The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-08-01
RnltttcaI,
TIE POTTER COMMITTEE,
VISITING STATESMEN DEFILING
ACROSS THE WITNESS STAND.
William Pit Kellogg Arriving an Hour too Late
Rx.COugressmau SyphOr Swearing that d. A.
Weber Showed Him the Sherman Letter
Few Hours After II Was Written

finding that witnesses summoned at New
Orleans 20 back on the affidavits to which
their names were appended in 1876, they
decline the offer of the Democrats to al
low all these witnesses to be summoned,
and in lieu of original testimony they are
going to put in evidence here the opin'
ions of certain visiting statesmen, inter-
ested in propping up their own charsc'
ters. These opinions are based largely
on ex-parte afidavits and some private
examination of colored witnesses and
carpet baggers. Of course such testimo-
ny is regarded by Democratic members
as worthless, but they are willing to let
Mr.. Sherman go ahead.
Two telling facts were ELECTED to-day
by Republican testimony ; that the Re-
turning Board undertook to read and di'
gest over twelve hundred pages OF writ
ten testimony in two days before making
q decision, and that the best answer the
visiting statesmen can make to charge
of using private and corrupt means tom
fluence the Returning Board is to parade
the fact that they refused to unite with
the Democrats in a public and honorable
endeavor to secure fair count.
1t is believed here that the Republican
managers have arranged common story
for the visiting statesmen. All the tales
told to-day bore marks of previous con.
sultation and agreement, Mr., Sherman
is to be on the stand tomorrow, and APP
pearances indicate that he will make an
elaborate statement. Mr.. Kellogg's un-
expected arrival also means business He
is here as a general adviser, and it is re-
ported that he had hope of preventing
Gen. Sypher from telling his damaging
story this afternoon about Weber show.
ing him the original Sherman letter.
Kellogg came an hour too late for that
purpose.
PROCEEDINGS IN DETAIL.
The first witness called this morning
was Congressman William D. Kelley. He
was examined by Mr.. Hiscock. He tes-
tilted that he visited New Orleans in No
vember, 1875, at the request of President
Grant. On the 10th of November Grant
sent for him. This was in Philadelphia,
He found Grant surrounded by distin'
guished gentlemen-among them Gen,
Robert Patterson Grant suggested that
he should visit New Orleans to witness
the action of the Returning Board At
first he declined. He left Philadelphia
on the 10th of November. He started
entirely alone, but on the way found him.
self in company with John Sherman. On
arriving in New Orleans he found there
number of visiting gentlemen of both par
ties. The Democrats addressed COM
munication to the Republicans proposing
that the two bodies of visitors should Or
ganize for the purpose of participating in
the business of the Returning Board, but
the Republican Committee replied that
they were there merely as private citi-
zens. Senator Sherman ConCurred very
decidedly in the views expressed by the
Republican Committee. Witness saw him
every day at the hotel, and whenever he
visited the State House. The visitors of
opposite sides mingled freely at times
The Republican Committee did nothing
to aid the business of the Returning
Board. They did, however, receive from
the Returning Board copies of affidavits
for the purpose Of having them embod-
led in their report.
In answer to a question whether the
Republican Committee discussed any
question involving an interference with
the official duties of the Returning Board
the witness said he never heard any such
conversation in private or at their meet
ings; if any one of the delegation had at
tempted such thing it would have been
treacherous to his associates as we'll as a
violation of duty. He had no recollec.
ton, nor did he hear, that any subordi-
nate officer or Supervisor of Elections was
interfered with. If there was such inter
ference, he was a stranger to it. He had
not two minutes conversation with any
member of the Returning Board. He had
no doubt fraud was praCtised on both
sides, Just returns would give the eleCtor.
al vote to HAYES. The statement of E.
L. Weber that the visiting statesmen ad-
Vised the Returning Board to stretch
their arbitrary powers, and to reopen and
change the count so as to count in the
two Hayes electors not counted in at first
was false in whole and in part. There
was no basis for such an assertion. Wit
ness had never heard of any converse.
ton on that subject. Witness met James
E. Anderson for the first time at hotel
in Washington, where they both board
ed. Never heard that Anderson was un-
willing to stand by his protest, or that the
returns of any of the parishes were to be
manipulated for any purpose, or that af-
fidavits were signed with fictitious names
Witness had no recollection of having
seen Weber while the visiting delegation
occupied public parlor at the hotel.
Anderson and Weber might have come
into it. Sherman spent very little time
there. He was either in his own room
or in Mr.. Stoughton's room, attending to
his private business. Senator Sherman
never went to the Custom House. Wit
ness believed Eliza Pinkston's statement
at the time it was made, and believed it
still. MOorehouse parish was 80 lawless
that the planters themselves organized to
guard their colored laborers from the at
tacks of the regulators.
Cross-examined by Chairman Potter,
the witness said that some of the affida-
Wits we're redrafted he thought General
Harry White redrafted one or two. He
had not read any other evidence concern.
ing Moorehouse parish, other than that
furnished by the Republican counsel
Hadn't time to read the evidence taken
by the Democratic counsel Didn't know
that 2ll witnesses swore that the election
in Moorehouse parish was perfectly fair
and peaeeable. Had he read the evidence
and believed it his conclusion would have
fallen to the ground.
Courtland Parker was next examined
by Mr., Hiseock. He testified that he
went TO New Orleans at the request Of