New-York tribune., 1879-02-26

doubt on which side the scheme oil purchase
originated. although it has been uncertain
bcretoforc whether the Board of CanvaSScrS
were actually ready TO accept Mr. Smith
Weeds frank proposals il the money had
been obtained in time. The testimony of ex-
Controller Dunn, however, settles that point
Mr.. Dunn proves that Smith Weed, while he
suDpcspd he was conducting bona iide ne
gotiation with a III joriiy of the Board, was
ooly showing his hand to a shrcwdcr man
than himself, who immediately reported
every detail of the affair to Governor Cham
berlain Mr. Chamberlain, if he had been
called would have cOrrobOIated the state
mcnt Of Mr.. Dunn. Now by revealing the
plot to the Governor, who would have been
one Of the chief victims if It had been carried
out Mr.. Damn made il absolutely Impossible
for the Board to accept the brbe, II they had
been so disposed. He gave the best lmagin-
able pledge for the fidelity of himself and
his associates. and test by which we can
surely determine the value Of his present tes-
nmonv. The "mterccdcr Hardy Solomon,
as soon As Smith Weed showed a danger sig
nal by revealing his name to tine Commlttee'
disappeared from sight, and we do hot lhaE-
inc that the Democrats in Washington o.
Columbia either, arc very anxious 10 ma
him.
The transactions III Florida were somewhat
more obscure, but upon these affairs too'
the Committee has thrown strong hSht'
Every attempt to trace the propositions oI
Marble and Wooley 10 their source leads
straiclt to y Democrat and there stops. VT.
! Marbles eccentric foIcctfulne>, as Ia the per-
sons from whom he received the coriupI OIL
fcrs telegraphcd to New-loIh was subject
Of wondering remark at the time Of ms tX-
animation The air was full at Oilers ne
,ays: but three were report ted TO him ~ such
positive shape that he felt authorized To sun
init them 10 his plincinal at nome. lhc hT'i'
he thinks, was iCr S2jo,COO; then there W"-'
Of certainty, an offer for T2O",ooo; hn'd!Y
there wa. a proposal for $4,000. It's 9hN-
on, that If an honest DcmoCiajlr statesman,
.'wa,cliue the count" had received a ec'ie'
oC distinct PROPOSITIONS TO sell out, he would
/ remember from whom he I,c'Nrd them.
II Is obvious that il one OF TIE series
impressed itself ON his mind more
strongly thau the others, il would be the hist'
made while he was fresh aud made at the
I highest price, Yet M. Marble s"ore that The
only one he could remember anything about
wa, thc last and the cheapest, and probably
lr would not have remembered thIt u II. {.
T.. DYKE, the editor OF "a Democratic po' tr Ia
/ Florida, mad not already stated that he heard
! ii 81, "a rumor and repeated ~ 10 Marble. ! hts
statement of the chief commander of IA" III
Gen campaign in Florida /, ao,urdy inc.c'li-
! blc. And set it did convey some information
! a IA
for II l., a. plain rs day that IL hc did not, or
would not, remember the sources oil t"cSc
nro,o..l-. thcy did not reach hIW through
Republican channels ana could not be traced
back To- amy Republicans cta, in Office or out
Of Office,
Tnc evidence Of Mr. Coyle furnishes strong
confirmation OF this conclusion. lie sWore
that Mr. Alexander Thain, Democratic poll
tician of tlis city. was the person who made
the 5000 900 proposition. Than made it not
only to Marble, but to Coyc He made it as
eary as the Ilth Of November when CoyIe
met hiiu on the cars at Weldon. He showed
/ Coyle a dispatch from Florida which read
"Comc quIck with cCrnuropi1,' and OF course
| he could not have received >Ich a message eX-
/ ccpt from some member Of his own party.
He nui,cd the proposition for three weeks.
lie seems 10 have gone about Tallahassee
/ pressing il with great c&mcsncs1, at the
same tim" that Colonel Noolley was assuring
( toylc that the iob could be managed for
$4,000. There is not q HINT in all these
! transactions the; any Republican was 30 much
a. consulted about the trade. The CORE
/ sDGrdrnce has been pahllc ever since October.
/ Wooli,.y has maintained an obstinate silence.
! Marble. after all his abusive language, has
/ been unable to recall Il solitary fact di,credIt-
/ able t. the canvasSiug officers whom he has
40 violently def imcd. 4 Democratic Commit
/ tee, after ample opportunity for conference
with the "V>iting statc>mcn,' has been un-
able 70 find the slightest trace Of an offer by
any member of the CanyassIus Boards 10
sell. or an acceptance of the proposal, Of the
Democrats to 6uy.
The truth shine, foith. The Cipher Commit
tee has yindicatcd the Florida and South
/ Carolina Returning officers whom Joseph sur
face and thc other hypocrltcs have been Will
f,iug for more chan two years. There were
no "proposi,iou,," except what were laid be
fore Marble and Wool!cy by their own party
friends. or tclcgraphed TO Newly orli by Mar
hlc and Woolley and Weed, in the confident
hope that they would be accepted. llr. Til
den, confidential agent, went 10 Florida and
south Carolina with dciiuerdte purpose 10
dehauch the Canvassng Boards, anil HeyJoded
bcco,gc TIC Boay1{s ,rcrc net tor safe.