The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1879-03-13
Potter's Report.
A 900 CAMPAIGN DOCUMENT IN BE-
HALF OF 8. ], TILDEN.

1
| WASHINGTON, March 2.-on Saturday, Mr.. Pot
Ter, the chairman OF the Investigating Commit
| Tee, submitted the report which he had prepared
| of SIX Democrats to three Republicans, General
| Butler being absent. The three Republicans
present, Messrs. Hiscock, Cox and Reed, will pre-
draw up separate statement giving his views
IN reference to the bargain with the Hayes party;
by which the Democrats recovered the States OF
South Carolina and Louisiana.
Mr. Potters 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 ubject of separate re-
port, and will be presented to the committee to-
of conspirators who have become dissatisfiedare
worth little, but points to the fact, not generally
understood, that about the essential features Of
there is no substantial dispute before the COM
mittee, the Republicans having called no wit
S IN "a ana 4 exceg g as
cldentally about intimidation. 1t dismisses en-
tirey the testimony OF Anderson. jerks, Mrs.
jerks. Weber, and that class of witnesses, and
deals with the case upon the general and control
ling 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 directing
the Presidential electors to be appointed by the
votes cast and the canyassing board to canvass
the votes cast, and claims that the Tiden electors
having received majority Of the votes cast in
that State thereby necessarily entitled to be
declared elected and that the canvassing board.
by rejecting without warrant Of law portion of
the votes so as to show the majority for Hayes.
unawfully counted Tilden out. 1t states that the
canvassers by delaying their announcement un-
til the morning of the day the electors were to
meet and vote, that although action was in
stantly taken to GUST the Hayes electors no decis
ion could be had until the Hayes electors had
met that same day at noon and voted. The re-
port then cites the Judgment of the Supreme
Court, which su bsequently decided that the Hayes
electors were not elected nor entitled TO cast the
vote of the State, and that the Tilden electors
were, and also the Judgment OF the court in the
action brought by Drew, the Democratic candi-
date for Governor, to obtain recanvass where
the court directed a recanvass, and decided that
the canvassers in refusing to count the votes cast
had defrauded Drew and unlawfully seated
Stearns, the Republican. The Legislature OF the
State thereupon directed recanvass OF the cleo
toral vote in accordance with this decision OF the
Supreme Court the judges Of which were Repub-
licans, and the recanvass showed the Tilden cleo
tors chosen. The Governor then issued his GER
ticate to the Tilden electors as the true electors
but the Electoral Commission refused to consld-
err the Judgment of the court, the action OF the
Legislature and the certificate given by the Coy,
ernor in favor of the Tilden electors, and held
that it could not take notice of any action by the
State after the 9Th of December.
1t recommends a ] w providing that where there
was dispute as to the real electors of any State,
the Judgment OF its court Of last resort II cert1-
fled to Congress before the meeting OF the Houses
of Congress to receive and count the electoral
disputing electors, and Of which vote from the
State shall be counted unless the TWO houses OF
Congress shall otherwise agree.
The report then argues that the action Of the
canvassing board was not only illegal, put fraud
ulent. and cites the instance IN which tney re-
jected Democratic votes on unwarranted grounds
and refused to reject fraudulent II pupncan
votes as Illustrating this It deals a. lengtn WIN
titled to the vote of the State on the lace OF me
returns by reason OF the Drigger fraud, by when
bogus return from Baker county was furnished
the canvassing board, which they at first rejected
but which, after they were ordered TO count tne
vote as cast, they fraudulently took IN place OF
the true return. 1t then deals with the conduct
of the visiting statesmen, and that OF
Mr.. Noyes, as contrasted with tnat OF Generai
tions ard integrity, independence, fairness and
truth the report especially commends.
In regard TO Louisiana, the report begins win
reference to the anomalous power possessed by
the Returning Board, which it says never before
existed elsewhere Under II the eiectors ana Ine
the receiving and counting OF votes Tney mad
used this power to fraudulently count the state
for the Republicans, and had been exposed by
the Rel ubIican committee of the Forty-third
Congress, which had reported that the whites
and blacks OF the State being equal, ana some Oa
the Democrats in 1874. the State had necessarily
been carried by tnem. although counted for the
Republicans. A fraudulent census was maze TO
appear that the registered Republican voters ex-
ceeded the white voters in the State more than
5000 While actually there ware a9 tran the
report, when the elections were over the Demo
Gratis had majority, as returned by the Repuo-
lican election officers, of some ten thousand, the
vote polled being the largest ever polled in the
State. and larger in proportion to the population
GERS made returns Of the vote accordingly, and
declared that the election was perfectly peacelul
and fair. The. Republicans, in order to over .
come this majority, then usurped powers not
given to them. The Returning Board decloed 70
discard the necessary number OF Democratlc
votes. AS pretext for this usurpation they o b.
tanned protests from certain parishes which they
picked out as the parishes in which to pretend
intimidation had taken place; These parishes
were all largely of negro population, which the
Democrats had fairly carried.
The report then deals with the question OF in
no m
the Democrats to gain ANYTHING by II because
the Returning Board had been created on pur-
out votes in localities where it should prevail.
Evidence showed how the planters combined
with the negroes to get up clubs OF both colors,
and referred to the promises and assurances made
to the negroes even to equality in cars, theatres,
ETC., for outnumberng the Republicans. The
leaders having Joined the Democrats, the whole
mass OF the negroes came in and became quite
enthusiastic supporters, and thus the vote IN
some oftne so-called bull-dozed parishes was the
largest ever cast. As to the conspiracy IN East
Feiciana parish, the report states that after the
Democrats had conciliated the negroes there KEEL
to have no election, and Anderson fraudulently
ran away with view to furnish an excuse Tor
throwing the parish o9u as Graho q, palism WAS
ton absented himself on election day. eighteen
hundred registered votes were cast. and 400 more
which Anderson had prevented from being regis
tered, made about 800 votes cast, all Democratic
but not one Republican would vote, though urged
to do so the whole vote of the parish at previous
elections both sides had not exceeded $500. The
Republicans who purposely withheld casting anv
vote at all subsequently made a clalm tnat lhey
had been intimidated.
The process of manufacturing aff1davits is set
forth to show how the negroes were imposed upon
and how worthless the atfidavits. AS illustrative
of how utterly reckless the Returning Board was
in considering evidence, it points out tnat IN EasG
Feliciana only twentysix witnesses 70 any Hlna
points out great many other instances OF WnaG
it styles the fraudulent, outrageous and desper-
ate character of the Returning Board, and SHOWS
the impossbility OF the ir considering the testi-
mony before them as they had more IMAM coulo
be read by man reading ten hours Gay III TWO
weeks.
The report states that the Returning Board
would never have so outraged the people put Tor
men and the support which they and the troops
gave them. Then follow details OF how some OF
and innocently co-operated in the frauds Of the
| Returning Board, while others did It. IL refers
very briefly to the alleged bargain ny w thsn
| Packard got counted ill., while Packard Went out'
| and mentions Mr.. Sherman's offer to prove lntlm-
idation, but points out that whenever the com n,
mittee offered to receive it the evidence was not
| produced and they were met by some snam ex-
for notprodqcing It, ~ men Wic leiG f smps
states the facts as they stand, showing that let
ter was actually written and largely innue1eeo
and drawing attention to the attempt in the in
| terest of Mr.. Sherman by Mrs jerks, whose nus
band and brother are employees o. Inc ~
Department, to induce the coMMiI1oo " PioA2oe
| forged letter. s., WITH 81
| The third part OF the report uealS W I'LL Tue
forged electoral certificate, ana claims tne Ne
publicans believing a new electoral certlncaIs
| was necessary, and why the hrst certlncate wa
defective under the Constitution. It states INA
the Vice-President having refused the hrst certl
fcate, the Republicans secretly manu1acturee
| another ante dating it, and made 1T in paper am
printing to resemble the one previously maue
how, having very little time to prepare IL, ana
being impossible to get all the electors 10 NeV
Orleans to sign it within that time, II became
necessity to forge the signatures OF Two apseil
tees that thus there were put TO tne trlpllcatI
papers eighteen forged signatures which were AZ
tached on December 20, in q small upperfoom II
the State building, then in charge OF Conques
Clarke. 49,
| nected with the forgery have been appointed
|. office and the suspicious circumstances connec,
ed with the appointment u some partlculari
charges that Kellogg and Clark this private secre
tary) were privy tc the forgerles. The repol
winds up with reference 10 the danger OF re
turning boards, and the greater danger OF con
| trolling elections and protecting canvass1n
boards by federal troops and above all, TO tn
| crowning danger with which the country
threatened by reason of the enormous patronae
centerec ir the presidency.
Levi Waggenseller, a resident OF Philade
phia, Penn, and 3S years Of age, swallowe
, a plate containing three false teeth. and die
from starvation seven weeks after, havin
been absolutely unable to swallow mors
of food, or even the juice OF an orang
| T..