Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-03-07
The Potter Committee.
REPORT OF THE THREE REPUBLICAN MEMBERS
THE CIPHER DISPATCHES.


presented their report on Monday. They
emphatically dissent from the action OF the
majority in affecting to report for whom the
vote Of Florida was actually given after they
hadrefused to examine both sides of that ques-
ton. The majority treated the cipher des-
patches as a separate matter of investigation;
but report upon the frauds in Florida,
with the cipher dispatches left out, would
be like the play of Hamlet with Hamlet left
out. For two years Mr.. Tilden and his
agents, in season and out of season. have
charged that the canvassing board of the
doubtful States had acted fraudulently and
corruptly, but in the whole investigation,
with its three thousand 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 &C
cepted or that any member ofany canvassing
board indicated any desire to betray his
trust ; every intimation of that kind had
been traced to some Democrat and there
ends, and that Democrat had never been
brought before them.
The tribunals in the three States decided
in favor of the Hayes electors. Straightway
the defeated party, with his agents, set up
the assertion of wrong doing. 10 bolster up
that assertion by proof was the object OF the
original consultation of the committee.
They toiled until the first of August and
found no evidence In October, the publ
cation of the cipher dispatches in the
Tribune, showed conclusively that the very
men who had been loudest in their denunc
atoms of the tribunal before whom they had
failed, had themselves endeavored to corrupt
with money those very tribunals. At that
moment the accusations ceased to be the as
sertions and opinions of honest men, and be-
came the ISLANDERS of foiled and beaten subor-
ncrs of corruption; the country, which had
been deceived by the apparent earnestncss and
honesty of Mr.. Tilden and his agents, began
to realize the intense hypocrisy of all that
Marble had written and Pelton circulated.
This fabric of alleged fraud, thus falling.
was what the report of the majority is
endeavoring to build up again and upon the
old foundations. No wonder then they
preferred to make a separate report on the
ciphers. When the parties to the attempted
briberies were put upon the stand they were
forced to admit the receipt and Transmission
Of the criminatory dispatches, each and all
of them. Col. Pelton, whose appearance
before the committee was really pitiable,
seemed to have been selected to bear the
largest share Of the burdens. Mr. Manton
Marble occupied different situation. lie
had, prior to October 18th, taken conspicu-
ously high toned position. He had written
the Ark and Shekinah letter, and had
otherwise conducted himself loftily before
mankind. lie could not, therefore, attempt
TO preserve himself 1t was not for him to
take the position Of Mr.. Smith Weed that it
was right to receive stolen goods from
robbers.
The evidence that Mr. Tilden was ignor-
ant of these transactions was limited to the
denials of Mr. Tilden and Col. Pelton, and
that the latter should endeavor to shield his
uncle, upon whom he was dependent, was
natural, bat the idea that this penniless
man, living in the house and sitting at the
very table Of his wealthy uncle, Mr. Tilden,
should have conducted negotiations involy
ing sdch large sums without word or hint
to the man most deeply interested, or to
anybody else, could not for a moment be
entertained by candid men. If Colonel
Pelton's story be true, he must be removed
from the category Of knayes to that
of fools. Bat the man who conduct
ed the campaign of 1876, as acting
secretary of the Democratic national con-
mittee, was not fool, nor did Mr.. Tiden,
after the election, centre all his interests in
the hands OF fool. Mr.. Tiden's deniel was,
OF course, to be expected. Precisely what
the arrangement was by which Mr.. Til
den was kept posted as to the doings of his
1aCt Ia
general denial. if he was so left. the commit
tee will probably never know.
1t had been urged in Tildens behalf that
as soon as he became aware of tho South
Carolina negotiations he promptly suppress
ed them, and they were asked to draw the
inference that he was guiltless of ALL Had
these transactions ceased when Hardy Solo
mons went home, had Pelton been dis
charged from his plenary superintendent of
Tilden's affairs, there might have been some
show of reason for this plea. but Pelton re-
mained in full control, the Florida negotia-
ton went on, the attempted bribery in Oregon
followed-all under the guidance OF the resi-
dent nephew Pelton. 1t seems more likely
that as originally intended the plan of Tilden
and Pelton was that Mr.. Cooper should be
called on for the money which he was to |
furnish without communication with Tilden. |
Pelton says he told Cooper not to tell Tilden |
that night. Cooper did not, but on redec- |
ton, the next day probably, thinking he had |
over-advanced, and that if Tilden wanted |
the Presidency in that way he had better |
pay for it himself, he went to Tilden. Of
course Tilden could take part in no such
transaction as it had now become. Add to
these circumstances the fact that no demand
was ever made by Tilden for an opportunity
to vindicate himself until the last moment,
until in fact it had got to be choice between
coming on under 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 material to form
an undisputed judgment. The investigation
had been neither full searching nor syste-
matte.
The next question considered was whether
either the Florida or South Carolina return
ing boards were for sale. The South Caro-
ina part is quickly disposed Of
The testimony of Mr. Dunn, uncontra-
1icted, clearly shows that Smith Weed was
played with by shrewder men than himself for
purposes entirely proper and in manner
T. |
W oolley had not been called and Mr..
Marble had probably not given the full facts
If this attempt. So far, however, as he
ias indicated the source of his proposition or
danger signal" it ended this way Mr..
Dyke, the party named, telegraphs that he
never knew anything about it himself lie
vas told by a Mr.. Robertson that Repub-
lean Congressman said they could be bought
'lr. Marbles statement amounts then to
his A man told him that man told him
hat third man told him that the canvass
ng board could be bought This may not
DC consistent with his preparations for
bribery, but it is all the evidence he youch-
afed.
With regard to the Louisiana affairs the
epOrt devotes the most attention to the
sherman letter. The majority report, it
tates, fails to report EXPLICITLY whether
he testimony sustained tho charge that
uch a letter as Anderson and the Webers
tated had been written. They 1.-THE minor
ty) emphatically declares that it does not,
nd that the palpablc perjuries of both the
witnesses named Justify a feeling OF deep
isgust that they should be treated as !
apablc or creating il serious attack upon
he character Of man, who has borne
Ugh character in the most responsible ser
ice Of the country for five and twenty
ears.
In conclusion the report says that the
inc has not yet come when fair review of
he case and a Just Judgment in regard
hereto Is possible. We repeat that the
ew matter referred to does not implicate
1r Sherman or Mr.. Noyes in any improper :
opduct or corrupt proceedings, but that the
ipher dispatches have been confessed to be /
SYSTEMATIC and deliberate efforts to corrupt !
he returning and canvassing boards of the Il
tates of Florida, South Carolina and Oregon 4
y brides offered in the shape Of great sums T
money. Whatever are our differences q
18th the majority Of the committee in other |
espects. We should most heartily rejoice to
nd some methods By whiIh all opportunity
,r fraud or violence might be removed from L
nr elections. As to presidential elections 4
ne matter Of choosing electors is by the con- .
titutlon 80 exclusively committed to State