The Portland daily press., 1882-08-02
Those Cipher Dispatches.
How the Senate Got Them to Club Tilden
With.
washinrton Letter 70 New YORK Tribune

Washington Letter to New York Tribune
The general congratulation over the recent
Oregon election brings to mind some facts in
connection with the electoral 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 inte rest to
the public. In those days, however it may be
at this time all original kilograms were at GER
tain periods, gathered from all the offices
throughout the country and sent to the main
office in New York for deposit and preserve
ton, The readers have not forgotten the close
and bitterly contested result in the States of
Oregon. Florida, Louisiana and South CARROLL
ma in the Hayes and Tilden fight. 1t seems
that an officer of the Western Union telegraph
company, who could have access to these gath
cred kilograms, and who was good Democrat,
was kept awake nights by the hopeful idea
that among all the kilograms sent back and
forth in regard to the canvass in these States
by the active Repub, lean leaders, resident and
foreign, possibly there might be found some
thing to compromise these men and their par
ty, and, If made public help reconcile the
country to the meditated attempt to seat Mr.
Tilden, or secure strong sympathy II ne were
counted out So this telegraph official, with
stealth outrunning his cunning, went to work,
day and night, with this mass of returned tele-
grams 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 gath
cred all the kilograms, cipher and otherwise,
of the men of both parties, and stored them
away in a half-dozen capacious and well-locked
trunks.
1t will be remembered that during that Con-
gress the Democratic House had an investigat-
ing committee smelling about for whatever
might be thought of service to the claims of
Mr. Tilden, of which the late Clarkson N. Pot
ter was chairman--as honorable a gentleman
as that party has had in Congress for the last
quarter of century-and it was a commit tee
well watched by the Republican Senate COM
mittee on privileges and elections, with that
most vigilant of Republicans the late Oliver
P Morton at its head. When the Democratic
official of the telegraph company had his tele-
grams which were to shock the country and
blow the Republicans entirely out OF water,
safely trunked and locked, he came on to
Washington and at hurriedly called meeting
of the Democratic members of the Potter COM
mittee divulged his terrific scheme. Then was
the Democratic heart glad. And a 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 its sergeant-at-arms or
dering all the officers, presidents, superinten-
dents and directors of both the Western Union
and the Atlantic and Pacific telegraph compa-
MES to appear forthwith before the Potter
committee, bringing with them all the tele-
grams that for six months had passed back and
forth between these politicians, naming some
40 or so 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 a friend sin conf
dence"-which soon reached the ear of Will
liam e. Chandler, who was considerably
.sabout'' in those days, and through him was
communicated to the vigilant chairman of the
Senate committee. In five minutes that COM
mittee was in session, and voted to do the very
thing that had been ordered by the House COM
the kilograms. The House had taken its sc-
ton about o'clock in the morning 1t was af-
ter D. m. when the long summons covering
two or three sheets of foolscap paper, reached
the office of the sergeant-at-armso of the Senate.
John r. French was then filling the position
Taking in the situation he soon had half doz-
en- of the readiest writer's of the Senate force
making copies of the subpoena, a couple of
trustworthy deputies awaiting orders, and a
quick telegraph operator with wire for New
York-and enjoined upon all dispatch and abb
solute silence. Before the lamps were lighted
that night the long summons had been tele-
graphed to every one of the more than 20 tele-
graph officials, and before the sun set the next
day, to make all sure, peradventure any legal
cavil, personal service 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; and the morn
ing thereafter, on the arrival 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
ordArq of that hodv at Wizards hOtaI.
That morning, about nine O'Clock, as was
his won't the rotund sergeant-at-arms OF the
House, perhaps thinking over the many fields
he had won, and lost, in the Buckeye state, all
the spleDdors of which were to be eclipsed by
the trap which he was now about to spring, was
leisurely taking his comfortable breakfast at
that same Wizards hotel, when a fellow
boarder across the table asked, why are all
the telegraph men in town." adding that he
had just left dozen OF them in one OF the
parlors upstairs ''Glad to hear it, replied
the democratic official, "for the presence of
these men in Washington saves me the trip of
deputy to New York. and he went on with
his morning meal. Later he hunted up the
telegraph men in their parlor, and after gen.
eral Introduction and quiet discussion OF the
topics Of the day, he unrolled his ponderous
summons and proceeded to read the same to
the body collectively. Upon his conclusion,
DIR. Greene, president of the Western Union
company, remarked that they were -abid-
Ing iuou. anu WO0lu ocoUiOuiJ ACoPonN otAo
summons of the House as 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 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 tele-
grams until about five minutes before the final
adjournment of both Houses-though during
the mean time somebody went through them
and brought to light the cipher dispatches, an
exposure which laid the foundation for great
deal of wholesome political action on the part
of the American people since. Several
Blossoms may be gathered from these facts by
tho thoughtful politician, and it may be well
to put them on record as part of the history
of an interesting time. The outcome must
have reminded the mousiDg democratic tele-
graphic official Of what has become proverbi al
about certain schemes OF mice and men,"