The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1879-02-13

'alleO on tn6 GOVeInOI sue evening
eft, and simply babe him good bye.
On my way 1 met Randolph Blair :
md Fox, and of course ~canvassed the matter !
with them. Think 1 got the cipher from Z
Pelton, at the Everett House, and used it
subsequently; neither sent to nor received 4
from Tilden any kilograms addressed my
dispatches to Pelton. My objectin going 10
Florida was to take care of Electoral votes,
and let me here suggest that the cipher dis
published in the Tribune,
so far as 1 am concerned, are simply
The witness testified that
he had bought no Florida votes, though
they were for sale. He said that so far as
.pecuniary arrangements were concerned
he had nothing to do with them except in
this way: he transmitted by wire all prop
~ositions made to him, but as to their con-
summation he had nothing to do.
On being asked, Were you not aware
that Woolley was authorized to buy out
the Returning Board?" Mr.. Marble re-
piled: al was not aware of anything of the
kind. Witness met Governor Tilden long
after the decision of the Returning Board.
He denounced the whole proceeding, and
said that under no circumstances would he
have countenanced any such arrangement.
Ny friendly relations with Governor Tilden
have not been changed, for, as have
already told you, he knew that / had
nothing to do with these propositions, and
merely included them in my cipher mes.
sages to accommodate the parties who made
them"
At the evening session Mr.. Marble tes-
tilted that he saw Governor Tilden imme-
diately on his arrival from Florida, but did
not at that time mention to him any thing
about the buying and selling Florida bust
ness, and took pains to conceal from him
the whole facts, for obvious reasons. 1
knew he would not approve of il. Pelton
gave me the cipher. 1 know nothing of its
origin.
Witness further testified that the impress
sion that Mr.. Tilden managed the whole
campaign was a great error. Had no con-
versation with FELTON, upon the return from
Florida as to his proposition telling ne
e" to close at once" He must be mistaken
in saying we had a conversation on the SUBJ
ject. I supposed the whole matter came
from him alone, and that the Democratic
Committee and Mr.. Tildun knew nothing
of it.
At a meeting of the committee investi.
eating the cipher dispatches, Samuel j.
Tilden, Immediately upon entering the
room, was sworn by Mr.. Hunton, Chairman,
who said:
Governor Tilden, we received your note
expressing your willingness to testify"
Mr.. Tilden| have a cold and can NOT
speak very loud; the publication and
transactions in New York papers l have
read; and did not recognize a single dis
patch, either in cipher or translation
which 1 had ever seen before; Inever en-
tered into any arrangements to purchase
the vote of South Carolina or Florida; ]
had no information, no suspicion, that any
such communications were being carried
on until 1 saw the dispatches
published in the New York
Tribune; l had no knowledge, no dealings
with the parties to these negotiations; ]
never authorize, any such negotiations in
any form whatever. On the morning Of
' November 20, 1876, Mrs. Colonel Peltor
mentioned in my presence that her hus
band had gone for the day. 1 didn't know
he had gone, or was going out Of the city
He went to Philadelphia, 1 believe. Later
in the day 1 was called on by Mr.. Cooper
who was on his way down town
and was told by him that he had received
an offer from some party offering
to obtain for money the vote of South
Carolina. / said I would authorize no sucl
transaction, nor spend money for any suci
purpose. The whole conversation occupied
only a few minutes. l obtained Colonel
Pelton's address in Baltimore, and tele
graphed him to come home. I knew
nothing of the cipbers that had beer
passing between him and others, and
could not nave translated them.
With regard to Florida, I never saw on,
of the kilograms, either in cipher or trans
lation. 1 did not know, and l was not in
formed, that negotiations were going on il
regard to illegally obtaining certificates o
the Returning Board. Some time ago Mr.
Marble called and told me in a casual kin,
, of way about the corruption of the Return
ing Board of Florida. I never saw any o
. these dispatches relating to Florida, eithe
in cipher or translation.
l In regard to the Oregon dispatches, 1 di,
E not know they came in cipher until afte
! the meeting of the committee to investigat
them. Some Of the dispatches were ad
dressed to my residence, 10 Gramercy Park
: L don't know that any of these dispatche
were ever delivered there. Colonel Pelton'
habits of mind and mine are very different
r Aday or two after the election Genera
1 Grant wrote a letter recommending tina
committees 60 South to see a fair count.
q had nothing to do with the selection Q
these committees. I never heard fror
e them but once, and that was a communt
cation signed by Ottendorfer and others.
e was very busy all the time, and did not III
IS dertake to correct the idea that they wer
n my personal agents, which had n
foundation. They represented tn
Democratic party. None of them, 8
n far as 1 know, went to those States 81
thorized to do any thing that gentleme
might not do. From the 7th of Novembe
1879, until December 6, of the same yea,
under no circumstances did l enter int
b any competition for seeking certificate
y by venal inducements. There never We
an hour nor a minute that 1 entertaine
Is such a thought. To the people who, as
believe, elected me President of the Unite
States; to the four million citizens VIII
y were defrauded, l owed it to proclail
sr that 1 would not yield one jot or little of m
lie right. Whatever evils may result fro,
o. this subversion of the Electoral syste
and of free government, 1 resolved I woul
j. enter into no auction for the purchase
lg the Chief Magistracy. [Cheers, which Il
IN the Chairman suppressed 1 was resolve
he that 1 would continue to protest again
as the wrong by which the people we
lg defrauded out of their rights. [Mr. Tilder
e. voice owing to his cold, became husky, al
1g it required ar effort to catch all his words
ne Mr.. Tilden underwent a close cross-qut
I'd tioning by Messrs. Reed and Hiscock.
he After the examination of Mr.. Tilden, N
OF E. L. Paris took the stand; but the on
Of point of Interest developed was that
ly kilograms, although addressed to Mr.. T