The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-06-13
STANLEY mATTHEWs IN TROUBLE.

Senator Stanley Matthews has thrown
himself upon his dignity, and refases to
appear before the House Committee,
which is now investigating the frauds in
rela.ios 70 'he Presidential election, on
the ground that as he Is Senator his
| conduct should be investigated by COM
| nittee from the Senate. On question
OF privilege in the Senate. ne mads Is
personal explanation about the testimony
Of Anderson and tho correspondence,
which appears on another page, in whicl 4
he made general contradiction On his
honor as Serotor, which he proposed
to sHbstantiatt Under cath. He denies
that he wss party or privy to any
promise Of protection or any reward to
any one, In consideration Of the commits
sion Of any frauds, real or pretended, In
that election. He denies that he en-
deavored TO secure Office for Andenon or
any one, with the knowledge that he or
any one else had been guilty Of fraud In
that election, aud he did not know, and
in fact did not believe, that frauds had
been committed In that election.
Upon his request Senatorial Com
mittee of seven was appointed to investi-
gate the charges against him, and as the
majority of the Senate are Republicans,
and also the majority of the committee
to investigate him are Republicans, It is
easy TO foreseo that the fraudulent Presi-
dent's hrother-in-las, wil! BE completely
vindicated in his diplomatic transactions
connected with the counting of the elec.
toral vote of Louisiana. But this Radi-
cal coat of wh'tewash will hardly be suf.
ficient to remove the stains which tae in
vestigations of the Potter Committee
have already fixed upon Mr.. Matthews.
His denial is circuitous, and partakes
more of the nature Of an avoidance OF the
testimony Of Anderson and the docu-
ments presented by him than of con-
tsTadiction OF that testimony. The sim
pie question for him TO answer Is, did he
write those letters to Anderson? and did
he have in his possession the agreement
between Anderson and Nash. If he did
not, and can show these documents as
presented by Anderson to be forgery,
then the verdict of the country will be
not guilty 80 far % Mr.. Matthews is
charged in that portion of Andenon's
testimony; but If he did write those let
terS, oil the pleas Of ignorance and all
the protestetions of innocence which he
can make under oath or otherwise will
not avail him before the bar of on en-
lightened public sentiment. Those let
ters are not such letters as an innocent
man would have written. The Senator's
persistent endeavor to obtain oiice for
Anderson, affer he had shown his charac.
ter in the letters he wrote l.r. Matthews, Matthew
is not Euch course as On innocent man
would have pursued. And lest, but not
least, an innocent man would not avail
himself Of his position as Senator to
shield him from having the opportunity
Of vindicating himself before the Com
mittee where the original charge was
made. The course of Senator Matthews
is not such rs to inspire any confidence
in his innocence, and it may N4irly be
predicted that, whatever else the Potter
Committee may do, it has overwhelmed
Mr. Matthews by the crushing develop
ments it mas unearthed in regard to his
connection with the counting of the
Lopisiana vote.