New-York tribune., 1890-05-29
HOUSE
my TELEGRAPH TO TIE TkIBCNE.1

-. .ho rommittee on Elections to-day petltlOh
in which he asked for the examination oi h'"i'' -"
thousand witnesses He does not specify t'c n"'io.l
% tnssses he desires to have called but he requests
the committee to prove up anew the NO'e III 1"s"''
rounsh;n Riverside White River. and cotton rIa"'
orecincts In Woodruff County. such ucH"i'u ""'
not made by either Mr. Breckinridee ii"scn VI on, '
one of the counsel that represented him III hi'' -
The anxiety however, to gain delay ana Po
~ the dav of his i7omnious election from te iouS'
ever since he became aware of the iact 'ia' ' 'o'
oitee had ascertaned that Clayton was eec'eu oS d"
least 500 majority is apparent. 1t Is almost hoeuo'
IN pojnt out that Breckenridge and hiS cou'lSe ,u
eyary opportunity of summOnns witnesses N','0
sub committee held its session IN L'.ie NUN
o., +ba subcommittee remained in Arkansas almost
q week longer than il had intended lor no o''c Pu,
nos. than m deprlve Mr. BreCknrdce and MS irehus
=. on onnortnntv TO alege aferward that they hao ho
heen treated with entire fairness and mao ho'
eyerv facility for producing evidence III Icou' " A.,
submittcd in behalf of the late Johh NJ OIaS ' i,
Y,,nridco,s coming forward at this late day. he"iI'
three weeks after the adjournment OF 'ic SUI .ho
mittee in Little Rock to ask for the reopc"n7 .,.
sa ord demanding an examination of nearly Il o'U"-
s.ns witnesses living in Arkansas, savofs' u '"' ~
least, Of efrontery. . ,,cb Mfr
The whining tone of the petition 10 "in,n ~ ~
Brecknrdge afhxes his name leaves 'a1 'its and
determined whether he has been oeIeiV "a -" ,ho,bor
believes the committee can be trlheu "''' " .no coyh
hn is a can1inc hypocre and bulldozer IN .iio sou
NJ a Pecksnif lie says, in THIS rehalA"u -.
ment that he asks for the taking OF ''hS .t.
on the ground that he has not had a" OPP -,
o nresent the facts fully" This. to express "ui'
is misstatement Of facts, as the recofu oi 'i0 po
ceedings at Little Rock will show as soon "S ~ -
nrnted Before adjourning and returning 10 wash
nr-on the committee informed by judge NohcA'
the leading counsel for Mr.. Brecknrldse' ua' hc i'
no other testimony to present, although 'heIe 'ie'
arise some necessity for taking the deposiuohs III
yrhi
warded to Washington. OF proving up the Vo'e loi
Mr. breckenridge in the counties enumerated ABOVE
there was never the slightest hint or suggestion oh
the part of Mr. Breckenridge or his counsel Upon
being nterrogated upon the nature OF the proof sought
10 be established by the deposition, Mr. Breckh-
ridges attorneys stated that ii was cumulative eVi'
dence-that is. more evidence on the same points
Bnt the chief necessity seems 10 be 10 secure the
deposition Of Ex-Governor Hughes: not for the pur
pose of proving votes, but 10 give Hughes an oppor
tunity to "whitewash' his conduct In sendlng arms
and munitions of war to Conway and other counues
in time of peace. Mr.. Bergen. of the committee eA-
pressly asked Mr. Breckenridge If lie desired to offer
any additional proof 10 the votes cast, but 10 this
question Mr.. Brecknrdge replied that he did not
that he merely desired TO take the deposition OF Gov
ernor Hughes. Mr. Lacey, the chairman Of the com
nlittee, thereupon remarked that although the com
mittee ready TO adjourn sine die, if Mr. Breck-
inridge wished to put Ex-Governor Hughes on the
stand the committee would stay another day.
or, If Mr.. Brecknrdge had any testimony, the
committee would remain until the next election, II
necessary.
This announcement, it may we'll be imagined,
threw the friends of Mr. Brcckinrid-e into confusion
they were not prepared for 1t. They made feint
which the committee took seriously. They afraid
10 put Hughes the stand. They knew he had no
legal or moral right TO the Democrats Of Conway
county. They knew that 1t was part of the pro
yramme to errorze and ntmdate the colored voters;
that Hughes witness, would be forced 10 disclose
some ugly secrets Of the Democratic ring. They had
no intention Of putting Hughes the stand. They
waited until the committee had completed It's labors
and in the act Of adiOurnns before the Hughes
spook was developed. hughes was in the city Of
Little Rock during the entire session OF the committee
Now Mr.. Breckinridge TO demand, not that eX-
Governor Hughes lie examined but that, in addition
TO proving up the votes in the townships already
mentioned, host OF witnesses shall be examined whose
testimony. lie must know, cannot add scintilla Of
evidence, worthy 10 be called such to Offset the
damning facts arrayed against lin. Among other
things, he does not TO have given up entirely the
Hooper romance.
That Mr. Brecknrdge is not satisfied with the
testimony he first gave upon the stand in Little Rock
IS easily explained Without betraying the fantest
race of humor in his makeup he told the committee
spon that occasion that he had met on Bentley and
Carroll Armstrong shortly after the September elec
ton, and that these two WORTHLESS informed him Of
the iniquites that had been perpetrated In behalf of
the Arkansas Democracy during that election. Mr
Brecknridge frankly told the committee that he had
Informed his two friends that such irregularities
did not amount 10 much in state election, hut that
the matter might prove extremely embarrassing in a
National election: and he ended by delicate warning
to these experts in ballotbox vilany that lie hoped
such practices would not be INDUCED in at the coming
election, in which lie was TO be candidate. The
damaging Of that testimony does not seem to
have struck Mr. Breckinridge forciby at the time
lie seems, however, TO have changed his mind since
then, for he has OF sudden discovered a
letter Of c. f. Breckenridge 10 Carroll Armstrong,
relative to the duty Of Conway County and Armstrong;
reply 70 Brecknrdge.' That this letter which Mr.
breckenridge calls for is repete with beautiful
sentiments breathing nothing but purity and expressing
nothing but adherence of all irregularities can be
hr Breckenridge should not have FASTENED % pace
committee when it was in Little Rock This discovery
II this late day certainly looks suspicious ,.. e..
appear as If egions Of cooIcd voters had supported
lin In the election Of 1855, but afeward when called
upon the stand to testify, afraid to acknowledge
Tie of their vote lest they should be Ostalse
BY their race, and cut OIL from "colored society -
Ark, be eXaEned, TO testify that he could have
voted thirty.two eoIored lab9rera on his faim. if e
Taylor for several days in Little Rock while the
nvestgaon was PeGihgR lie %sS frequently seen
was known TO Judge McKean and other counsel as,
wanted then. why is it that Mr. Breckenridge clamors
for it nowl
The testimony OF score OF witnesses, "hlch is
called for by Mr. Brccknrdge, is upon his own show
ing. quito Irrelevant For instance. he asks for the
testimony Of Logan H. Roots as 10 his article in The
North American Review" last spring, upon the sub
jects OF the killing Of Clayton and politics in Arkansas
the testimony of Powell Clayton as 10 his letter. re-
ouesting all election troubles to be reported TO him
the testimony Of Judge Cunningham, now III Guthrie
Oklahoma to show why he resigned "a Circuit Judge
and other testimony equally unmportant and ir-
relevant. .
Several witnesses desired by Mr.. Breclsinridge
N prove the zeal Governor Eagle and other Demo
cratic officials in hunting down the ballot box thieves
aud assassins Of John NJ CLAYTON. This, among
the rubbish and twa0dle 10 which Mr. Brecknridgc
atiixes his name. is like oasis In the desert II
shows that Mr.. Breckinrdge begins to Iccl the ever
lasting disgrace and shameful rcprOach which ha'
FALLEN upon the State Of Arkansas and It's Chiei EA
ecutivc that the latter, with the power, prestige and
Influence Of the at his back, did not ma ln
self called upon expend more than 900 In INC
affempt 10 trace the perpetrators of the crime by wcl
John NJ CLAYTON deprived, first Of the votes cas-
for him al the Pummeryille Precinct. and afterWaIo
~. nt hnNnNcr- thai cithcl