Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-02-20

ucCesSdIlf kucW Vi MT. W OOuey paIL III
the impeachment of johnson. He had been
| Governor, and necessarily knew the procliv-
tiles of the most skilled lobbyist at Albany.
1t was his duty to know whether such men
represented the Democratic National Com
mittee. at the very points where corruption
was most probable.
Ill. 1t is absolutely impossible that Samuel
IJ. rilden was ignorant of all the cipher tele-
grams which came from the South, unless he
made an effort to be ignorant. 1t was his
habit and his very nature to give extraordi-
| nary atteBtion to the details of political con-
! tests. If it is true that he did not get con-
slant reports from the men sent South, it can
only be because he suddenly made an extra
ordinary effort to suppress natural anxiety
and impatience, and to put behind him the
habits of lifetime. in order not to know who
was telegraphiag, and to whom, and what
about. That Colonel Pelton had been in
charge of correspondence, not because he was
trusted by the Committee, but because he
was thought to represent Mr.. Tilden, was of
necessity known of MIR. Tilden from the
angry attacks of Democratic papers upon the
"Burea of Nicompoops." . If Mr.. Tilden did
not find out what his nephew was doing, it
was because he was determined not to know.
". Confronted with the fact that Colonel
Felton had asked aid in crime from Mr..
Cooper, it was not possible for Mr.. Tilden to
let the bargain go on without making it his
own, in the eyes of Messrs. Cooper and Hew
lit. But when Pelton was recalled, why did
Mr.. Tillen ask no questions He swears SIT
was not necessary" Yet Pelton remained as
before in chargeof telegraphic correspondence
of the Committee. Mr.. Tilden, even then,
the slightest effort to know what had been
done, or would be done during the weeks
tAst still remained. All this scandal proves
the falsity of the answer, ''it was not neces-
sary" to ask. Had he asked at that time,
November 81, and stopped the telegraphing,
or caused Mr.. Hewitt TO see the kilograms,
the second job in South Carolina, and all the
jobs in Florida, Oregon and Louisiana, would
have been prevented He did not ask nor
utter word to prevent them. WhyP
V. At that time, about November 81, it
became known to Mr.. Tilden what Smith
Weed had been doing. He now swears that
he ''took Weed to task for taking part in
such transactions" after Weeds return. But
after that the second job in South Carolin,
was arranged by Weed himself, by telegram
from New York. After that, and as late as
December A.. the extraordinary legal dispatch
was sent to South Carolina" "Important
judgment on quo warranto be obtained Thurs
day. If order to deliver paper appurtenance
to Office be disobeyed, Immediately commit
for contempt, or if the rightful electors at
tempt the exercise of authority by meetings,
attach for contempt. Prepare beforehand and
enforce Immediately would be appropriate.
Would be humane to imprison them separate
y during Wednesday. All probably depends
on your State. Leave nothing undone."
-''Verily, the voice is Jacobs voice, but the
hands are the hands of Esau."
VI. Mr.. TilGen claims that it was safe to
let Pelton alone because he could get no
money. But this is papaply untrue. Pelton
did get money to send TO Oregon, and from a
bank in which Mr.. Tilden was especially well
known. There were hundreds of unscrupu-
lous Democrats who hsve given larger sums
than Pelton needed, for much smaller vcto-
ries. If there were no others, there was John
Morrissey and the Democratic gamblers who
had at stake over 81, ,200, ,000 Did Mr. Tilden
reason, 'Pelton will no longer dare to go to
Cooper, or to come to me; therefore other
money, not by candidate or committee, will
be found, and 1 shall know nothing about it"
Did he reflect, "Then l can prove that de-
nounced and stopped one attempt? If that
was not his reasoning, why did he never in
quire, interfere and stop Pelton's charge of
correspondence through his apparent repre-
sentation of Mr.. Tilden himself.
VII After the act for which Mr., Tilden
took Weed ito task" he retained that person
as his manager of forces in Democratic con-
vention. after Marble had said that votes
we're for sale in Florida, Mr.. TiIden took care
to ask no more, but continued on intimate
terms with him. After Pelton's journey to
Baltimore to meet Weed, and for more than a
year after the full public exposure of the Or
egon business, Pelton remained in Mr.. Til
den's house. This treatment of men known
to be guilty will by the public be held con-
elusive proof that Mr.. Tilden's profession of
absolute and answering hostility to bribery
il not true. He was hostile to any bribery
that could be traced to him, and particularly
hostile to any bribery that was found out,
and destroyed his own prospects. No other
form of moral indignation has been shown in
his conduct. But he virtually placed w. T.
Pelton in position where he was sure to
have opportunity to buy votes, knowing well
that be was man who would buy votes if he
could, and that he could find the money; in
that position he held Pelton by carefully re-
framing from any word of natural caution CT
protest; and he took extraordinary pains for
weeks not to find out anything about the use
Pelton was making of his peculiar powers.
This is Mr. .Tildens record, upon his own
testimony. What else will appear, when the
dispatches sent to q. w. Smith shall have
been traced to the person who actually re-
ceived and opened them, we shall probably
see. The Louisiana mstter has net yet been
brought to light-LN. Y. Tribune, 10th inst.
LOVERS OF the weed have had and
doubtless will continue to have excep
tional opportunities offered them for
the consumption of it. The price Of
tobacco is reported very low, being for
the whole country an average of 56
per round on Dec. l, 1873 This price
is mainly the result OF an Overstock of
poor tobacco last year. We have no
accurate data OF the yield per acre or
the product OF 1877. The total amount
exported and manufactured was little
above 463, ,000, 600 pounds. Allowing |