New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-10-21
THE TILDEN CIPHER PLOT.

JUDGE sHELLABARGER CONFIRMS TIE SOUTH CA
ROLINA sTOBY-wHAr POLITICIANS AND IKE
PRESS SAY.
A TRIBUNE correspondent has had talk
with Judge Shellabarger about the cipher
kilograms and Mr.. Tilden's letter. Besides
expressing an opinion, the Judge confirmed
the story, told by the kilograms, OF Demo-
cratic attempt to buy an elector in South
Carolina. A Democratic Senator expresses
the opinion that Mr.. Tilden's delay in issuing
his denial created very unfavorable impress
sion. Conversations with several politicians
| and lawyers about the cipher dispatches are
given below, as also o large lot Of pungent
criticisms by the press.
A "REMINISCENCES OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
JUDGE sHELLABARGER GIVES HIS OPINION OF TIE
TILDEN LETTER. AND TELLS STORY CONPIRMA-
TORY OF THE DISCLOSURES.
lBr TELEGRAPH TO THE TRrBuSE.l
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2O.-Judge Shelabarger. the
legal representative Of Secretary Sherman before
the Potter Committee. ex-member Of Congress, and
q prominent member Of the Washington bar, was
| found at his office by representative Of TEE
| TRIBUNE
"Have you copy Of Tilden's letterr asked tho
Judge; Il have only seen synopsis OF it,"
copy of the paper containing the full text Of the
letter was produced. The Judge settled back in
his chair, laid down his cigar. and began reading
the letter aloud slowly and carefully, evidently
weighing 1t, several points judiciously as he mas
| tered them. Comments Of approval or doubt were
interjected from time to time. "That's so," Must
do him the credit to say that he is emphatic enough
there" etc. us that irony he asked smiling, az
he read over again "the main interest of the
victory which resulted In my election was the ex.
| 80 ~
TEN of reforms similar to that which had been
accomplished in our metropolis and in our state
administration would DO achieved in the Federal
| Government"
Having completed the reading of the letter,
Judge shellabarger laid down the paper and said
"Well, think you must do Mr.. Tilden the Justice
| of admitting that as o denial it is broad
and explicit as he conld make it, especially
| with regard to South Carolina. He does
| not make the same statement as to Florida,
though he does not deny anything as 10 the rev.
Citations of The TRIBUNE. His letter seems to be
denial Of the authorship of the dispatches on tho
part of Mr. Tlden or Of any responsibility for thcm
but that Is not Kidding the party of responsibility.
The great fact that the Democratic party under.
took to buy it's way into the Presidential Office.
proved by the disclosures, remains undsputed; and
Mr. Tiden has merely left others of bis party, men
by whom he was surrounded coming right up to
his own household-has left them to bear the brunt
of this exposure without in any degree mitigating
the force of the charges"
~ regard the work done by THE TRIBUNE said
the Judge. " az most remarkable in the skill and
patience with which the matter has been followed
out, and il is really one Of the most important
works that has ever been done of journalistic
character in this country. The sad fact, however,
is that it has revealed depth of wickedness and
corruption that is startling and really alarming az
1t comes SO near the ytas Of the Nation; and when
taken in connection with the pretences of reform
of the Democrats and their cry Of fraud, it dis.
closes the capacity of the leaders of that party foI
this kind of iniquity."
About its effect upon politics. continued tho
Judge. "of course that is one of those
things that lies in the future, and about which
| you hardly calculate. 1t may not have
any very great results upon the elections because
| l think the country understands pretty. well and
has understood, that that party will pretty
much anything for the purpose of acquiring power.
Indeed have thought that the history of this last
House in the way it has seated men without even
decent show of reason, indicates what is the heart
and inspiring purpose of the Democratic party-tO
| get into power by any means or by all MEANS Our
firm happened to be connected with two three VI
those contests in the House, where las for example
the case VI gross OutfdgeS anu
wholesale stufing of ballot-bOxes were proved. and
for which of the Democratic authors of the tran
saction had been indicted. aud where one or more Of
the AUTHORISED the stuing came forward aud disclosed
his acts, and confessed where he used the money
that they got for doing it, Aud yet with all these
facts before the committee and the House. they
went straight forward and seated that man. The
case of Colorado was perhaps equally outrageous,
and it is all of piece with these disclosures the
cipher dispatches"
But Judge Shellabarger had something to tell
about South Carolina. He said: Nov 1t hap
pened to be my fortune to be employed to go to
South Carolina and | went, at the request Of the
Secretary of War and the Attorney General to take
part in the trial of a mandamus case that they had
arranged Just before the vote was cast. I went
down there. and got there in the nighttime. ]
found myself in city filed with Wade
Hampton's militia that were brought there, some
five or elk thousand to inaugurate Hampton. Well,
after getting into communication with the leading
men of the Republican party down there, soon
found what seemed to be the Democratic plan and
that was the plan which was afterward made public,
and which is confirmed by these TRIBUNE transla-
TONS 1t to arrest the Republican electors for
contempt Of the Supreme Court In not Obeying its
order in that mandamus suit and to imprison them
in different jas, that it would be impossible for
them to meet at 10 o'clock or 1880. Believing thae
70 be their plan, we arranged as well as We could to
have the preliminary meeting of the electors very
early in the morning, and then to have them meet
and vote before the Supreme Court could touch
Them because that Court could not meet before 10.
"That was our plan. Well, we found in the
morning that they had one of those electors at the
time that the meeting was to occur; a colored man
who was afterward witness. / was taken INTO tho
presence of the other electors from the fact that
was connected with the defence on the man.
damus suit. l found them there waiting for