Sharp County record., 1878-05-17
SENATOR CONKLING'S MANIFESTO.

morrow will publish a long and important
letter from a Utica correspondent, being the
sum OF series of interviews with Senator
Conlling at his home in that city at intervals
during the past few months. Inc relations
between the correspondent and Senator, the
World says were such as made entire frank
ness necessary on the part OF the latter, anu
the U'Orid adds thatth correspondents name
will be forthcoming if the slightest proNOca-
ton for publication should arise In the IN
tcrviews the senator spoke with the utmost
freedom about the successive steps that led
to the formation of the Electoral Commission,
the part had in it by prominent Democratic
and Republican members OF congress ana Dy
President Hayes and his friends. In the
course of the interview the Wortd correspond
ent asked:
"Well, Senator would like to know wheth-
er you think the true history of the Louisiana
electoral business Will ever be tOId IN Con
gress and if So how soon"
senator COnkling: "Nes; | think it will. L
do not see how it can be kept down. There
are too many avenues OF information opeheu
to daV to make conccalment OF )tmuch long
er. No reasonable man can doubt there was
some kind of bargain between the friends
of Nichols and that man Hayes, ana thaI
Stanley Matthews and sherman were pnVyto
it, very great many people have become
exceedingly curious to know precisely what
the bargain was and exactly how it was car
ried out, and Yankee ingenuity Will be sure
to find some means Of getting at the lntorma-
| tlON, | can nOL SHY HOW StOll lilt llNto VIII
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"
What will be the result"
"The eresult will be that the whole country
will be appalled, by the dishonor of this Ad-
miniStratOn. | tell you, sir, that never IN the
history of this nation has there been IN the
tire four years OF an administration SO
much corruption, bartering OF es,rtward-
ing of political favorites, traffic with political
| leaders, and barter and sale or the electlNe
franchise as during this pastyear. the peo-
| pie will not believe it until PROOF Is SHOWN
! them but the proof will be forthcoming REQ
pie say that Hayes is 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 at
tempt to excuse the man on account OF ms
! supposed goodness, nor because he means
well and is ignorant. The facts that have dis-
! graced this Administration have all been done
| before the open eyes of the President
! Senator COnkling then goes on to review
at length, the history of the Electoral COM
mission. He says: "The country was in ac--
tual danger. Yes, Imean the danger was real
and imminent. The point of peril was not in
the South, but in the West. 1t was under,
! stood the Republican 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 chllds
play. In that section General Steedman
! had seventy thousand men enrolled ana
assigned to regiments for the purpose or
seating Tilden in Office in case Vlce-Pres1-
dent Ferry carried out his proposition. 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. He was gathering some troops
at or near Washington, but he dld not know
! how far he could depend on Them General
! Sherman told him that in case OF trouble the
| sympathies of large majority or the o1ncers
| and soldiers of the regular army would pc
with Tilden, and that the army must not be
! taken into consideration rs dependents Ill
| any such crisis From these facts, ana from
What was threatened and prophesied public
| ly IN those days, you can imagine now
| gloomy the outlook was. At the RepuDlcan
! councils the President asked my adVlce, ana
! | frankly told him did not believe that vice
| President Ferry had any power to declare
the vote, but could merely act in clerical ca
pacity to open the envelopes and lay the
! votes of the Electoral College before the con-
vention of the two houses for their decision:
And, by the way, / may rs well state mere
! that when certain Senators came to me ana
| said il was proposed to make me PreSldcntOt
! the Senate in Ferry'S place, so that the tnlnS
should not miss fire, | frankly told them
! that could not accept the position; that by
my interpretation of the Constitution should
! be compelled to rule exactly opposite to the
wishes of himself and friends That VIII per-
| haps explain one story that Is tolo ABOUT me-
| and while we are on the subject let me say
! that suggested subsequently that there was
| no constitutional reason why Grant shOuld
not be elected President of the Senate. They
wanted strong man there, though saw no
necessity for any such change. OF course L
| knew there was no likelihood OF such cholce,
and that Grant simply desired to see ms sue
cessor peacefully inaugurated, ana ENJOY
| long vacation atterWard COnKllnS say tilaI
! he then suggested to President Grant the ldea
| of q commission, and that the latter emDrac-
| ed it heartily. He gives an account OF the
various interviews with the President ana
! General Sherman, the difficulties the advo-
,NFA . OF n o.
! tails why he was convinced that Hayes then
in Ohio) was intriguing with Southern mem
! Ders of Congress.
Speaking of the final vote, he says: 81 am
! frank to say thought then there was some
thing not exactly straight about that Louisi-
ana business but now believe that when the
whole truth is known it will sink the Admin
istratiOn, President and all, to the lowest
| depths OF infamy."
{" You think, then, Senator, that the Presi-
dent is wholly in the hands OF the southern
! Democrats"
clam sure of it," said Senator Conkling.
COnklng said there had been no reform un-
der Hayes even in Civil Service, and said his
last appointments were the worst ever made.
"If Hayes should send in message ON CIVIL
Service Reform n list of some OF these ap-
pointments will be published, and it will
make such an astounding commentary upon
! the Presidents words as would dlscOncert
more philosophical Cabinet than that in
which Evarts and Schurz figure as reform
ers."
Further on in the interview the correspond
ent asks "Do you see no hope of bringing the
President in accordance with the Republican
leaders,"
Senator Conkling replied: I" must confess
that have ceased to have any expectation
OF it. No opportunity for harmonizing mat
ters is given by the President. In my opinion
it is not possible to speak in too extreme
manner of this Administration. Look at its
usulpations of power. In Ohio it openly die
tates the election of a United States Senator.
In order to do this it bargains with men to
whom succession properly belongs to step
out of the way promising to use its influence,
the influence of an army of office holders and
their positions, to make him Speaker of the
House. People don't stop to think what this
act rcallvis. A President who holds the veto
power of legislation promises to Interfere in
legislation and control its course by dictat..
ing who shall be Speaker of the House of
! REPRESENTATIVES, Fancy the Sovereign of