New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-03-08
rIRrn az nELNG Gn1T.


from lis retirement to indulge in a llttlc con-
vprsatl0n with = reporter of Ihe Heraid on
the sulsect of a recent inquiry with which
his name has been rather prominently con-
nectcd IL thinks the minority report OF the
Cipher Committee wa "untair and untrue
in asserting that the Returning Boards Of
South Carolina and FLORIDA were not for sale.
81 know said he, that we could have
" bought the Returning Boards Of both those
states had we chosen to do so. 1 know als0
that we did not buy them, and t.at the
certificates were given to the Hayes cleo
"torsn And then follows. Of course, the
regular Democratic conclusion, " rcrc-
" fore the Republicans did buy them
delivered in tone Of y.TtGUuS il
di-a4lun wholly indcscuLallc. Colonel Pei
ton seems to have pIuckcd up heart since
.hc dissolution of the Committee. The noble
wrath with which me refers to the yeual
operations OF the Radical agents is calculated
to stir the coolest blood and stimulate the
most sluggish political conscience. We have
met With nothing so fine since Colonel Pei
ton denounced tine careiesSnGss OF TIE ! RIB
USE's proof-rcaders in allowing the word
"b,' in one of his her dispatches TO be
printed % be-"
After thinking over the tender portions Of
his confession, the engaging Colonel adheres
to his statement made 10 the Subcommittee
at the Fifth Avenue Hotel about thc
source nJm which lac expected 20 obtain
the money for the purchase OF Florida and
South Carolina. Th.t source was " the Demo
cratic National Commttcc.' he concluded
the bargains, intending" aftcrward e. submit
them 10 The Committee for the proper ac.ion.
PrubaDly be means the Executive Committee;
We should suppose that an affair ot this kind
could not be- safely trusted 40 - large "A body
~ t.a whole Committee but We may be
mistaken; Colonel PcitOn knows the gentle
men better than We do. The South Carolina
ARRANGEMENT Was defeated by the Col0ucIs
abrupt recall from Baltimore. The trade in
Florida, bee say, fell through because the ac-
ceptauce was sent too late. He does not
seem to think there would have bren
any difficulty in either case aboul ob
tanning the money except for these uufor-
tuuyte accidents Ii is obvious that when he
IIcdstd the Copenhagen and accepted the
Bolivia be had no doubt about hIs ability to
carry 0ub the terms OF the engagement, and
it l. y most interesting circumstance that IN
the light OF ali that has since happened he Is
still convinced that he could have done so
except for two annoying blUndrrs, namely,
the premature disclosure of the Baltimore
affair by Mr. Cooper, anG the delay in the
correspondence with Manton Marble.
II would be strange, indeed, if the acting
secretary and managing man of the Committee
had entered into these heavy pecuniary en-
ga3cments on behalf of the Committee with
out some good reason for the belief
that his contracts would be duly covered. Any
failure on his part would be certain ruin. lie
had .rcd IL make payment contingent on
result III March, but the negotatOrs assured
him that the money must be paid in advance.
If the Boards we're corrupt, to promise them
PREPAYMENT for their votes and then neglect to
deliver the cash would make them absolutely
certain to vote the other way, whether the
Republicans bribed them or not. Pet0n may
not be the wseSt man in the world. but he
was shrewd enough TO see thai. He never
made that journey to Baltimore without pretty
strong assurance that the cash would follow
him; and beyond question he could not have en-
tered into the Florida arrangement afterward if
anything that happened upon his return from the
interview with Weed and Hardy Solomon had
disturbed his tacit understanding with the
men WAC held the purse.
All this it would appear that Colonel Pclt0n
is willing the world should comprehend. We
dare say he is tired of being deSpised exile.
lie is u gentleman of social disposition, and
he feels the want of company. He has not
been well treated. If his negotiations had
succeeded, he would have been one OF the
most popular men in the party; if the cipher
DISPATCHES had never been translated, he would
have retained the confidence Of his uncle, and
been charged with the management of the
count in 1850. Is it such sin to be found
QUIT We do not wonder that Colonel Pelton
i mad. Even a worm will turn.
DIRECTOE OF NrAJEYS