New-York tribune., 1878-12-28

HE IS NOi Il ffhJ.
WHY did Smith Weed, in his dispatch OF
November 2l,'1s7G, call Perry II. Smith, Of
Chicago, "Perir' The "Pen" is defined
to be cone OF class of beings closely allied
4" to elves or fairies, supposed to he the de-
"scendants of the fallen angels, and to be eX-
"cIuded from Paradise until they have made
1atonement for their sins Need we say TO
any reader of the interview with Mr.. Perry
II. Smith, published in yesterdays Tribune
that Mr. Perry Smith is no such person lie
IS NOT he cannot be " Peli." No descendant
of the fallen angels could ever have expressed
such noble sentiments on the subject
of bribery, or manifested such freshness
on the use of money in the purchase
of Returning Boards. Mr.. Smith having just
returned from Madrid. where be "heard OF"
the cipher dispatches, though he was sorry to
say he had "never been able to read them as
"they appeared IN THE Tribune, was greatly
shocked to hear that the Republicans were
still agitating the subject. "Grucions"
said he. after stealing tie Presidency, have
mot the Republicans got through crying
"'Stop thief yetf' 1t was a remark that
showed very proper feeling on the pant 0i
Mr. Smith. No man who manlicsts such
genuine emotion as that can properly
be- called PERI" and it is not pos
sIbe that he is TO be excluded from
Paradise until he has made atOnement for his
slns, because it is simply incredible that such
man could ever have committed any SINS.
Moreover, Mr.. Smith says "he had been
"out of politics for u long time previous to
"the Tllden campaign. but having an inti-
innate acquaintance with that gentleman and a
full belief III the honesty OF his reform meas
ures,r he did all hc could to have him
elected; Gin fact spent two years with that
object in view" Now, why should snch Il
man be called "Perini Does Mr.. Smith Weed
think that o man il the descendant of the
fallen angels or a fallen angel himself, be-
cause after being a long time out Of politics
he returned to them TO promote the election
of Mr.. Tilden; or that for having spent two
wears with that object in view he is to be excluded
from Paradise until he has made atonement forItP
No. Mr.. Smith cannot be Peri" He was
chairman of tho Illinois Democratic State Com
mittee; he went to Louisiana during the count,
from there he went to Florida, and at Talla-
bassee fell in with Marble, Woolley and COylr,
IN the former of whom he had some conf
dcnce-in the two latter, az he says, none at
all He "never saw any draft or money of
| "any kind" but event at his own ex-
pcnse and spent his own money in watching
! the count He "saw that McLn, of the
| Canvassing Board, was a weak man who
| could be easily CONTROLLED but concluded
| that Bill rChandler would control him. "Mr.
COwgilr he said, "was the doubtful man."
But there was no effort TO buy him. :" was
| told" saws Mr.. Smith, "that he was
| " Southern man, descendant of John NJ.
| " CLAYTON, and that ii the right influence was
| " only brought to bear on him we could get
" him to do his duty" (observe that" gel
&" him to do his datg"), and secure for him
return to that social position which he had
lost by acting with the extremists in the
State. This was no bribery-at least no
coarse and vulgar bribery that leaves
a stain upon the hands--it was simply Offering
the nducemcnt Of social recognition TO
"a man to do his duty And that
is very common all through the South !;
no electiOneering method is in more
common use. IL man "dOcs his duty
as for instance the South Carolina Democrats
did in stuGng the ballot-boNes at the late
election, it secures for him social position.
If he does not do his duty" that is, if lac
votes the Republican ticket, he is oStracIzcd
and loses his social position. If this is not
legitimate, then they have no legitimate
method of conducting a political canyass III
the South And this, 40 far as we can learn
from his own account is all that Mr.. Smith
did. He didn't see any money. And yet
Smith Weed calls him peri" We repeat,
he cannot be a Peri
Witness, too, the innocence-we might al
most call it verdancy--of Mr.. Smith on the
subject of purchasing the Presidency. When
asked if he heard any talk about buying the
Canvassng Board, he said: " such plOposi-
" tions were talked of at our (Nlarbles) head
"quarters. That is, It was said it could be
bought but | would never listen to such
"tak, and it wOud have been useless, consid-
ering that the Republicans had all the adj
vantage" Observe, he would never listen to
such talk and to call such man a 81 Peri "!
For shame, Smith Weed! lie probably left the
room when "such talkn was in progress.
But how fresh and innocent Mr. Smith