Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-11-14
when he had finished there was silence for

when he had finished there was silence for
quite number of seconds.
SHOT to worry you with details, the in
fiuence of that address was such that in
half an hours time the disputed point had
been arranged, and the report recommend
ing the electoral commission bill had been
signed by every committeeman except
Senator Morton. have always believed
that had it not been for the for
tunate incident that placed Mr..
Conkling Oh our committee, or if
he had not made that wonderful address
the more stubborn faction of the Republi-
can party would have gained the ascend
ancy and that meant the worst. The SEN
ate would have met on the second We'd
nesday in February. According to the
general law the house probably would not
have been present in quorum, but, with
or without the presence of the house, the
president of the senate would have opened
and read the returns, including the alleged
formal returns from the disputed states,
ard declared Hayes and Wheel
er elected. The house would have
declared Tilden and Hendricks elected, and pro-
ceeded upon its journal. The results would have
been two presidents and anarchy.''
what reasons have you for your statements
as to the danger there was of an outbreak of vi
olence aside from the excitement of the people
and newspaper talk?''
THE very best of reasons. There is an IN
written chapter of history there---a history that
never will be written, because none of the mate
rails can be procured by historian
"Of what do you speak3''
''Of the letters, kilograms and notes that poured
IN upon the Democratic members of the confer
ence committee before the electoral commission
bill was agreed to, especially to Mr.. Payne,
who was chairman of the house and Demo-
cratic committee of conferences held by DEM
cratic leaders, of plans proposed for the seating
OF I1iden at any cost, of the contagious charac-
ter of the 1ncendiary speeches made in Demo-
cratic caucuses by some of the eloquent hot head
ed. There was large element of our party
that was not ready to give an inch. They would
fight first. This was one of the great difficulties
we had to contend with, as these men were ever
ready to insinuate the Democratic members of
the committee of conference were not bold
enough and would give the Republicans the
even of treachery in case our efforts to compro-
mise with the Republicans and avoid
plunging the country into war
should lead to the seating of
Hays. Membership of this committee was any,
thing but pleasant duty, I can assure you.
''1n one of our conferences, called to consid-
er the Democratic position in the conference
committee work, the hot heads were more ag-
gressive than usual, and some of them went so
far even as to vaguely insinuate cowardice on
the part of some of the more conservative COM
mitteemen. The rebuke given them by Eppa
Hunton, of Virginia, like myself a member of
the committee and afterward of the commits
| sion, was powerful. He began like this:
'Gentlemen, if this were question OF fight
ing am not afraid to fight, went into the bat
| tie of Gettysburg one of regiment of 1877
lighting men. At the close of the battle there
| were fifteen of us left. 1 repeat, if this was a
lighting question, L am not afraid to fight But
what's the situation? Where are your troops,
| your officers, your arms, your war supplies?
Where are your companies, regiments, brigades,
and had you them how are you
going to equip, organize and march
| them when all the power of the federal gov
| very ready to spring-upou us at a mo-
| ment's notice. 1t is idle to talk of war; 1t is
| worse than idle. This is not fighting question.
This is a question TO be solved by statesmen, and
| it is the duty of the Democratic party to give
up the presidency and all that it implies rather
| then plunge the country into hand to hand
strife. want 1t understood that there is not a
Democrat on this committee who
| lacks the courage TO fight if that were
| his duty, and l am proud to declare there is not
| a Democrat on this committee who lacks the
higher, nobler courage to do all in his power tc
hold this mad spirit in check and seat Mr.. Til
| den by peaceable and constitutional means.''
Il give you only the substance of his words
Their effect was great, and frightened our path
| As the work of our committee progressed anC
we were firm and vigilant, l believe three
! fourths of all the Democrats il
congress had confidence in us anC
| eventually were completely satisfied with our
| conclusion
Slow about those letters and kilograms from
other parts of the country?''
| "Well, there was much of that kind of mat
ter l cannot speak of. There were comuunica
tons from men high in the party and in socia
! standing communications most warlike ant
fierce. The late Gen. Steadman was not III,
only one who was eager to raise bodies of mer
and march to Washington to seat Tilden. From
hundreds came offers to raise com
panies and regiments - offers o
money, arms, clothing, ammunition, etc
I think the missives received by Chairman
| Payne alone if published would astonish thu
country, but l think he has destroyed every OF
of them. 1 remember his telling me of his in
teution to do so. at least he has pledged him
| self never to make them public, and this is a
good as their destruction. No doubt some o
those men were not sincere or would have failed
to do what they promised had they been callec
upon. Many were excited and acted withou
deliberation, and would be extremely sorry t.
have their proposition is known to the world ;
"What plans were proposed for seating Til
den?''
In case the electoral commission bill har
been defeated either in committee or congres
and the Republicans had gone on and declares
Hayes elected as they would have done, a cou
detdt was proposed by some of the hot heads
and by them much talked of and seriously con
sidered. The plan was to secretly mass men AM
arms in Washington, and SO close to Washing
ton that they could be brought in quickly. The
the house was to declare Tilden elected
issue manifestoes denouncing violence, ASSERTING
the supremacy of the house the direct repre-
| sentative of the uaople: declare that the hons