Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1879-03-07
Report Of the Chairman of the Potter Com.
mittee.
WASHINGTON. March 2.

WASHINGTON, March 2.
On Saturday Mr.. Potter, Chairman of the
Investigating Committee, submitted report
which he had prepared to the committee, and
it was adopted by vote of six Democrats to
three Republicans, General Butler being alb
sent. The three Republicans, Hiscock, Cox
and Reed, will prepare minority report. Mr..
Potter's report is necessarily long, as it deals
with all the points that have been before the
committee except the cipher dispatches, which
will be made the subject of separate report,
and will be presented to the committee to-
morrow. Mr.. Potter's report is regarded
by the Democrats who perused it
as singularly impartial and judicial
They say it is entirely devoid both of
rhetorical ornamentation and vituperative de-
nunciation, and derives its force solely from
the close logical deduction of the facts pre-
sented to the committee. Some OF the Demo-
Gratis regard 1t as wanting in color or not as
strongly expressed as the facts warrant, and
it is not unlikely that some members of the
committee belonging to that party will pre-
sent an additional expression of their views.
The report of Mr.. Potter, in the opening
sets forth what ii was proper for Congress to
investigate and what not and the difficulties
of conducting an investigation into conspira-
cies which have been successfully carried out,
while the successful party remain in power. 1t
admits that the confession of conspirators, who
have become dissatisfied, is worth little, but
points to the fact not generally understood
that about the essential features OF the cleo
tion and canvass in Florida and Louisiana,
there is no substantial dispute before the
committee, the Republicans having called no
witnesses in Florida and Louisiana, except as
to the conduct of visiting statesmen, and in
cidentally about intimidation. 1t dismisses
entirely the testimony Of Anderson, jerks,
Mrs jerks, Weber, and that class of wit
nesses, and deals with the case upon the gem
eral and controlling facts alone. The report
is divided into three parts, the first of which
refers to Florida, the second to Louisiana and
the third to the forged Electoral certificates,
Beginning with Florida It cites the law direct
ing the Presidential Electors to be appointed
by votes cast, and the Cauvassing Board to
canvass the votes cast, and claims that the
Tilden Electors, having received majority of
the votes cast in the State, were thereby
necessarily entitled to be declared elected,
ana that the Canvassing Board, by rejecting
without warrant OF law portion of the votes
so as to show a majority for Hayes, unlaw-
fully counted Tilden out. 1t states that the
canvassers delayed this announcement until
| the morning of the day the Electors were to
meet and vote, so that, although action was
| instantly taken to oust the Hayes Electors,
no decision could be had until the Hayes
Electors had met that same day at noon
and voted. The report then Tectes the
| judgment of the Supreme Court, which
subsequently decided that the Hayes Elec-
| tors were not elected nor entitled to cast
the vote of the State, and that the rilden
| Electors were, and also the Judgment of the
! court in an action brought by Drew, the DEM
| ocratic candidate for Governor, to obtain a
recanvass where the court directed a recan-
! vass, and decided that the canvassers, In re
| fusing to count the votes cast, had defrauded
| Drew and unlawfully seated Stearns. The
| Legislature of the State thereupon directed a
| recanvass of the Electoral vote in accordance
| with the decision Of the Supreme Court, the
Judges of which were Republicans, and the
! sebo he oh
The Governor then issued his certificate to
/ the Tilden Electors as the true Electors, but
/ the Electoral Commission refused to consider
the Judgment of the court, the action of the
Legislature and the certificate given by
| the Governor in favor of the Tilden Elect
ors, and held that it could not take notice OF
| any action by the State after the 9th of De
| cember. In regard to Louisiana the report be
| gins with reference to the anomalous power
possessed by the Returning Board, which il
says never before existed elsewhere. Under
| il Electors and Returning Officers held the
grossest power over the receiving and count
ing Of votes. Under the pretext that the
color line divided political parties they haC
used this power to fraudulently count th'
| State for the Republicans, and had been eX
| posed by q Republican committee of the For
ty-third Congress, which had reported that tn,
whites and blacks of the SAte being equal ant
some of the blacks and all the whites having
voted for the Democrats In 1874, the State haC
necessarily been carried by them, although
counted for the Republicans. Hereupon tb'
| Republicans set about false census In whiel
they made It appear that there were 25, ,0O
more black voters In the State than white, an,
as illustrating the fraudulent nature OF thi
census the report refers to the fact that whil
this census reported but $1,000 colored men
women and children in New Orleans 1t mad
out of them nearly $4,000 voters. 1t thel
instances the fraudulent registration that wa
based upon the fraudulent census, whereby 1
was made to appear that the registered Reput
lican voters exceeded the white voters 10 th
state more than $4,000, while actually ther
were no more, and the refusal OF the author
ties to correct this false registration In case
where Its falseness WAS pointed out. FroI
here the report recites the direction by tn