The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1882-08-11
TUE CIPHER DISPATCHES.
How the Senate Got Them TO Club
TiIden with.


The general congratulation over the
recent Oregon election brings to mind
some facts In connection with the s'elec-
toral count" and the Investigations OF
the two houses of 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
interest to the public. In those days,
however it may be at this time, all orig
inal kilograms were, at certain periods,
gathered from all the Offices throughout
the country and sent to the main Office
in New York for deposit and preserva-
ton. The readers have not forgotten
the close and bitterly contested RESULT in
the States of Oregon, Florida, Louisi-
ana and SoutL Carolinain the Hayes and
Tilden fight. 1t seems that an officer of
the Western Union Telegraph Company
who could have access to these gathered
kilograms, and who was good Demo-
crat, was kept awake nights with the
hopeful idea that among all the tele-
grams sent back and forth in regard to
the canvass in these States by the active
Republican leaders, resident and for
eign, possibly there might be found
something to compromise these men and
their party, and, if made public. help
reconcile the country to the meditated
attempt to seat Mr.. Tilden, Or secure a
strong sympathy if he were counted out.
So this telegraph official, with stealth
outrunning his cunning, went to work,
day and night, with this mass of returned
kilograms at the New York Office, and
picked out every telegram sent during
the campaign by any man of political
eminence 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 or otherwise,
of the men of both parties, and stored
them away in a half dozen capacious an6
well-locked trunks.
It will be remembered that during
that Congress the Democratic House
had an investigating committee smelling
about for whatever might be thought of
service to the claims of Mr.. Tilden, of
which the late Clarkson N. Potter was
Chairman-as honorable gentleman as
that party has had in Congress for
the last quarter of century-and it was
committee we'll watched by the Re-
publican Seuate Committee on Privileges
and Elections, with that most vigilant
of Republicans, the late Oliver P. MOI
ton, at its head. When the Democratic
official Of the telegraph company had his
kilograms, which were to shock the
country and blow the Republicans en-
tirely out of water, safely trunked and
locked, he came or to Washington, and
at hurriedly-called meeting of the
Democratic members of the Potter Com
nlittee divulged his terrific scheme.
Then was the Democratic heart glad.
And subpoena duces tecum under the
| broad seal of the House and the sign
manual of its Speaker was at once
placed in the hands of IT'S Sergeant at
Arms, ordering all the officers, Presi-
dents, Superintendent and Directors of
both the Western Union and Atlantic
and Pacific Telegraph Companies to APP
pear before the Potter Committee,
bringing with them all the kilograms
that for six months had passed back and
forth between these politicians. naming
some forty or fifty OF the more active
men OF the time, and covering all that
were In the trunks.
So good thing could not be kept.
just one hint had to be made-to
friend Gin confidence which soon
reached the ear of William E. Chandler,
who was considerably "about in those
days, and through him was communi-
Gated to the vigilant Chairman of the
| Senate committee. In five minutes that
committee was in session, and voted to
do the very thing that had been ordered
by the House committee. 1t was now
contest for possession of the kilograms.
The House had taken its action about 9
o'clock in the morning. It was after 8
p. m, when the long summons, covering
two or three sheets of foolscap paper,
reached the Office of the Sergeant-at-
Arms of the Senate. John r. French
was then filling that position. Taking
In the situIation. he soon had half dozen
of the readiest writers of the Senate
force making copies Of the subpenas,
couple of trustworthy deputies awaiting
orders, and a quick telegraph operator
with wire for New York-and enioined
upon all dispatch and absolute silence.
Before the lamps were lighted that night
the long summons had been telegraphed
to every one of the more than twenty
telegraph officials, and before the sun
set the next day, to make all sure, per-
adventure any legal cavil, personal SER.
vice had been made in every instance at
the homes or places of business of these
men. wherever they lived, in the State
of New York or in New England;
md the morning thereafter, on the ar
rival of the train from the North, came
these men with their trunks of kilograms,
and reported to the Sergeant-at- Arms of
the Senate that they waited the further
orders of that body at Wizards Hotel.
That morning about 8 o'clock, as he
was won't, the rotund Sergeant-at-A Arms
of the House, perhaps thinking over the
many fields he had won and lost in the
Buckeye State, all the splendors of
which were to be eclipsed by the trap
which he was now about to spring, was
leisurely taking his comfortable break
fast at that same Wizards Hotel, when
a fellow-boarder across the table asked
"Why are all the telegraph men in
town 2" adding that he had just left
dozen of them in one of the parlors up
stairs. "Glad to hear it." replied the
Democratic official, "for the presence of
these men in Washington saves me the
trip of a deputy to New York" and he
went on with his morning meal. Later
he hunted up the telegraph men in their
parlor, and after a general Introduction
and a quiet discussion of the topics of
the day he unrolled his ponderous sum-
mons and proceeded to read the same to
the body collectively. Upon his con-
cIusion Dr. Green. President of the
Western Union Company, remarked that
they were law-abiding men and would
assuredIy respond to the summons of
the House az soon as they and the
papers called for were released by the
Senate; that they were in Washington
with their trunks of kilograms in
obedience to a writ from that body. and
when it was through with them they
would Immediately report to the House.
The Senate was not through with
those kilograms until about five minutes
before the final adjournment of both
houses-though during the meantime
somebody went through them and