The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1879-02-10
THE CIPHER TELEG
Cover nor TiIden Before the Potter
C0mmitsee.

Last Saturday Samuel J Tilden was
before the Committee of the House of
representatives. appointed to investi-
gate the cipher dispatches. and testified
as follows:
"The publications and trausla,ions in
the New York papers. have read; did
not recognise single dispatch. either
in cipher or translation, which bad
ever seen before; l never entered into
any arrangement TO purchase the vote
of South Carolina or Florida; had no
information. no suspicion, that any
such communications we're being carried
on until | saw the dispatches published
10 the New York Tribune; had no
knowledge. no dealings with any
parties to these negotiations; never au-
thorized any such negotiations in any
form whatever. On the morning of
November 20. 1876 Mrs Colonel Pei.
ton mentioned in my presence that her
husband had gone away for q day.
did not know he bad gone or was going
ont of the city. He went to Philadel-
phia, l believe. Later 10 the day 1 was
called on by Mr.. Cooper. who was on
his way down town. and was told by
him that he had received an offer from
some party offering to obtain for money
the vote of South Carolina. l said
would authorize no such transaction. or
spend money for any such purpose.
The whole conversation occupied only
few minutes. | obtained Colonel
PeIton's address in Baltimore, and tele-
graphed him to come home. l knew
nothing of the ciphers that had been
passing between him aud others, and
could not have translated them. With
regard to Florida. / never saw one of
the kilograms, either in cipher or trans
lation. l did not know, l was not in-
formed, that negotiations were going on
in regard to illegally obtaining GER
ti6cates of the Returning Board.
never saw any of those dispatches re-
latiug to Florida. either in cipher or
translation. To regard to the Oregon
dispatches. | did not know they came
in cipher until after the meeting of the
committee to investigate them. Some
of the dispatches Were addressed to my
residence, Is Gramercy Park. do not
know that any of those dispatches were
ever delivered there. Colonel Pelton 8
habit of mind and niue are very differ
ent. A day or two after the election
mendiog committees to go South and
see fair count. l had nothing to do
with the selection of those com mittees;
never heard from them bat once, and
that was a communication signed by
Otterendorfer and others. The idea
that they were my personal agents, has
no foundation. They represented the
Democratic party. None of them, SO
far as | know, went to these States au"
thorized to do anything that gentle.
man might not do. From the Til of
November 1875. until December 9th of
the same year, under no circumstances
did | enter into any competition for
seeking any certificates by vena 10
dncements. There never was an hour
nor minute that | entertained such a
thought. To the people, also, as be
lieve elected me President of the United
S ates, to 600 600 of citizens who were
defrauded, | owe it to proclaim that
would not yield one jot or title of my
rights. whatever evils may result from
this subversion of the electoral system
aud of free government l resolved
that I would enter into no scheme for
the purchase of the Chief Mhgisiracy.
Cheers, which the Chairman sup
pressed / was resolved that would
continue TO protest against the wrong
by which the people were defrauded out
of their rights.