The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1879-03-06

[NNESOTA, THURSDAY, n
aselsTlnrOR1TT alslr REPORT or THE POTTER
.:i''' G0MAfITTEE. -: -:
WARRINGTON, March 3.-The minority of the
fotters Investigating comnittee, Messrs.; His
o"ck. Cox and Reed, presented their report
this afternoon. In it they dissent from the
view" presented in the report Of tho majority,
both as t.. PerttiipPencc of the same - the in
vestigation and to the concla asioins expressed
upon the testimony ia ken, but they take
pleasure in testifying that the rulings of the
chairman and his manner Of directing business
we're marked by the most equitAblez and even
GENEROUS spirit. They differ from the majority
az to some of the resolutions adopted by them
limiting the scope of the examination, but
thls difference Of judgment did not diminish
them.
They then refer to the origin Of the commit
tee, pointing out that the original resolutions
Tor its appointment did not ask for q general
investigation If all the fnauda connected with
the last Presidential election, but lonIy what
might be found in the acts of officials and per
sons of one political party in two of the States
II which fraudulent, pxacticessewere- charged.
They took this view in committee, and treated
the investigation on the whole unnecessary,
made without prOvOcation SO far as the indi-
viduals named were aimed ut, and are likely to
add nothing of value to the public information
On the general subject. They cenfined them
aelVes, therefore, to the task of~trying TO make
the inquiries instituted by the majority some
thing more than Democratic investigation of
Republicans, so.that whateser ;was Put before
the world might have some of the elements of
an examination Of both sides. This would ex-
plain why they did more for original inq uiries
beyond those commenced by the majority, and
did not AJAX for new investigations of frauds
in Oregon; South Carolina, Mississippi and
other States.
When the Florida investigation was began
they offered y resolution that the alleged
frauds ut the ballot-box, as well as those
charged upon the cauvassers and returning Of
fcers, should be examined. This was voted
down by. tbe majority, although it was q mat
ter>ot notoriaty and was by them brought to
the attention of the majority that both kinds
Of charges were made. They understood the
majority to base their action upon the :limita-
tlons they thought were put to the investiga-
tion by the original resolutions and did not
quarrel with their judgment, though this
would show the original resolutions to be un-
fair and partisan in their character, Thew
pretatlons thus given, but what surprises them
and what they desire most cnlphatically to dis
sent from, was the action of the majority in
affecting to report for whom the vote of Flori-
da was actually given.
After they had thus refused to examine both
sides OF that very question, while their work
was in progress, q publication was made in a
leading journal Of The cipher dispatches. The
startling character Of the revelations made in
the action of the minority appear singular
this case, but they quietly waited to see what
course the majority would feel it necessary to
take. They had learned the majority treated
these dispatches as a separate matter of, invest
igation and report. They could not SO regard it.
A report upon the frauds Of Florida, with the
cipher dispatches omitted, would be like the
play of Hamlet with Hamlet left out The facts
were too notorious to be left out, and therefore
they dissented from the method of making up
the report suggested by the other side.
The majority report that they would have
preferred to sit with closed doors, but yielded
to the wish OF the minority. This was true
and they saw no reason to regret this course.
They thought thesame also of the cipher invest
| lSation, that publicity WAS necessary.
Upon the cipher dispatch investigation the
minority report that they present their views
under the disadvantage Of not possessing any
indication OF what the views Of the majority
will be. They weuld con6ne themselves to the
investigation they themselves had made with
regard to which it might be fairly said the
whole investigation rested upon what enter
prise and wonderful skill the translator BROUGHT
to light.
The original subject of this investigation was
honesty or dishonesty Of the election in Florida
Louisiana and South Carolina. For two wears
prior to October, 1878. MIR. Tilden and his
agents, in season and out1o 1of season, had iterat-
ed and reiterated the charges that the can
vassing boards of doubtful States had acted
frandulently and corruptly in the discharge Of
their sworn duties. If these charges had been
| Of those fortified by any proof, the character
OF those who made the charges
would he Of no consequence what
ever. but i'll the face Of the whole
Investigation, with its 5000 pages Of hearsay
and falsehood, had not afforded the slightest
| proof of what was asserted. No man had come
| forward to say that any bribc was accepted, or
that any member of any canvassins board i'll
| dicated any desire to betray his trust Every
intimation of that kind had been traced to
| some Democrat, and that Democrat had never
been brought before them. Mr.. McLin, to
whose testimony reference is made, although
goaded by sickness aud imaginary wrongs,
| never for a moment admitted improper con
duct at the time. He only thinks, from after
| knowledge, that he may have been mistaken.
Gen. Barlow. whose conduct has received the
| compliments Of the majority, after full
knowledge Of the workings of Cowgll's mind,
Others. As to the South Carolina board, the
full, free and uhcontradicting testimony of
Mr.. Dunn satisfied every man who heard Of it
of the absence OF. fraud in South Carolina.
These charges, then, of fraud and corruption
with which Mr.. Tilden and bis agents had iill-
ed the air were nothing but unsupported as
sertions of litigants, against whom the courts
have decided. The tribunals in three States
have decided in favor of the HAYES electors
where his agents set up the assertion of wrong
doing. Pelton says he told Cooper not to tell
Tildcn. That night Cooper did not, but on re-
acction the nextday, probably thinking that
he had already over-advanced and that If Til
den wanted the Presidency in that way he had
better pay for it himself, he came to Tilden.
OF course Tilden could. take part in no such
open transaction Al ii had now becomei Add
to these circumstances the fact that no demand
had ever been made by Tiden for an oppor-
tunity to vindicate himself until the last ,no-
ment, until, in fact, it had got to be>a choice
between coming IN by process Or
appearing to come voluntarily, the minority
were driven to the conclusion that if Tilden
had told all he knew OF these transactions they
would have been in possession of the material
to form an undisputed judgment, without
searching nor systematic. They did not say
this in any spirit of criticism on the action Of
the majority. The lateness of the commence
ment of the inquiry precluded thoroughness.
The next question to be considered was
whether either the Florida or South Carolina
returning boards were for sale. The South
Carolina part is quickly disposed of. The tes-
timony Of Dunn, uncontroverted. clearly shows
that Smith Weed was played with by shrewder
men than himself for purposes entirely proper,
and IN manner entirely justfiable. As to
Florida, Wooley had not been called, and
Marble had probably not given
the full facts Of his attempt. So far however,
~ he indicated the source Of his proposition or
danger signals, it ended this way: Mr.. Dyke,
the party named, telegraphs that he never knew
anything about it himself. He was told by
Mr.: Robertson that Republican Congressman
said they could be bought. Marbles statement
amounts then to this A man told him that
man told him that third man told him that
canvaasing board could be bought. This may
not be consistent with his preparations for
bribery, but it is all the evidence he vouch-
safed. i:
The truth was that all this clamor about
fraud was made because the canvass changed
the f0rn stf'' fho