The Ottawa free trader., 1878-07-27
THE POTTER COMMITTEE.

| The Washington section OF the Potter com
mittec met on Tuesday at Atlantic City, and
on Wednesday and Thursday had before them
dozen others of the republican statesmen"
iwho visited New Orleans in the fall of 1876 ;
also Gov. Palmer Lyman Trumbull and some
other visiting democrats. A subpoena has
been served on Senator Conkling to testify
and if he responds, Butler promises some spicy
revelations
| The only evidence elected worthy of note
was that Of John Sherman in the course of
which he read "a long letter written by himself
Nov. 23d, 1876, from New Orleans to Prcs
dent Hayes. In the course of this letter he
tells Hayes, "that you would have received at
fair election, majority in Louisiana, no
honest man can question. That you did mt
receive n majority is equally clear" Shcr-
man, however, assures Hayes that the com
mittcc have been "hard at work" and has no
doubt they will bring things out right; and
Haycs's reply to the letter is given in which
he thanks the visiting statesman for their
"work," and in his Pccksnifiian way hopes they
have done nothing crooked"
The New Orleans branch of the committee
find themselves Systematically thwarted in get.
ting the witnesses they want. Every really
important witness they send for they find eth.
er spirited away or comfortably provided for
by Hayes IN some custom house or department
at Washington. Thomas S. Kelly, who had
been doorkeerer of Keloggs private office in
1876 and was known to be in possession of
many important facts, was brought to New
Orleans on IA subpoena to testify on Monday
night but on Tuesday morning had strangely
disappeared. He was next heard of at Cincln
natl on his way to Washington.
The committee, however, got before them
on Thursday Z. A. Burke, the man whom Gov
Nichols, of La, sent to Washington during
the pendency of the presidential count to look
after his interests; and Burke, in explaining
how he fulfilled that mission, let full blaze
Of light on the famous Wormey conference,
about which so much has been said and so
little hitherto really known. Burke, in a plain,
straightforward way, explained what that IA
nous conference at Wormleys hotel in Wash
ington, on the night of the Goth Of February,
1871 died. John Sherman, Stanley Matthews,
Garfield and Foster were present on behalf of
Hayes, and Burke, Ellis and Watterson on be.
half of Louisiana and South Carolina. Mr..
Burke not only stated, but produced written
guarantees signed by Sherman, Matthews, &c,
showing that distinct agreement was there
entered into, that in consideration that Hayes
would after his inauguration so favor the cause
of Nichols IN Louisiana, and Hampton in
South Carolina as to secure their Inauguration
and recognition as governors of those states
respectively, the southern democrats in con
gress should aid the republicans in complct-
ing the presidential count as found by the elec-
toral commission, and thus secure the election
of Hayes. That the final counting in of Hayes,
therefore, was the result Of a corrupt bargain,
to which he himself was party, is thus made
as clear as daylight and placed beyond the
possibility of further doubt or question