New-York tribune., 1879-01-23

teltgflnlS when lie mas, ana when
he agreed to turn over to the Committee, pro-
vidod that they be printed and translated.
There WAS some other discussion. Itis under
stood that The TRIBUNE tranNlators of the
ciplcrs are to he summoned to Washington.
\ DISCLAIMER BY GENERAL BUTLER.
THE MASSACHUSETTS CoNGREssNAN AGNS DTNIrS
THT HI GAVE TuE rrLEGRAMS TO TIE TREB-
UNE-GHE PEoCEt DINGs OF The COMMITTEE
YESTERDAY.
Try TEtLCEArU To rHE TEIBrNEI
WtSHTNGrrS Jan. 22.-Thc Potter Committee
lost no time to-day Ia entering upon the cipher dis
patch Investigation.
Aoout the only line Of inquiry heretofore followed
hy the committee and ROT finished touches
the affidavit Of =. Martin, formerly an en-
ployG of the committee, who -woar- that
under Instructions he managed the production Of
witnesses before the >trngcr subcommittee IN
Ncw-Orcans last summer, N such way a 10 pre-
vent any. except those who would sustain Demo-
cratic theories, from being examined, and that he
paid others for contradIrtuc the evidence they had
previously gwen before the Louisiana Return
/ ing Board IN 1876. The representatives.
of neither party IN the committee have shown
any anxiety to call -. Martin a. their witness.
The Republicans are AFRAID Of him. They have
bad nothing to do with getting hm TO make the
alli ayIt that has been published, and tGey do not
desire to be in amy way responsible for It or him,
/ not knowing what turn his testimony
might take If he was placed on the
/ witness stand They are not afraid that he
can bring di>cred't upon any Republican,,
because none of them have had anything to do with
him but if be should turn ont 10 be q second M
dcrsou, the Republicans seem TO think thar they
/ might be rs much rmbarr9-se by having made hIn
tAeIr witness ~ tie Democrat, Of the committee
have been bv ealing the famous night editor.
When the subject dropped IN the committee to-
dav two resolutions were pending, one offered by
Mr. Cox directing that It. Martin be called and
cross-cxamned on his affidavit, and the other by
NJ Hl,cock, providing that be he called and asked
if lie has any explanation Of his affidavit which he
desires to make. one OF these resolutions viii
probably be adopted.
Alter discussing this matter at some length the
subject of the real frauds, which will probably oc-
cupy the attention OF the committee for the re-
maindcr of the session. was taken mp. Mr.. His
cock -aId that he had learned from General Butler
and from outside sources that what were supposed
~ be the originals of the cipher kilograms pub
li.hcd IN The Tribune were IN the Gono:aIs
possession. He suggested. therefore, that If General
Butler WAS wiling To deliver theiI 20 the commit
tee it would be wholly unnecessary To waste time
and money in an inquiry whose object should be
TO trace the dispatches from the possession Of the
Telegraph company to TUE NEw-YoRK TRIBUNE.
such an inquiry as that would involve the calling
of a great number of witnesses, and night result in
giving the comnlttee no more information upon
the question sought to be solved than could be
obtained directly and Immediately.
General Butler said that he was willing 10 deliver
the dspatchc. he has to the committee, provided
they would cause them all 10 bc examined carefully
aud translated. tie then gave Il history of the
c.pnrr tcicgTaui>, far as hc hucw 10. Sometime
last Spring he SAID, after the Porter investigation
had been ordered by Congress. he found bundle OF
CIPHER telegraus upon his table one dav. An
examination of them disclosed the fact that
they related to the electoral controversy OF
1876. bat he was unable to read them.
Iafe IN June he took the bundle 10 the committee
room one day, and during the examination of Mr.
Wm T. Chandler Dee showed some OF them To the
witness and asked him if those were the papers 10
vLir!. h- had r. fcrrrd u h- testimony After thus
u..ug thrn General Batter slld that he gave them
70 the clerk of the comMittec Mr. Lines. to keen
for him. lie supposed uAtil recently that they had
been in the possession of the clerk all summer
When Ec first returned 10 Washington tins Winter
Le called upon Mr. Lines for the bundle OF papers
and was surprised to learn that the latter 'id not
have them Mr Lines slId that he had sent them
3" 'e"'IH "",''' ''t' t...i 49,.
Wa po>"N' '""' wv ''' ''' u,I,
'ciA Was ''i"''N p''''''' '"'' nv ','''' ,
and fora t!uo II looked a, though the trlrel3u'
were Lost. ~ length they were found IN General
BufcT- office IN jL- civ and u turned "ut ihat
General Butler either overlooked them ld"t N"in-
r,r o; that tlcy reached h+ .icr after he lett the
cry.
ten TAI n"','' @'t ''''' va ., ,t', h., ,,s
I;t. "' H'' %.' -, '', oo,,,.,,t.. rr,.
r'1'y To "c.''' ,'.,' ,o,Lo nuII,c
'.'c' 'I'' '"' >','''' ,o.,,h.r If the