Birmingham state herald., 1895-12-04
HOW HAYES WAS SEATED.
George Alfred Townsend Tells a Strange Story That Was Told to Him by a
 Southern Man.

Gattis Washington special to the Cin- cinnati Enquirer says:
 MT. Tilden's life by John Bige1ow, his executor, revives the grievance of the southern democrats going over to his opponent, Hayes. I met on the streets yesterday MT. Roberts, the Louisiana gentleman who went to see MT. Hayes at Columbus prior to his inauguration, and arranged there for a southern democrat to be in his cabinet. So far as I am aware MT. Roberts has never told what took place at Columbus. He gave me, in a private conversation at chance meeting on the streets during the after noon promenade, some interesting par ticulars of that, at the time, highly mys- terious and much agitated interview. It will be read with interest, particularly in Ohio, and it comes apropos of John Sherman's book, showing that General Sherman, as well as John Sherman, had to do with peaceably seating Hayes.
 Said Roberts, who is now on the Post newspaper of this city: My visit to President Hayes grew out of accidental circumstances. He came on congress sional committee-the Kukux commit tee, I think 1t was-to Feliciana parish, where I was, and I got to know pretty we'll. After that he ran his career as re- peatedly governor of Ohio, and finally the president in disputation. One day at the New Orleans Times office we had a col lection of visiting statesmen, who want ed to see Tilden seated, but, above all, to secure white government for our states, of which the chief were South Carolina and Louisiana. which Grant had firmly gripped to the mongrel party. Recovery of our state government was the question of questions involving our self-preservation. think Gordon, Hamp- ton and Butler were among the men there. But Lamar was the most individ- ual one. We were discussing the future relation of the federal state of Louisiana and Hayes intentions toward liberating us from negro rule. I, related what knew of Hayes, what I had seen of him and what I thought. from that remote knowledge of him he might do. Henry Watterson was there, relative of Stan ley Matthews, who was pretty near Hayes. Said Watterson to me: Roberts, why don't you go to Columbus, as you are about going north. and see Governor Hayes? Lamar was walking up and down, seeing nobody. deeply interested in the settlement of our states-those which then had electoral votes in dis pute-and every one of them needed by Hayes to achieve his presidential ambi- ton. Everybody was aware that Tilden, in New York, would not take the firm and dangerous steps to seat himself; of that we had been informed by those near him there.'
 What steps were these?"
 "To call out the nation guard of New York state, every regiment of which Til- den had been made the colonel of. To take 17,000.000 of money John Kelly, as comptroller of New York city, possessed, in order to have war exchequer; to arm two regiments in Louisiana"
 This advice to gentle Sammy Tilden? :? I thought, as I heard the Napoleonic narration, of MT. Roberts. No wonder his heart failed.
 MT. Roberts proceeded: "All at once La- mar faced me from his abstraction and he said: Roberts why don't you go there and see Hayes" MT. Watterson offered me letter to Murat Halstead, who was MT. Hayes factor in my own pursuit went to Cincinnati, thence to Columbus and renewed my acquaintance of several years before with Congressman Hayes. ,, fNow." continued MT. Roberts, "I had not the least idea when entered that