Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-06-06
From the New York Tribune.
The ROgues' Gallery at Washing
ton.

4 Inc lfOS ueS SaileTN at w dsnlnS
ton.
! Investigating committees must deal
with all sorts OF people, and committee
which digs under the surface OF Louisiana
politics expects in the natural course OF
events to uncover a great many crawling
things which do not show well IN the light
OF day. Yet it does seem as if Mr.. Pot
ter and his friends might have done W. II
to make their disclosures with a prudent
regard to he put lie nerves. 1t they had
begun with one or two mild and common
place rascals. and SO led up gradually to
the big ones, the community might even
have borne Anderson without wincing.
and list med to his confessions if not with
composure at least with no such violent
aversion and disgust as that enterprising
journalist and politician now APP 'ars II
inspire. Anderson all at once aud unprc-
pared for. is quite too much. We are
of registration to one of his psi, during
the ca ilicai DAYS when he was negotiating
with Major Burke to s, the election to
the democrats for the sum OF $1,000 in
hand and ! 800 a ar for four Years !;
1--WE are but boys vet; should we 90 with
1.-The RICH. it viii give Us II reputation aud
Standing that would otherwise require
years To acquire" Because he was
young, he said, he had bali ii mind to do
out. But there was much to be thought
of. 1t might be possible to sell out to
both sides. As a matter OF precaution,
Messrs. Anderson and Webber according
ly prepared and signed an affidavit in
which thu v declared that at the request of
Messrs. Packard, Kellogg. Pitkin and
Nash they had just Subscribed to a pr
jured protest against the election in East
and West Felicana Parishes, making oath
that the voting in those parishes was not
tree and fair. although they knew at the
time that their oath was wholly false.
With this precious document, duly at
tested--probably the only paper ever
known in which "a man deliberately and
freely attested his own p.rjury in order
to make money by proving himstll a
scoundrel-tle two ex-sup .rvisors pro-
ceeded to business.
The career OF Mr.. Webber being cut
short by a democratic bullet, Mr.. Ander-
son was left to carry on the speculat on
alone. The day after signing the aft
it in which he swore that he had protested
against the East FeIlciana returns at the
request of Kellogg X Co , we fluid him
writing t. z. c. Butler that he had not
protested, and urging that person to join
him in selling out to Major Burke. The
second day we fluid him doubtful how tar
be could depend upon Burke, and evil
IDENTIFY thinking about dealing with the
other side. On the fifth day he is dissat-
isiied with everybody, and indisposed to
Ego step further" without "a written
"guarantee On the 6tI day he made.
as he tells the committee, written agree
ment with c. f. Nash, Member of Con-
gress, to suppress evidence showing that
"the parish OF East Felicana was fairly
"carried by the democratic party" on
condition that Nash would secure for him
the position OF Naval Officer ut New Or
leans-a place which is not commonly sup
posed to be in the gilt OF representatives
from the Felciana region. All these
transactions represent Anderson in most
extraordinary character. but we cannot
realize the full measure OF his baseness
and his complete in,ensibility to shame
unless we remember that he drags them
to light himself.
He seems to have >p mt the past year
and halt in an act We career OF lying and
blackmail. Having made up his mind
that it was best to suppress the aft lavt of
perjury which may be called the tounda-
ton of the present proceedings, and to
trust to the chance OF extorting an office
from the fears o! Mr.. Hayes or the weak
ness of Mr.. Stanley Matthew, he went be-
fore the Howe Committee at New Orleans
and swore plumply that his protest against
the Felicana retirns was true and regu-
lar. and then he began to clamor for Jay.
He begged and he threatened He up
pealed to the compassion of the republic
can leaders, and he menaced them with
unexplained "exp0sures." The fepubl:-
can party would not give him what he
demanded "If | do not hear from YOU
before Friday" be telegraphed in a rage
to Stanley Matthew's, 81 promise you shall
hear from me "beiore the Ohio election"
No doubt he wished by this time that he
had "done what was right" and made "a
reputation and standing" for himself by
selling his own soul betimes to Major
Burke. He did what he could to repair
the mistake. He went over to Mr.. Potter,
and with all his budget OF he,t ,ring tee-
grams, rascally letters and shameful afii-
davits. threw himself into that gentle
mans arms and begged the favor of being
la h.,tt al. I