Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-02-10
TILDEN'S TALK
TO THE POTTER SUBCOMMITTEE,
SATURDAY,
About the Cipher Dispatches-He 0scIaims
All knowledge of Them-He ScOrned
to Obtain the Chief Magis-
tracy by Fraud,


mediately upon entering the room, was
sworn by Mr.. Hunton, the chairman,
who said: Governor Tilden, we re-
ceiyed your note expressing your will
ingneSs to testify"
Mr.. Tilden-I have a cold and can't
speak very loud. The publication and
trdnslations in the New York papers
have read. | didn't recognize single
despatch, either in cipher or translation,
which / had ever seen before. ! never
entered into any arrangements to pur-
Cuase the vote of South Carolina or
Florida. had no suspicion that any
such communications were being car
ried on, until saw the dispatches pub
/ in the New York Tribune. | had no
! know ledge, no dealing with any of the
/ parties 10 these negotiations. | new
rr authorized any such negotiations
! in any form whatever. On the morn
! ing uf November 20th. 1876, Mrs. Col.
! PcltOn mentioned, in my presence, that
| herhusband had gone to Florida. | didn't
! know he had gone or was going out OF
the city. He went to Philadelphia, |
| believe Later in the day | was called
on by Mr.. Cooper, who was on the 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. | said | would
authorize no such transaction nor
/ spend money for any such
purpose. The whole conversation OC-
cupiCd only few minutes. | obtained
| Col Pclton address in Baltimore, and
/ tClCgTaphCd him to come home.
knew nothing OF the cipherS that had
/ been passing between him and others
/ and | could not have translated them.
| With regard To- Florida, | never saw one
/ OF the tclcgramS, either in cipher or
/ translation | did not know, ] was not
/ informed that negotiations were going
/ on in regard to illegally obtaining ccrti-
/ fratcs oi the returning board. Some
/ time Mr.. Marble called and told
| me in Il casual kind of a way about the
| corruption of the returning board oi
/ Florida. | never saw any of the dis
/ patches relating To Florida, either in
/ cipher or translation. In regard 10 the
J Oregon dispatches, didn't know they
! came i'm cipher until after the meeting OF
/ the committee to investigate them.
/ Some oi the dispatches were addressed
- my residence, No. - Grammcrcy
/ Park. do not know that any
Of those dispatches were ever
/ delivered there. Col. Pclton's habits
! of mind and mine are very differ
/ cnt. \ day or two after the election,
I General Grant wrote letter recon-
mcnding that committees 90 South to
. see ialr count had nothing to do
/ with the selection of these committees.
/ never heard from them but once, and
/ that was a communication signed 10y
/ AttcndOri and others. was very busy
/ all the time and did not undertake to
correct the idea that they were my per-
, sonal agents, as it had no foundation,
j they represented the Democratic party.
/ None Of them, so far as | know, went Ia
/ these States authorized to do ANYTHING
that Il gentleman might not do, from the
! 9Th OF November, 1876, until December
! 9Th OF the same year. Under no Circum-
stances did | enter into any competition
/ for seeking certificates by vCnal induce
| mCntS; there never was an hour nor
/ minute that | entertained such
| 4 thought. To the people
who, as believe, elected me
| President Of the United States, to four
/ millions of citizens who were dcfraud-
ed, owed it to proclaim ] would not
Weld one jot or little OF my right
| Whatever evils may result from this
! subversiOn of the electoral system and
Of free government, | resolved | would
enter into no action for the purchase of
the Chief Magistracy. Cheers, which
| the chairman suppressed. | was re-
solved that | would continue to protest
against the wrong by which the people
were dciraudcd out of their rights
! CTilden's voice, owing to a cold, became
husky, and it required some effort to
catch all OF his words.
Mr.. Tildcn, on being asked, "WhO Is
your Private Sccretaryb" answered c..
| w. Smith.
Q-T find in cipher No. 40 this dis
patch: Tallahassee, Novcmber27. To
GEORGE W. Smith, Is Grammercy Park.
II has been suggested from here to the
Governor Of Oregon to refrain from IS
suing certificate in favor of the inell-
rible elcctor until advised thereon.
Why not obtain and telegraph him
! O'Conner's opinion. See my dispatch
To Spain" Have you any knowledge
oft. Al have not.
Q-Look over the translation. Have
YOU any recollection OF having received
| it. Al have not.
O-You have read the TribW" cipher
disclosures. Al did at the time they
came out.
Q-Did Smith, your private Secretary,
show YOU any of these dispatches? A
lie did not
Ole must have had cipher Do
y5u know if he did? Al do not.
O-What 10 YOU know Of the ciphers
Al know noth,n, about them.
| O-When Col. PCltOn returned from
Baltimore what was the nature OF your
interview with him? Al said some
thing to him about his action. He made
no reply. didn't get from him any
information about ciphers or ncgotla-
tions until saw them published. !
did not believe that Pelton had any
mower because he had no authorization.
Q-What was your conversation with
Edward Cooper? Ale came to me
and said he had received a proposition
to get the votes Of South Carolina for
money. The substance OF the cunver-
sation was that the votes were for sale,
Odd he mention Col. PeItun :
name at that time. Ale did not.
/ Q-Whcn did YOU next hear OF cor
rupt attempt in any state, Al never
heard.
Q-Do YOU moan To say you never
heard OF any attempt to brihc? \ Not
/ till the publication Of the fact.
! Q.-When did you. first hear OF tho
Florida bribery? A.-From Marble
lie simply mentioned the circumstance
after he had returned from Florida. llC
gave me no detail, and | made no IN
quiricS.
Odd YOU make any inquiries iron
vour nephew about thcS. corrupt
propositions to buy or sell? A
didn't. o..
Q.-Then YOU had no interest in It
A.-Only an interest in stopping 1t
In reply to this question Mr.. Illder
said Pelton ceased, about the lSt o
January. to reside at his home.
u h;l ,,.,, ,,ol-a any rpoupSt Il