The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-05-01
TIE PRESIDENTIAL BARGAIN.
Significant ExpressiOns of Sena.
tor COULlInS Regarding the
Matter.


/ past few months The relations between
the correspondent and Senator, the
| World saws, were such as made entire
frankness necessary on the part of the
latter. and the World adds that the cor
respondents name will be forthcoming,
if the slightest occasion for its publica-
ion should arise. In these interviews
the Senator spoke with the utmost free
dom about the successive steps that led
to the formation of the electoral commits
sion, the part had in it by prominent
Democratic and Republican members of
Congress aud by President Hayes and his
| friends In the course OF the interview
the World correspondent asked:
" Well Senator, | would like to know
whether you think the true history of the
! Louisiana electoral business will ever be
told in Congress, and if so how soon p
Mr.. Conkling: Yes, think it will
do not see how it can be kept down.
, There are too many avenues Of informa
| ton opened to day to allow concealment
of il much longer. No reasonable man
can doubt that there was some kind of a
! bargain between the friends of Nichols
and that man Hayes, and that Stanley
| Matthews and Sherman were privy to it.
| a very great many people have become
| exceedingly curious to know precisely
what the bargain was, and exactly how
| it was carried out, and Yankee ingenuity
| will be sure to find some means of getting
| at the information. | cannot say how
| soon the facts will come out, for something
may occur any day TO force them to the
surface 1t will probably be best to let
them come out naturally"
THE RESULT.
''What will be the result ," "Fhe
| result will be that the whole country will
be appalled, by the dishonor of this ad
ministration | tell you, sir, that never
! in the history of this nation has there
| been in the entire four years of an ad
minstration so much corruption, barter
ing of offices, rewarding Of political
favorites, traffic with political leaders
and bargain and sale of the electoral
franchise as during this past year. PEG
pie will not believe it until the proof is
shown them. But the proofwill be forth
coming People say that Hayes is a
good man, and means well, but they do
not know what they are talking about.
| When the facts are known about this
| administration, no one will attempt to eX
cuse the man on account of his supposed
| goodness nor because he means well and
| IS ignorant. The acts that have disgrace
ed this administration have all been done
| before the open eyes of the President
Mr. Conlllng then goes on to review
at length the history Of the electoral
commission. He says The country
was in actual danger-yes, | mean the
danger was real and imminent. The
point of peril was not in the South, but
! in the West. 1t was understood the Re-
publican leaders had determined to have
Vice President Ferry count the votes at
all hazards, and Hayes elected, and the
West was determined on resistance. 1t
was no chiid's play. II that section
Gen. Stedman had 10, 900 men enrolled
and assigned to regiments for the purpose
to seating Tilden in office in case Vice
President Ferry carried out his PROPOSE
ton. You may look astonished, but
these things are true. President Grant
was at his wits end, and he confessed to
me that he did not know what to do"
The President" said Mr.. Conkling,
was gathering some troops at or near
Washington, but he did not know how
far he could depend on them"
GEN. SHERMAN
Told him that in case of trouble the
sympathiec of Il large majority OF the
officers and soldiers of the regular army
would be with Filden, and that the army
must not be taken into consideration as
dependence in any such crisis From
these facts and from what was threatened
and prophesied publicly in those days
VOC can imagine how gloomy the outlook
was at Republican councils. The presi-
dent asked my advice and ! frankly told
him did not believe that Vice President
Ferry had any power to declare the vote,
but could merely act in a clerical capa-
city to open envelopes and lay votes OF
the electoral college before the conven-
ton of the two houses for their decision.
And, by the way, | may as well state
here that when certain Senators came to
me and said it was proposed to make me
President Of the Senate i'll Mr.. Ferry
place. so that the thug should not miss
fire, | frankly told them that / could not
accept the position, and that by my in
depreciation of the constitution | should
be compelled to rule exactly opposite to
| the wishes of himself and friends, That
will, perhaps,
EXPLAIN ONE STORY
That is told about me And while We
are on the subject let me say that l sug-
gested subsequently, that there was no
constitutional reason why Grant should
not be elected President of the Senate
they wanted a strong man there, Though
! saw no necessity for any such change OF
course | knew there was no likelihood OF
such choice, and that Grant simply de-
sired to see his successor peacefully in.
augurated and to enjoy a long vacation
afterwards
THE COMMISSION SUGGESTED.
Mr. Conkling SAYS that he then sug-
COS ted to President Grant the idea of a
commission and that the latter embraced
it heartily. He gives an account of va
rious interviews with the President and
Gen. Sherman, the difficulties the advo-
Gates of the plan met with, and there in
particular, and why he was convinced
Hayes, then in Ohio, was intriguing with
Southern members of Congress. Speak
ing of the final vote, he says am
frank to say | thought then there was
something not exactly straight about thai
Louisiana business, but | believe that
when the whole truth is known it viii
sink the administration, President and
all, to the lowest depths Of intamy."
"You think, then, Senator, that the
President is wholly in the hands of tht
Southern Democrats?
81 am sure of it, said Senator Conk
ling. Conkling said there had been nc
reform under Hayes, not even In the civil
j, service, and said his last appointment.