National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-04-29
MIR. HeXitt,s Peculiar Methods.

VI 10 IcpuoliCau pTeslueub Dy giving nun tne
vote Of Maryland.
MIR. Hcwitt's Peculiar Methods.
In tho debate on the naval appropriation
bill in tho house last Friday Mr.. Hewitt, Of
New York, made venomous personal attack
on the secretary Of the navy, charging him
in effect with having Incorporated sum
approximatinG $5OooOO the proceeds of
sale of condemned ships and ordnance
stores. lie intimated that instead OF paying
this money into the treasury the secretary
had retained it in his own possession. to be
used as an election campaign fund, or as pri-
vate capital to be loaned out at interest. lie
repeatedly declared that he had made dill
gent inquiry and had ascertained that the
money had failed to reach the treasury 80
As matter OF fact, tho money to which Mr..
Hewitt referred had been on deposit with the
treasurer of the United States for six months,
a circumstance that he or anybody else could
have learned by inquiry of the treasurer at
any time. The groundless charges were
promptly refuted by the secretary, and there
the matter should have ended. smarting,
however, undor the lash of universal
criticism, Mr.. Hewitt yesterday re-
turned to the charge and once more
attempted to vilify Mr.. Chandler He
squarely backed down from tho position
first taken, but insisted that Mr. Chandler
had technically failed to obey the letter OF
the law and that he had not covered tho
money into the treasury" though it was
proved to have been in the vaults Of the gov
eminent all along. Although admittedly
grossly in the wrong, Mr.. Hewitt lacked the
manhood to come out squarely and acknowl-
edge his discontinue, preferring instead to
seek refuge behind a weak quibble-a shallow
subterfuge-or, as Mr.. Calkins bluntly put it,
"springing from an alley at dark of night
with an assassin's dagger in hand" ~
In beginning his attack upon the secretary
Friday Mr.. Hewitt said of him:
will state know him as Il most able. astute
politician and Ibsteue that IN all expenditures Of
public money he Is an entirely honest man. Yet,
having some experience of what he will do when
he Is put in place of great emergency, for
ONE -.... -. ..,, ...
Here the hammer foll.l
In giving utterance to this Introductory
tribute to the integrity of the secretary of the
navy, Mr.. Hewitt thought he might as we'll
mako Mr.. Chandler feel good while putting
him through the skinning process, This was
very kind of the gentleman from New York,
but he need not have put himself to the
trouble, fnr the knife was harmless weapon
in his hand.
"The place of great emergency" to which
Mr.. Hewitt alluded was the occasion of the
attempted steal by Mr. Hewitt and his asso.
ciates of the electoral vote Of Florida, into
which an insight was first given to the pub.
lie in the following "cpher dispatches"
TALLAHASSEE, FLA, Nov. 0, ls76-To A. S. HEw.
TIT, Everett house New York: Our state has gone
for 1lden and democratic state ticket by at least
1000. We learn that W. E. Chandler has left
Washington for this place. Radicals intend fraud
We need material aid to check them. Can we get
II? GEO. p. RASEY,
OF State Executive Committee
Nov. 0, lsT6-To A. S. HEWITT, Everett house,
New York; Send good man here 70 represent
your committee with an understood cipher
W. ID. BLoXAM,
GEO 2. RASEY,
For State Committee.
r. W. =. n
RASEY; Telegram reed. He has gone south.
ABRAH s. HEWITT.
The cipher was given by Mr.. Cooper. treas
urer Of the democratic national committee, to
his brother-in- law, Abram s. Hewitt, chairman
of the committee. Mr.. Hewitt confded it tc
a trusted agent, who went to Florida and
negotiated for the Florida votes in the cleo
toral college, first on basis Of 100000 ant
then on basis of $4,000. cipher telegram
| from Mr.. Tilden's residence ratifying tn
| bribery contracts. Mr.. Hewitt's cipher wa
also used in telegraphic negotiations for thu
purchase Of the electoral vote of Oregon AM
| South Carolina in the same manner,
Mr.. Chandler having frustrated the Hewitt
cipher scheme to steal or buy the electoral
votes of Florida for "Tllden and reform" b.
the basest corruption known in the annals Q
Am erican politics, it is small wonder tina
the New York member holds grudge againE
him.
This cipher business is not the only case il
which Mr. Hewitt has essayed to reform tn
politics OF the country in q peculiar way. l
1880 no attempted to bolster up Q bareface,
fraud by testifying under oath that to the bel
of his belief Gen. Garfield wrote the More
letter. Mr.. Randall testified to the same effct
relative to this most infamous forgery. ]
thus swearing Mr.. Hewitt only tho moro firml
established his right to the sobriquet by whicl
he was known in his native town.
Last winter he again posed before tn
country conspicuously as q very great state
man and truth teller Having champions
milk.and-water oDonnell resolutio
through the house of representatives
hastened to assure the British minister th
he didn't mean it. Mr.. Hewitt may hay
couched his apology in diplomatic term