Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-03-04
PLEA,
MINORITY REPORT or TIE POTTER
COMMITTEE.

The Fairness of Chairman Potter and tn
Majority Acknowledges Complain
Made That tho Investigation Was Cor
/ fined to Partisan Limits--Tho Charges q
Fraud In Florida and Louisiana Declares
I Merely Unsupported Assertions--The His
tory of the Cipher kilograms and TIL
den's Ignorance of the Same Secuted.
WASHINGTON, March 3.-The minority Of th
Potter investigating committee, Messrs. His
cock, Cox and Reed, presented their repor
this afternoon. In it they dissent from th
views presented in the report of the majority
! both as to pertinence of the same to the in
vestigation- and to the conclusions expressed
upon the testimony taken, but they tax
| pleasure in testifying, that the rulings of th
chairman and his manner Of directing business
| were marked by the most equitable and eve,
| generous spirit. They differ from the maiorit,
as to some of the resolutions adopted by then
limiting the scope of the examination. bn
this difference of judgment did not Diminish
their sense OF the personal courtesy shown
| them.
| They then refer to the origin of the commit
/ tee, pointing out that the original resolution,
for its appointment did not ask for genera
| Investigation of all the frauds connected Will
the last Presidential election, but Ionly ewha1
might be found in the acts of officials and Der
sons of one political party in two of the State,
| in which fraudulent practices were charged
They took this view in committee, and treated
the investigation as on the whole unnecessary
| made without provocation so far as the indi
viduals named were aimed at, and are likely tc
add nothing of value to the public information
on the general subject. They confined them.
selves, therefore, to the task of trying to make
the inquiries instituted by the majority some.
thing more than Democratic investigation OF
Republicans, SO that whatever was put before
the world might have some of the elements OF
an examination of both sides. This would ex.
plain why they did more for original inquiries
beyond those commenced by the majority, and
did not ask for new investigations of frauds
in Oregon, South Carolina, Mississippi and
other States.
When the Florida investigation was began
they offered resolution that the alleged
frauds at the ballot-box, as well as those
charged upon the can yassers and returning of
fcers, should be examined. This was voted
ter of notoriety and was by them brought to
the attention of the majority that both kinds
of charges were made. They understood the
majority to base their action upon the limita-
tions they thought were put to the investiga-
ton by the original resolutions, and did not
quarrel with their judgment, though this
would show the original resolutions to be un-
fair and partisan in their character. They
have conducted the examination on the inter
pretatlons thus given, but what surprises them
and what they desire most cmphatically to dis
sent from, was the action of the majority in
affecting to report for whom the vote of Flori-
da was actually given.
After thew had thus refusod r., oxor,;,o III L
sides of that very question, while their work
was in progress, q publication was made in a
leading journal Of the cipher dispatches. The
startling character of the revelations made in
the action Eof the minority appear singular
this case, but they quietly waited to see what
course the majority would feel it necessary to
take. They had learned the majority treated
these dispatches as separate matter of invest
lgatlon and report. They could not SO regard it.
A report upon the frauds of Florida, with the
cipher dispatches omitted, would be like the
play of Hamlet with Hamlet left out. The facts
were too notorious to be left out, and therefore
they dissented from the method of making up
the report suggested by the other side.
The majority report that they would have
preferred to sit with closed doors, but Welded
to the wish of the minority. This was true
and they saw no reason to regret this course
They thought the same also of the cipher invest
lgatlon, that publicity was necessary.
Upon the cipher dispatch investigation the
minority report that they present their views
under the disadvantage of not possessing any
indication of what the views of the majority
will be. They would confne themselves to the
investigation they themselves had made with
regard to which it might be fairly said the
whole investigation rested upon what enter
prise and wonderful skill the translator brought
to light.
The original subject of this investigation was
honesty or dishonesty of the election in Florida
Louisiana and South Carolina For two wears
prior to October, 1875 Mr.. Tilden and his
agents, in season and outlof season, had iterat-
ed and reiterated the charges that the can
wasting boards of doubtful States had acted
fraudulently and corruptly in the discharge of
their sworn duties. 1t these charges had neen
OF those fortified by any proof, the character
OF those who made the charges
would De Of no consequence what
investigation, with its 5000 pages of hearsay
and falsehood, had not afforded the slightest
proof of what was asserted. No man had come
forward to say that any bride was accepted or
that any member of any canvassing board in
dicated any desire to hetray his trust. Every
intimation of that kind had been traced to
some Democrat, and that Democrat had never
been brought before them. Mr.. McLin, to
whose testimony reference is made, although
goaded by sickness and imaginary wrongs,
never for moment admitted improper con-
duct at the time. He only thinks, from after
knowledge, that he may have been mistaken.
Gen. Barlow. whose conduct has received the
compliments of the majority, after a full
knowledge of the workings of Cowgilrs mind,
admits his honesty of purpose, and that of ali
others. As to the South Carolina board. the
full, free and uncontradicting testimony of
Mr. Dunn satisfied every man who heard Of it
OF the absence of fraud in South Carolina.
@These charges, then, of fraud and corruption
h1r dem Il
ed the air were nothing but unsupported as
sertlons OF litigants, against whom the courts
have decided. The tribunals in three States
have decided in favor of the Hayes electors
where his agents set up the assertion of wrong
dong. Pelton says he told Cooper not to tell
Iilden. That night Cooper did not, but on re-
Election the next day, probably thinking chat
he had already over-advanced and that If Til.
den wanted the Presidency in that way he had
better pay for it himself, he came to Tilden.
OF course Tilden could take part in no such
open transaction as it had now become. Add
to these circumstances the fact that no demand
had ever been made by Tilden for an oppor-
tunity to vindicate himself until the Last mo-
ment, until, in fact, it had got to be a choice
between coming on by process or
appearing to come voluntarily, the minority
were driven to the conclusion that if Tilden
had told all he knew of these transactions they
would have been in possession of the material
to form an undisputed judgment. without
which the investigation would neither be full,
searching nor Systematic. They did not say
this in any spirit of criticism on the action Of
the majority. The lateness of the commence
ment of the inquiry precluded thoroughness
The next question to be considered was
whether either the Florida or South Carolina
returning boards were for sale. The South
Carolina part il quickly disposed of. The tes-
tlmoDy of Dunn, uncontroverted, clearly shows
that Smith Weed was played with by shrewder
mon than himself for purposes entirely proper,
and in manner entirely justifable. As to
Florida, Wooley had not been called, and
Marble had probably not given