The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-03-05
The Potter Investigation.
REPORT OF THE MINORITY OF
TBE COMMITTEE.
democratic Charges Disproved by their
Own Witnesses.

VOTE OF FLORIDA.
When the Florida Investigation was begun
they offered resolutions that the alleged frauds
AZ ihe b4llot-b0x, as well as those charged upon
caovassers and returning officers should be ex-
mined This was voted down by the msj,ri-
ty, although it was a matter Of notoriety, and
was by them brought to the attention of the
majority, that both kinds of charges were
made. They understood the majority to base
heir action upon the limitations they thought
were put to the investigation by the original
resolutions and did not quarre! with their iudg-
meDt, though this would show the original res
OlutioOs to 0e unfair and partisan IN character
They have conducted the examination on the
Interpretation thus given. but what surprises
hem, and what they desire most empb atically
10 dissent from, was The action of the m majority
10 affecting to report for whom the vote of Flor
,da was actually given after they had thus re-
used to examine both sides Of that very ques-
ION. While their work was in progress q pub
licatioD was made in a leading journal of the
cipher dispatches. The startling character of
the revelations made in the action Of the MI
nority appear singular In this case, but they
quietly awaited the course of the majority.
They learned that the majority treated ihese
dispatches as a separate matter of investga-
ton, and report that they could not 30 regard
it. report uDon the frauds Of Florida, with
he cipher dispatches omitted, would bs like
the play Of Hamlet with Hamlet left ont The
facts were too notorious to be left out, and
therefore they dissented from the method Of
making report suggested by the other side.
The majority report also that they would
have preferred to sit with closed doors, bat
yielded to the wish of the minority. This was
true, and they saw no reason to regret this
course. They thought the same also Of the
cipher investigation. that publicity was a nec-
essity and that public judgment is just,
THE CIPHER DISPATCHES.
Upon the cipher dispatches investig alton the
minority say they present their views under
he disadvantage of not possessing any iDdca-
ion OF what the views Of the msjority will be.
They would coDfiDe themselves 20 the investi-
CATION they themselves bad made, with regard
20 which il might fairly belssid that the whole
Investigation rested upon what the enterprise
and wonderful skill of the TrI bune trauslators
0rought to light The original subject Of their
Investigations was the h0uesty or dishonesty Of
the election in Florida, Louisiana and Sonth
Carolina. For two years prior t. October 1873,
Mr. Tilden and bis agents. In season aud cut Of
season, had iterated and reiterated the charge
hat the canvsss,Dg boards of the doubtful
States acted ffaudlently and corrupily 10 the
discharge OF their sworn duties. 1t these
charges bad been fortified by any proof, the
characters OF those who made the charges
would be CT no consequence whatever, but in
fact the whole investigator, with its 5000
pages Of hearsay and falsehOOd had not afforded
the slightest proof of what was asserted, No
man had come forward to say that any brbe
was accepted, or that any member of any can
vsssing board indicated any desire to betrsy
bis trust. Every intimaton of that kind had
baen traced to some Democrat and there ends,
and that Democrat had never been brought
6efore them. Mr.. McLin, TO whose testimony
Mr. Tilden referred, although gosded by SICK
ness and imaginary wrongs, never for mo-
ment admitted any improper conduct at the
time. He ouly thinks, from afleF-kn0wledge, af
| that be may have been mistaken. General
Barlow, whose conduct has received the COM
pliments of the mai jlrity, after full knowledge
| If he workings OF Mr.. Cowgill's mind, admits
L N kArn nf aad hat nf all ho
l others. As TO the South Carolina board, the
l fuil, free and unc0Dtradicted testirony of Mr..
| DunD satisfied every man who hesr1 II OF the
| absence of fraud 10 South Carolina. These
charges, then, of fraud aud corruption with
| which Mr.. Tiden and his agents filled the air,
/ were nothing but the unsupported assertions OF
| ltigants against whom the courts have de-
| cided The tribunals 10 the three States de-
cided in favor of the Hayes electors. Straight
| way the defeated party, with bis agents, set
| up the assertion of wroog-doiDg. To bolster
up that assertion by proof was the object of the
| original consultation of this committee. hey
| ,oed luntil the first of August and found no
| evidence. In October, the publication of the
| cipher dispatches IN the Tribnne sho we'd con.
| clusively that the very men who had been the
loudest 10 denunciatons of the tribunals b. fore
whom they had failed had themselves endsav-
Ored to corrupt with m0ney those very tribu-
nsls At that moment the accusations ceased
| 20 be the assert 0os aud opinion of honest men
and became the slsoders of foiled aud b4aten
suboruers of corruption. The country, which
| ad beeo deceived ov the apparent earnest nsss
| aud honesty Of Mr.. Tilden and his agents, be-
gan to realize the intense hJ Jp0crisy 0f all that
| Marble h 4d written and Peton circulated.
This fabric Of alleged fraud. thus falling, was
| what the report of the majority Is endeavoring
| TO build no again aud upon the old fouuda-
tioDs. No WONDER theo, they preferred to make
| 4 separate report on the ciphers. Wnen the
| parties to the attemptes briberies were put
| upon the stand, they were forced TO admit the
Is n.,x.. A..
patches, each and all of them. Colonel Pelton,
| whose appearance before the committee was
really pitabie, seemed tn have been selected to
bear the largest share Of the buiden. Mr.. Mau-
ton Msrtle occupied 1lhatest situation. He
had prior to Ociober, 1873, taken a conspica-
ously high-toued position. Hs bad written the
! "Ark aud Shekinsh" letter, aud had otherwise
| q, ,udRctsd himself loftly before mankind. He
| con d not, Therefore, avoid the attempt to pre-
| sarve himself 1t was not for him TO take the
nold nos, 'tiou Of Mr.. Smith Weed, that it was
| r;obt to rss eue 81 olen goods from robbers Such
/ an ark ~ refuge would have wrecked him long
| hefo, = reachiog Arsrst. Nevertheless the com-
mitsee bad two p.'oposiFens to buy tue Fioriia
| ratnrning eoxrd nj hts own handwriting; two
| ,snIias of P,lroa and his own rejoinder,
| Tnese he was obliged TO admit, and also 70
.amit the sssubstsntiA,P accuracy OF the trans
aiioo. The explanation OF the Two lncriminst,
| iag desDs lches which the comms'ee n-"s suu =
| a possi bic third one which tbs committee dIu
| not have, was that ne sent them IS danger sig
| nas. The burst of contemptuous laughter
| with which the audience crested tais 5xplana-
ton of Mr.. Marble will probably never forget.
| They did not intend, however, to Comment
| upon the testimony of particular witnesses. A
| wider audience than will ever listen to this ra-
port had long since passed judgment upon
| them.
Mr.. TILDEN's CONNECTION WITH THE cIPHERs.
The evidence that Mr.. Tildeu was ignorant
Of these transactions was limited to the denisls
| OF Mr.. Tilden and Colonel Peltou, aud that the
| latter should endeavOr TO shield his uncle upon
whom hs was dependent, was natural; but the
idea that this penniless man, living in tha
house and sitting at the very table of his veal
thy uncle Mr.. TldeEl should have conducted
negotiate ms Involving such large sums with
out hint to the man most dee ply interes ed, or
to any body else, conid not for a moment be en-
tertaiued by candid men. If Col. Peton's story
be tue he must be removed from the category
| of knaves to that of fools; but the man who
| Conducted the campaign OF 1879 as acting sec
retary of the Democratic national Com nittee
| was not fool, nor did Mr.. rilden after the
election center all his interests in the hands Of
fool Mr., Tilden's denial was of course, TO
be expected. Precisely what the arrangement
was by which Mr. Tiden was kept posted ss to
| the doings of his agents aud yet left IN q con-
| dtion to m AXE a general denial, il he was 80
left, the committee probably never knew.
Against these denials are set all the facts and
| circumstances Of the case. The men who went
i
terms of the closest political aud personal in
tmscy with him. Tney were selected by bis
nephew aud furnished with a cipher which
contained an ample sub.titution of words fitted
for the very trsnssc ions for which they were
afterwards used. One at least If them mad an
Interview with Mr.. Ttlden before his depsrt-
ure. 1t was arranged that Wooley aud Smith
Weed, who were pretty well known, should
send their telegrsms to Hsvemeyer, while Mar.
! BILE. heretofore of good repute, should send to
| IS Gr4mercy park
1t may be said that If Tilden bad coutem-
plated wrong be would not have dispatches
sent TO his house, and yet. II they we're in a
cipher known TO the national committee, he
| would not want them to go TO that body. His
! only lear would be, not hat the dispatches
would fall ,pfo the haods of those who could
| not read them but into the hands of those rho
could. 1t lad been urged in Tiden's behalf
that as soon as ne became aware OF the South
Carolina negotiations he promptly suppressed
them, end they were asked 20 draw the infer
ence that he was guiltless of ALL Had these
transactions ceased when Hardy Solomous
n L