Daily globe., 1879-06-21
VERY GAUzY.

VERY GAUZY.
The "COhsptracU" for the Inauguration O f
ISlzen as Pressdesst-An Intervte,D ,rtth
Ste,uare L. Woodford that Ought to be
E,'sbal,sed sottt the Tales of 1EssncE,a ,sse,.
New York Special, June Is.
The World will publish, tomorrow, an
interview had in this city with Gen. Stewart
L. Woodford, the district attorney for the
southern district of New York, in which
Gen. Woodford describes with great partic-
ularity, the arrangements made by him, un-
der instructions from President Grant, to,
defeat any attempts to inaugurate Mr.. Tilden
in this city as President Of the United States
on the 4th of March, 1877. sThreats were
made, :" says Gen. Woodford, .here and at
many other points, that Mr.. Tilden would
be inaugurated on the 4th of March in spite
Of Grant and the army. That the custom
houses would be seized to create revenue,
and that the Democratic President would be
SEATED By POPULAR UPRISING.
New York, it was plain, would be the central
point of the new revolution. Mr.. Tilden
would take the oath on the steps of the city
hall at the hands of one of the Democratic
judges, and simultaneously the custom house
and the sub treasury would be seized. Had
the series of great Democratic mass-meet-
ings that were proposed for all the large
cities been held, no telling how far the pas
sions of the multitude might have been
kindled and to what extremes they might
have gone President Grant and his ad-
visers were very much afraid of the result,
but Grant, though he was anxious, never
hesitated about the course he was to pursue.
He had determined to
USE EVERY SOLDIER AND SAILOR
and gun at his command to put down any
thing like Democratic rebellion. If it had
been anybody but Grant who stood in the
way, Tilden might have been ipaugurated
and have gotten possession of the revenues,
in spite of Congress and the electoral COM
mission. When the rumors of possible
trouble first got aloat the President felt ithe
need of having some one at this point who
would see that the laws of the United States
were promptly and fearlessly executed. He
consulted with his friends and decided that
it was best to have soldier in this Office,
somebody who had emelt powder and would
not be afraid of New York mob. was
sent to Washington and there consulted
with the President and cabinet. Grant told
me frankly that there might be trouble here;
that if there was an
| ATTEMPT AT REVOLUTION
the blame would be laid at his door, and that
he was determined to secure the inaugura-
! tion of Mr.. Hayes at all hazards. He then
asked me to accept the position of United
| States district attorney at Now York, and he
tod &ho&S Nr1%x To do IIvA-
der these circumstances and by the advice
cepted the appointment, received my in
structions, and have had q very quiet and
i peaoeable time ever since.
:"If Mr.. Tilden had listened to his more
energetic advisers and insisted on attempt
ing to assume the reins of government
/ WE SHOULD HAVE HAD WAR
in the streets, and should have been COM
PEELED to take an active part in 1t. No
doubt there was plan to inaugurate Mi.
Tilden in this city, but his natural timidity
and irresolution would not let him assent to
it. I think he was wise in his refusal. Ny
plans were all laid systematically and ap-
proved by President Grant. We had quiet
ly taken some very effective precaptions be-
forehand. You will never realize that all
the materials for coup d'etat were lying
loose around you, while good honest
citizens went to bed unmoved at night,
thinking that all talk of resistance was mere
campaign thunder. confess that do not
want such another experience. When man
like Grant grows serious over tho prospect of
war we may take it for granted that there ia
something more than threats in the air. !
believe that We were in more danger of
o1 &hov, than in tho month that nra.
ceded the fall of Sumpter.
'sYou have asked what intended to do in
r case Mr.. Tlden attempted to carry out his
: coup d'etat and bad himself inaugurated on
the city hall steps, or elsewhere in the city
My orders and intentions were to
SEIZE HIM AT ONCE
under warrant charging, him with bigh
treason, to convey him secretly and securely
: on board a government vessel lying in tht
/ East river, and ship him to Fort Adams OF
some other secure point where he could
undergo his trial. The first thing that any
body knew of it no would have disappeared,
and the suddenness of the blow would have
. either disheartened his followers and taught
them salutary lesson of respect for the law
or it would have been the first blow of .
! terrible conflict between the law and its vio-
lators."
"Do you really believe, general, it would
have been possible to arrest Mr.. TildenF'
II don't believe it; I know it. OF course it
could not be done by calling out the regulars
}. from Governors island and marching them
up to Grammercy park, but it would have
). been done so
ri QUIETLY AND EFFECTIVELY
that all resistance would have come too late
Just as sure as he had dared take the oath o1
Office he would have been whirled through
these streets and landed in q gunboat. When
be had got through with his trial for treason
: he would have been sick of playing President
When was in Washington had long
: talk with Secretary Robson on this subject
! and we made all the arrangement for the
: use of his boats and men, not only to secure
: Mr.. Tilden, but to overawe the mob by tht
. gunboats, and to shell them out if necessary
AS FOR THE CUSTOM HOUSE
and sub-treasury, they were prepared for re
sistanoe and could have been strengthened
n by sudden reinforcement of regulars SO q
;. resist any mob. Regulars and marines in
o side the walls and shell or two outside
would have scattered the attacking party
like chaff. 1t was time that might call fol
3 aharn and sudden work on the Atlantic line