Senator Bayard. Senator
Bayard was member of the joint
committee which reported the bill
providing for the electoral commission,
and was also a member of the commission.
Mr.. Marble, by implication at least, if not d.
rectly, reflects on Mr.. Bayard and the other
Democratic senators who reported the electo-
raj bill, and seeks to convey the idea that
they surrendered an impregnable position.
This makes it entirely proper to give Mr..
Bayard's own version of the situation at the
time. 1t needs no Endorsement to convince
the people of this country that man cast In
the mold of MIR. Bayard is not one to surren-
der any cause which he knows to be rightEor
to make any statement which cannot be i'm
picitly relied upon. In the conversation al
ldded to. Mr.. Bayard sand that he had gone
to New York to see Mr.. Tilden for the pur-
pose of obtaining his views, as he believed
the Democrats in congress should be guided
by his wishes. Mr.. Tildep's talk was Gall
generalities-he had much to say of trusting
to public sentiment, but proposed no practical
plan. Failing to receive any suggestion from
Mr.. Tilden which could be acted upon, Sena-
tor Bayard returned to Washington, and
consented to a plan which they had every
reason in the world to believe would result in
giving Mr.. Tilden his rights. That they were
basely, treacherously deceived is no more
fault of theirs than of honorable men before
fla,,, yln bor foA Onlv 10 ba hafrauad | (