The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-02-02
THE STOLEN DISPATCHES.

The wisdom OF the Democrats In taking
hold q the cipher dispatches and pressing
inquiry concerning them, regardless OF conse-
quences, has been abundantly proven In the
developments that have been made 30 far.
They very properly directed their first In
uuiries to the manner In which those papers
were obtained, and their researches In this
direction have brought to light the most
disgracefui episode OF the presidential fraud.
not even excepting John Sherman's crook
edness as disclosed by Jim Anderson,
the viilainy OF the Louisiana Returning
Board, or the forgery OF the electoral vote OF
this State. These disclosures were made on
Tuesday last, before the Potter Committee,
by VIM. T.. Chandler, and one Brady, Assist
ant Postmaster General, and, take 1t all In
all, their testimony constitutes the most dis
graceful page of the secret history OF crime
connected with Hayes accession to the
Presidency. These men confessed, In short,
that, In connection with one Bullock, aided
and abetted by o. p. Morton and Nipple
Mitchell, they stole the 0pher dispatches
from Morton's committee room, and anony-
| mously conveyed them to the New York
| Tribune and Ben Butler.
| It had been previously established by the
testimony that the Democratic House COM
mittee, Of which Morrison was chairman,
had been guilty Of no breach OF faith or dis
honest act
A careful list OF all the kilograms received
by IL was kept, and when returned to the
Western Union Company they were all
accounted for and a receipt given according
| go Isat A lar nj NH
grams, some thirty thousand In all, had been
obtained by the Senate Committee on Elec-
lions In obedience to subpoena issued
by that committee. and 1t Is shown
by tho evidence that they were never re-
turned, though deceitful attempt was made
to create the. impression that they had been.
They were sent to Washington In q trunk,
and the trunk was sent back, with an attempt
to convey the impression that its contents
had not been disturbed The testimony shows
that the contents Of the trunk had been
searched and large number OF kilograms
abstracted, those damaging to the Repub-
licans destroyed and those that were sup
posed to be disastrous TO the Democrats Sc
cured and sent, anonymously. to the Tribune
and Butler There Is also proof that the more
damaging dispatches to the Republicans had
been secretly obtained from the Western
Union Company before any subp1nas had
issued, and that the president Of the COM
pany had destroyed his order to turn them
over for the purpose OF avoiding detection.
The facts, as disclosed by Brady and sub
stantiated by Chandler, are as follows: Brady
received the dispatches from Bullock, now
consul at Cologne, but then messenger Of
Morton's committee, who stole them from the
committee room. He gave the most OF them
to Chandler, who went to Buffers Office
during his absence and left some OF them or
his table, sending the balance anonymously
to Whiteaw Reid. of the Tribune. Brady
testified that before Bullock stole the dis
, patches, he, Brady, had gone to the com
, mittee room by the connivance Of Morton Oh
Mitchell, he could not remember which, anC
selected and carried away the dispatches tina
had passed between himself, as one n tn,
visiting statesmen to Florida, and Postmas
ter General Tyner. The whole Of these tele
, grams had lain in the committee room fo
weeks, and access to them was had by sucl
, persons as the Republicans designated.
It Is needless to suggest to what use
the Republican LADDERS put this ad
vantage. That there were other par
ties behind Bullock Is shown by tn
fact that he, mere messenger, an obscur
person, for no other reason that has ever beef
suggested than that OF his theft, has beel
given an important consulate and thus pu
out of the way. With Bullock at Cologne
all the dispatches damaging to the Repub
licans destroyed, and all the scoundrels con
cerned In the election frauds In this State
South Carolina and Florida in fat offices, tn
Republican leaders had at least REASONABLE
ground for believing that their infamie
would never come to light Under such cir
Q cumstances 1t can be readily understood VIII,
= they were SO clamorous over the cipher dis
!, patches, and so persistent In their demand
. for the investigation of the whole question.
The only wonder Is that the Potter com
mittee has been able to put such men a
0 Brady and Chandler upon the rack and tor
ture the facts of the case out Of them. Blu
In doing this the committee has completed
: turned the tables on the parties engaged i
u this disgraceful affair, to the everlasting
J shame of the Republican party. After thos
disclosures it will be very hard indeed
attach any disastrous meaning to the dis
! patches themselves, though there can be u
: longer any doubt but that as the investigs
; ton progresses their import will be full
; cleared up and without seriously compromiE
9 ing either the Democratic party or Mr.. Tildel
o It is almost impossible to realize that me
II who worked with such studied secrecy, an
q who were oppressed with such an evider
l. consciousness of the disgraceful part the
n were pl ying, could ever have been forced b
II any sort of means to confession of the
y guilt