The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-28
New York Appointments in
Executive Session.
ADVERSE REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE.
Administration Senators Urg-
ing Continuation.
FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.

THE CIPHER NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. SESSION
OF THE POTTER CosfMITTEE-wHAr is IN
TENDED BY THE INVESTIGATION.
This cipher despatch business at last seems likely
to prove boomerang to the republicans. The Potter
committee has, by curious chance. almost COM
pleted to-day tho discovery which alone was worth
making-of who stole the dispatches and how they
were stolen and given to the public
The evidence to-day shows that the telegraph COM
pany carefully collected the political dispatches from
oil parts CT the country and accumulated them In
New York. On the persistent demand OF Congress
they brought them to Washington, on the 18th of
January. 1877, in a trunk. Mr.. Whitney. telegraph
superintendent here. took out of this trunk
800 dispatches for the Morrison committee and
number for the Morton Senate committee the latter
relating to Oregon. The remainder. numbering
9275, were then sorted and arranged according to
locality ana it appears that out of the whole number
1000 were from Indianapolis alone On the 25th of
January Mr.. whitney, the demand Of Senator
Sargent, Of the Morton Committee, surrendered all
these dispatches to Mr.. Burbank, Senator Morton's
brotherinlaw, and the clerk Of his committee. and
there ended the responsibility Of the telegraph
pany. which appears, with exception, noted be-
low, to have acted with entire fairness.
The testimony goes on to show that the dispatches
remained in the Senate committee until the 14th Of
Nledntlmo
House, and the Morton Senate committee, had come
to an agreement that neither the dispatches
nor the bank accounts should be used or in
vestigated, and 1t occurs at once to every
body that the republicans would not have made
such an agreement had they believed their own
hands clean. On the 14th of March the telegraph
company got permission to their dispatches.
Burbank, Senator Mortons brother-in-law, surren-
dered to Mr. Whitney the trunk said to contain them
ALL and he forwarded them to New York, where they
were destroyed last spring having it is said. been
forgotten meantime and remained locked up in the
trunk.
At this step Of the examination, Mr.. Evans, q re-
publican member Of Congress from Indiana. ex-
amined. He admitted that he knew one George Bull
lock, formerly messenger to Senator Morton's CON-
mittee. but now consul at Cologne. 1t is curious
that Bullock appointed to his consulship and
went abroad about the time the Potter
committee was formed Mr.. Evans admitted
that the night before Bullock left here for Germany
he handed Evans bundle Of papers which Bullock
said he got in the Morton committee room and which
were important. Evans further admitted receiving
. letter from Bullock, dated November 49, 1873. in
which Bullock wrote that he by the papers that
q great stir created by the publication of
the cipher dispatches and that there was to be an
investigation as to where they got. He sus-
pccted that they were the papers he had handed to
Evans. land which you handed to William Z.
Chandler, and he urged Evans to go to Chandler At
once and prevent him from mentioning Bullock's
name in connection with them. because Of the
trouble and disgrace it would bring on him. --...
Evans said however that he did not hand the
papers to Chandler. but to Brady Second Assistant
Postmaster General ian Indiana mani and Brady will
tomorrow have to say what he did with them.
Brady was protege OF Senator Morton.
Thus the dispatches at last traced, and it is
found that the messenger Of the Morton committee
had important share in their theft and that he is
now consul at Cologne, IS so many other persons.
disreputably connected with the republican manipu-
lation of the Presidential election, have been re-
warded with public office.
But this is not all. The officers Of the telegraph
company. being asked. admitted that ccr ain de-
spatches withdrawn by orders of Mr.. orion.
president of the company, and that thoy were be-
tween Mr.. Tyner Assistant Postmaster General; Mr.
John W. Foster. Of Indianapolis. and Secretary
Chandler. They numbered six eight on
each side. Two persistent searches were made
to get them all. and they were collected
and withdrawn by orders of Mr.. Orion,
sent in letter which was burned by his direction.
According to the memory Of the witnesses these de-
spatches related to what one Of them called dirty
political ransaction-the sale of two positions in
the Interior Department for $5000 TO be transferred
to Indiana. to be used in the October campaign.
Aside from these sixteen other dispatches were
withdrawn from the Washington Office by Mr..
Ortons order, but Of these particulars as yet
public.
1t is not necessary to ask after this why repub
lican dispatches have appeared but to-day'e testi
mony leaves number of prominent republicans in
. very awkward position.
As soon as the New York Custom House nomina-
lions settled there s to believe that i'm
portant changes will DO made in the Louisiana
federal Offices. There has been good deal
Of dissatisfaction here with tho present
Collector and United States Marshal. who
arc said to have been inefficient and TO
have misconducted themselves during the can
vass and election of last fall. There is great dis
satisfaction with them among the better class of
Louisiana republicans, who urge that IL competent
and influential men of character were appointed to
the federal Offices in their States this would exercise
an important influence on public opinion there
and very greatly strengthen the republican organ
izaon. drawing into 1t the leaders of the
tive party. The Marshal, Jack" Wharton Ia said to
have beer totally incompetent and the Custom
House influence in the politics Of the State is asserted
TO have been scandalously misused II is be-
general clearance in the Custom House. which has
been. under Collector Smith and his CONDUCTORS,
Madison Wells and Anderson, simply refuge for
notorious political bummcrs. Wells term runs out
In few weeks and he will not be reappointcd.
Anderson would be turned out by any reputable Col
lcctor and thorough reorganization of the Custom
House would follow 40 q matter of course.
CABINET CHANGES IN MEXICO.
Dispatches from the city of Mexico. received here.
relate that Sehor Miguel Ruclas has been appointed
Secretary Of state. Mr.. Avila who has been
acting Secretary of State, becomes JUS
tcc of the Supreme Court, and Mr.. NJ
nee. who was in charge nt Berlin. will DO
made Assistant Secretary OF State. Mr.. Rucas. tho
new Secretary of state, is lawyer from tho state of
Zacatecas and has represented that state in the Mex
lean Congress, and was member OF the Committee
Foreign Affairs. No political Importance is be-
lievcd to attach to these changes.