New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-24
THOSE CIPHER DISPATCHES.

OREGON AND THE ELECTORAL COUNT.
LITTLE OF TIE INSIDE HISTORY OF THE HAYES
AND IHDEN CONTEST.
IRON Az OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENTS OF TIE TRihuNE
WASHINGTON. July 19.-1he general congratula-
ton over the recent Oregon election brings To NINA
some facts in connection with the " Electoral
count" and the investigations OF the two houses oi
Congress, in which an earlier Oregon election
played part facts not generally known to the
public but which even at this day may be OF IN
terest to the public.
In those DAVIS. however il may he at this time, all
original tcleaams were at certain periods gathered
from all the Offices throughout the country ana
sent TO tle main Office in Ncw-York for deposit ana
preservation. The readers have not forgotten the
close and bitterly contested result in the States OF
Oregon Florida. Louisiana and South Carolina III
the Hayes and Tildcu fight Ii seems that an
officer of the Western Union Telegraph Company
vino could have access 70 these gathered teiegrams
and who was n good Democrat was kept awake
nights with the hopeful idea that among all the
kilograms sent back and forth III regard to the can
vass in these States by the active Republican
leaders, resident and foreign, possibly there might
I've found something 10 compromise these men ana
their party and, If made public help reconcile the
country to the medltateG attempt to seat Mr. III
dem or secure a strong sympathy if he were counted
running hs cunning. went TO work. day and night
with this mass OF returned kilograms at the New
York Office, and picked ont every telegram sent
during the campaign ly any man of political emil
nence from or to the politicians of either OF these
four contested States. He hadn't time for sorting
SO he gathered all the kilograms, cipher and other
WISE Of the men of both parties, and stored them
away in halfdozen capacious and well locked
trunks.
fl will be remembered that during that
CONGRESS the Democratic House had an invcs-
tgatihg committee smelling about for whatever
might he thought Of service TO the claims OF MI
Tden of which the late Ciarkson y. Potter was
charman-as honorable a gentleman as that patty
has had in Congress for the last quarter of century
and il was a committee weil-watchcd by the Re.
publican Senate Committee on Privileges and Lee
tons. with that most vlgant of Republicans the
late Oliver =. Morton, at It's head. When the
Democratic official of the telegraph company had
his kilograms which were TO shock the country and
blow the Republicans entirely ont Of water safely
trnnked and locked. hc came on TO Washington. and
NJ n hurriedlv called meeting If the Democratic
u,e,,hers of the Potter committee diyugcd bis
terrific scheme.
Then was the Democratic heart glad. AL n
u5pana dues tenn under the broad seal Of the
House and the sign manual Of It's Speaker was ut
once placed in the hands of Its Sergeant-at- AIMS
ordering all the officers Presidents superintendents
and directors Of both the Western Union and the
Atlantic and Pacific Telegraph Companies to pa
near forthwith before the Potter committee, bring
inc with them all the kilograms thai Tor .lN months
had passed back and forth between these poliil-
clans naming some forty or ilty oil the none active
men OF the time, and covering all THAT were III the
80 good a thing could not be kept. Just one HINT
had 10 Ice made-t0 q friend IA coincidence
which soon reached the ear o. VIM. j.. q handlcT'
who WIS considerably ahOIt' in those days. ana
through Inn was communicated to the EiSilanl
chairman of the senate committee. I'D h'r
minutes that committee WAS III session, ana Noteu
to do the very thing that had been ordered by TIE
House committee.
grams The House bad taken ats action about .
O'Clock i'm the morning. 1t was after 3 =. ul when
the long summons covering TWO ar three 'hetts oI
fool,clp paper reached She office of the sergeant al
Arms oi the Senate. John X. french was thrn MI
inv that position. IIbiugIn lie situation, hc soon
had half dozen of the rr1dcst writers oi the
senate force making copies OF the S"hprHa'
cour of trust worthy deputies awaiting orders. and
auulck telegraph operator "ith wire l"r Now "t"
anu cnionrd upon all dispatch and absolute
Before the lamps were lighted that night the long
summons had been ielcgraphcd 10 every one Ui the
more than twenty telegraph ohc.aia ana before
the sun set the neGt day. u MAKE an sure ltIf"-
venture any legal Cavii, personal service had been
made in every instance. at The homes or places Oi
husiur,s OF these men. wherever they lived, in iIe
State OF New-i Ork OF IN Ncw-Iuoland; and the
morning thereafter, the arrival OF the tram IRON
the North, came these men, with thciT TRUNKS OF
kilograms, and reported To the Segeani-ai Ailns o.
she senate that they waited the lurlhci orCcrS OF
that body at WiilaIPs Hotel
That morning. about = clock. rs was ms wont,
the r0tuud Sergcant-at-Arins al the House perhaps
thinking over the many heIds he had won, ana ioel,
i'm the Buckeye state. all the splcnoOrs oi which
were to be eclIpsed 10y the trap which h. was now
aboni 10 slrng. ,elsurelv taxing his comfort
able breakfast at that Same Nlll3fds ltotrl, wh'n
"a fcow-boaIder across the table asked, " " n.y. are
Ali The telegraph men in town = adding that he
had Just left dozen of them in one of the parlos
upstairs " Glad to hear IT, replied the beInoc lahc
Official " for the presence OF these men ~ W ashhs-
ton saves me the trip of deputy TO New l0ik;
and he went on with his morning meal
Later be hunted up the telegraph men IN thcf
parlor. and after general Introduction ana
quiet discussion of the topics of the GaV, he I'M
rolled his pOndnrOus summons ana proceeded 10
read the same to IL, body collectively. | pom MS
conclusion, Dr. Grecn. president OF the western
abiding men. and would assuredly respond 10 tNe
summons of the House as soon ~ they. ana the
papers called for ucrr rSitdSed ~ ne \ehd'e 'hal
they were IN Washington with their trunks 81
tclcgrams in obedience 10 q writ from mat body
and when It was through with them, they would
III medlatelv report to the House
TIE senate was not through with those tcie
grams rntu about five minutes before the final adj
iournmeuf of both Unconstitutional during the
meantime somebody went through them and
brought to light the Cipher Dispatches, an exposure
which laid the foundation for great zeal OF hole
some political action on the part Ol the American
Several lessons" may be gathered from these
fact, by the thOughtiui politician; ana II may he
well to put them on record part Of the history
OF an interesting tim'. The outcome must nave re
minded the housing Democratic telegraph official
of what has become proyerblal about certain
= schemes of mice and ncn.'
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SHOOTING HERSELF ~ ED.