Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1879-03-05

By an error in yesterdays inue . Wash
ington telegram, was made 70 read that tn.
president would call an extra session O
congress on the thirteenth inst. 1t should
have read the eighteenth inst.
POTTER CoMM1TTEH REPORTS.
The majority and minority reports of the
Potter committee have been promulgated.
The former was adopted by the six demo-
Gratis Of the committee, and the latter by the
three republicans of the committee. General
Butler being absent and not voting.
The majority report is divided into three
sections, which refer respectively to the
Florida election, the Louisiana election and
the alleged forgery of = Louisiana electoral
certificate. 1t holds that the Tilden electors
we're unlawfully counted out in Florida
and that the state Of Louisiana gave an
honest democratic majority at the last pre-
sidential election. The portion Of the re-
port which bears upon the subject Of q
forged electoral certificate from Louisiana
recites that
1.-THE vice-presidsnt having refused
the first certificate the republicans
secretly manufactured another, ante dating
it, and made it in writing and printing to
resemble the one previously made; how,
having very little time to prepare it and it
being impossible to get all the electors to
New Orleans to sign it within that time, it
became necessary to forge the signatures Of
two absentees, and that thus there were put
to duplicate papers eighteen forged sigma.
lures, which were attached on December
18th. in an upper room in the ttate
building"
The majority report makes no reference
to the Tilden ciphers, wholly ignoring that
important portion of its investigation.
Finally, the report concludes with the asser.
tions "that full effect was not given to the
electoral votes of Florida and Louisiana
that Hayes, Sherman aud others encouraged
this result; that the second certificate from
Louisiana was forged as to two of it's names,
Kellogg and Clark being priyy to it, and
that Tilden and Hendricks received the
true majority of the electoral votes and
were the real choice Of the people at the
last presidential election"
The report ofthe minority Of the commit
tee excerpts in general terms to the views Of
this majority in reference to the result in
Florida and Louisiana. 1t then takes up
the subject of the cipher kilograms and ad.
mits that Tilden, Through his agents at
tempted to purchase. the Florida returning
board. Upon this subject the minority say,
among other things:
The country which had been deceived by
the apparent earnestness and honesty OF Til
den and his agents, began to realize the in.
tense hypocrisy Of one that Marble had
written and Pelton circulated. This fabric
of alleged fraud thus fallen was what the re-
port of the majority is endeavoring to build
up again, and upon the old foundations.
M wonder then they preferred to make .
separate report on the ciphers, When the
parties to the q tempted briberies were put
upon the sand they were forced to admit
the receipt and transmission Of the criminal
ing dispatches, each and all Of them Col,
PeltOn, whose appearance before the COM
mittee was really pitiable, seemed to have
been selected to bear the largest share Of
the burden. Mr. Manton Marble coupled
. different situation. He had prior to Oct
ober, 1878, taken = conspicuously high toned
position. He had written the Ark and She
klnsh letter and had otherwise conducted
himself loftily before mankind. He could
not, therefore, avoid an attempt to preserve
1t wac not for him 10 take hold
Of the position of Mr.. Smith Weed, that it
right to use stolen goods from robbers.
Such an ark Of refuge would have wrecked |
hin long before reaching the harbor. New.
ertheless the committee had two PROPOSE
to buy the Florida returning board in
his own andwriting-the wo replies Of
Pelton and his own rejection. These be
obliged to admit, and ALEC admit the
accuracy Of the foundations.
The minority report concludes as follows:
We regret, therefore, that the result of
he investigation, in which the taking Of
estimony continued till the last day but one
# congress, and and is still incomplete,
nust be a report that in obedience 70 the
directions of the house a great mass of evi.
has accumulated which can neither
considered nor acted upon BY congress,
nd the advantage gained by the public in
ally consideration of it, upon which the
minority insisted, is . matter of profit to no
The two reports are the views Of two sets
f men from partizan standpoints, and will
either detract from or add to the ~uniyer.
II verdict Of the people, reached long ago
Hayes is the legally elected president,
ut that he came near beino cinherod ont of|
be position BY the opposition. The Potter
'mmittee has U through it, long course
! investigation and has developed nothing
hich was not we'll known before it, sitting
gan.
APaYsciAh FOR RED CLOUD.