Year: 1878




WASHINGTON, June 24.-Secretary Sherman is
still little impatient that the Potter investigation
does not make more rapid progress, and that he is
not allowed to produce the testimony which he is
slre will prove that he and bis Republican asso-
ciates did nothing during their visit to Louisiana
which it was not proper for them to do III the in
terest Of fair count of the vote of that State.


Mr.. Sherman said to-day that he feels much less
interest now in the investigation than when il be-
gau. As long it was to he used as a pretext for
revolution It was proceeding Of some dignity and
impOrtance; but now, its purpose seems con-
fned so far as Louisiana is concerned, to discover
ing whether Anderson swOre falsely in his protest
filed with the Returning Board, OF swears falsely
now, or whether the name of one Of the electors
of Louisiana was signed without his authority to
an unnecessary and invalid supplemental return
not, the inquiry is not important enough 10 pay
its cost.


Whenever he continued "the committee is
ready to examine whether in truth and in fact the
election in East and West Felicana was free and
fari whether the protest of Anderson was forged or
genuine; and whether il is false true whether
his story that he told me about his forged protest is
true OF not, and when the committee is also ready
to inquire who manufactured the pretended SheT-
man letter, then will assist the committee prov
ing the nature, character and extent of the fraud
violence and intimidation that controlled the clec-
tion. l viii prove that the protest was sworn to
and subscribed bv Anderson, and that every word
of it is true; that the pretended notice to me of
forged protest is both improbable and false; that
the pretended letters TO and by me manufac-
tured, and that l never saw or knew of either
The only doubt I have is whether An
dersOn forged them as lie did the sig
nature of Webber to the Webber agreement,
or whether he was duped by others with pre-
tended letter by me. My impression, until Mrs
jerks testified was that he manufactured the letter
himself. If he did not, why did he not mention it
in bis search for an ofce7 Still there in
dications that he believed there letter from
me- or from Stoughton and myself; and some sueh
idea OF pretence might have been held out 10 him TO
keep the rascal true TO the truth. This, however,
is in dispute, and hope the committee will find out
the exact truth


Mr. Sherman spoke of some other matters, and
then said As to the criticisms of my conduct in
not DENYING more strongly that / wrote the pre-
tended letter only have TO say that denied ii as
strongly as any honest man could deny such an al
legation for no honest man could say, called sud
denly as | was and without knowledge Of the testi-
mony of Anderson, and in the face Of assertions
repeatedly made that the original letter and pho
tOrTaphic copy would be produced, that 1t was inn
possible that he had written such a letter. hy
answer was right and true that had no recollection
of WRITING such letter, and that believed never
did. Now the committee is showing that did not
write the letter. and the time, place and circum-
stances are developed. IL is shown that did not IN
fact write the letter, and knew nothing OF It,"