The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-19
JOHN SHERMAN AND HIS FRIENDS.

Jaw
Potter investigation Is the character Of the
witnesses upon whose testimony Tilden's
priBtG facie right to the electoral vote Of this
State, based on majority Of over 8000 was
set aside and the ''Fnoral right" Of Hayes to
the same established. The angels had never
cause to weep over the eapers OF more dis
reputable and debased set of seoundrels than
this crew Of periurers, upon whose testimony
the rightful title TO the Presidency was set
aside In showing up the true character of
these people the investigation will have done
all that is required Of 1t. 1t matters not
whether they stick to their original affidavits
or go back on them, SO long as it can be made
manifest that they are capable of perjury or
any other crime that 1t may be to their inter-
est to commit.
Gov. Cox and his friends chuckled imm ense-
ly over the sharp trick the nigger Dula played
the Democrats on Wednesday, as they chose
to regard his conduct In refusing to contradict
his original affidavit after having proffered
to do SO on his own motion and, as he shame
lessly avows for no other purpose than to get
paid for it. What difference does it make
what such a character as Dula has proved
himself to be- on his own confessions, may
swear to? He has shown himself an utterly
depraved wretch, who holds himself as q
public prostitute whose services are up at
auction to whomsoever will pay the price In
this instance he acknowledges that he made
false representations for no other pur-
pose than to get money, and that on these
representations he did get money 1t matters
very little whether Weber loaned him
S45, as he says, or whether he bribed him with
S45 cash and o promise Of $3.50 more as Dula
states. The vilainy of Dula is too black to
be affected by the lights and shadows of any
such delicate distinctions as this. We see
nothing In the outcome Of Dulas duplicity
that the Democrats need grieve over What
he swears to is of no consequence whatever,
since he has shown himself utterly unworthy
Of belief. If Cox and his Republican friends
find comfort In assisting In the DEVELOPMENT
Of the mendacity and villainy of the men
whose testimony set aside Tilden's majority
and put Hayes in the White House, we
see no reason why the subcommittee should
not be happy family all around. If Mr..
Cox faneies that he Is iustifying his party and
the methods used by 1t In putting Hayes into
the Presidency by such disclosures as this, we
see no cause for complaint on the part Of
the Democrats. He only proves his party
guilty Of subornation of perjury, of the most
malignant and heartless defamation of q
much enduring people, and base CON
spiracy to place in the highest office in
the land fraud and pretender. Hayes
title depends entirely upon the cred |
Utility of the witnesses who swore |
to the acts of fraud and intimidation upon
which the Returning Board assumed to set
aside Tilden's majority of 5000. The credi- |
bi1ity of these witnesses destroyed, and there |
is not shadow of Hayes title left SO long
as these men write themselves down villains |
1t Is matter of no importance what they |
swear to. SO far there has not been one of |
them on the stand that has not done this, and |
it is safe to predict that there will not be one |
in whatever interest he may come. We here |
in Louisiana have always known the character |
Of these witnesses, and the Republicans who
came here to organize the conspiracy to seat |
Hayes were quite as we'll informed as to their
character. John Sherman knew as well as
any man in Louisiana that all the testimony
he wanted in the consummation Of the great
fraud could be purchased in the market
place. He came here with no other purpose
and no other idea than to purchase it. His
atrocity halted at nothing. In
order to carry his point 1T was necessary to
make the world believe that the people of
Louisiana were q race Of villains, cut-throats
and assassins, and he knew that this could be
done only by shameless and wholesale per-
Jury; yet he unhesitatingly devoted himself
to the task of procuring the testimony he re-
quired. The investigation has shown from
whom he got 1t, and, in q measure, by what
means 1t was obtained. It is the merest folly
to pretend that Sherman was ignorant of the
character Of his witnesses or Of the nature Of
their evidence, and there Is not an honest
man in America who is not bowling idiot
that would make the assertion. Their cor1up-
ton and shamelessness is that of class
among which, so far, there has not been found
q single exception, from Anderson down Yet
John Sherman has the effrontry to stand up
and declare his belief that these perjurers and
Williams have spoken Gods own truth, and he
demands that the evidence of these same
be taken in his vindication. He
got some Of his witnesses before the
committee yesterday and the day be-
fore, and who are they? First, there is
Dula, who testified on Wednesday. It was
shown that he had been requested to resign
the parish judgship because Of incompetenny;
that he came to New Orleans and made an
affidavit at Sherman's instigation; that he
boosted that Sherman and his compatriots
had hired him to go to West Feliciana and
drum up witnesses to make Returning Board
affidavits; and he finally confessed that it
would depend entirely upon the sum offered
him which he would choose, as be-
tween bribery and perjury. Another of
John Sherman's Witnesses summoned by
Cox, was Clarke, who was driven from East
Felieiana with John Gair and others for Or
ganizing conspiracy among the negroes to
plumber and murder the whites, and who
their operations by poisoning Dr.
Saunders. He came to New Orleans in 1875,
and testified before Howe's Senate commit
tee, and is now in the Custom House, where
he has been kent for n month or more aft John