Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-02-25

Colonel Pelton must be left out of
the correspondence, and that they
must give 1t their personal atten-
ton, lest you and the Democratic
party should be embarrassed and
perhaps scandalized by the action
of Colonel Pelton? AIN the first
place, 1 supposed that those gen.
tlemen were giving 1t their person.
al attention; those gentlemen had
the real power, aud Pelton had not;
they were able to supervise and
control it whenever they chose.
Mr.. Cooper, in particular, had Gus
tody of the money, without which
Pelton could not involve the com.
mittee in tho expenditure of a
cent. In the next place, Mr.. Coop
or was the gentleman from whom
I derived my information of what
was done in Baltimore, and l saw
him exclusively. Mr.. Hewitt was
his brother-in-law Idih not think
that they needed any warning ON
the subject. In the third place, l
regarded the Baltimore transaction
as very foolish and very wrong,
but still as an inchoate transaction.
Now, the civil law does not recog,
nize purposes until they embody
themselves in action. The church
furnishes those purposes merely as
sinful thoughts. Pelton had not,
so far as 1 knew, done anything
except to receive proposition from
set of Republican electors to sell
the certificates. There was no con-
summation of tie plan; the thing
died aborning, and it did not strike
me as being of such enormous I'M
portance as 1t would had there
been any possibility of the thing
succeeding, or of any similar trans
action succeeding. 1 say this with
out meaning in the least to excuse
PeIton, which / do not. The at
mosphere at that time was filled
with rumors and assertions of the
venality and fraud of these Return
ing Boards in those three States
and of their offers. l declare before
God ard my country that it is my
entire belief that the votes and GER
tificates of Florida, South Carolina
and Louisiana were bought, ana
that the Presidency was controlled
by their purchase. FELTON,, seeing
that condition of things, commit
ted fault; he committed an error;
he committed a wrong. He adopted
the idea that 1t was justifiable to
fight fire with fire. He adopted the
idea. when he saw the Presidency
being taken away from the man
who had been elected by the peo-
pie, and according to the law and
the fact, that it was legitimate to
defeat the crime by the means he
took. He was entirely excusable.
I adopted an entirely different sys.
tem-an entirely different code of
ethics. l scorned to attempt to Sc
cure my rights and title by such
10 cans as were required tn acquire
felonious possession. Pelton did
not act rightly. He may be tried;
he may be condemned. Public
opinion may punish him. AT the
same time, even that fault is to be
Judged of according to the facts, ac-
cording to the times, according t.
what was being done, and what wa:
done. His act was an inchoate of.
fence. On the other side, the aci
that was done, was complete and
consummated offence. 1t built up
a possession to the Presidency OF
the United States to the man who
was not elected, and the represent
atives and champions of that con-
dition of things are the men whose
consciences are troubled with the
iuchoate wrong-doings Of Pelton
which 1 stopped and crushed out IL
the bud.
The statement and cross exami
nation concluded with 4 timely re-
buke addressed by Mr.. Tilden t
the Republican members of th'
Committee. They had convicted
him of the grave crime of being
the uncle of his nephew; but, meet
ing their impertinent badgerinl
with dignity and consummatt
ability, he said:
New, gentlemen, 1 believe that
, | nih RiOPCAAy taO SuotouAoh Va III.
own morals. do not think tha
my virtue is of so delicate tex
ture that it needs that I shoul,
practice any brutality towards any
body else. 1 may err in judgmen
or in conduct, but I think that il
all my dealings with Mr.. Pelton ]
have been able, and shall be able
J to do about what is right; to pro
tect every body from wrong so far a
l have any control, and at the sam,
time to be just. You have beer
pursuing course of examination,
the object of which was to crimi
nate me, or involve me in some
fault of duty, and it was indecent
in that respect, and you have in
, truded yourself into my domestic
and family relations.
And the whole country will agre
} with Mr.. Tilden that he was and il
amply able to guard his persona
honor, and the vast majority of ou
} people feel satisfied, likewise, thaI
the National honor, as well, would
have Jared far better in his custody
than it has done at the hands of th'
beneficiary of the "fraud first tri