Year: 1879

same year, under no circumstances
did enter into any competition for
the seeking of certificates by Yenal
inducements. There never was all
hour nor a minute that / enter
tanned such thought.


To the people who I believed
elected me President Of the United
States, to the four millions of citi-
zens who were defrauded, I owed it
as duty to proclaim that | would
not yield one jot or title of my
right. Whatever evil may result
from this subversion of the Electoral
system and of free government, l
resolved that [ would enter into no
action for the purchase of the Chief
Magistracy Cheers, which the Chair
man suppressed. I was resolved
that I would continue to protest
against the wrong by which the
people of the United States were
defrauded out of their rights. Mr..
Tilden's voice was husky and
it was difficult to hear him.
When Pelton returned from
Baltimore, I said something to him
about his action and he made no
reply. I did not get from him any
information about eiphers or nego>
tiations, until [ saw them published.
I did not believe that Pelton had
any power, because he had no au-
thorization. Edward Cooper came
to me and said he had received a
proposition to get votes in South
Carolina for money. The substance
of our conversation was that the
votes were for sale, | never heard
of any attempt to bribe until
the publication of the fact. l first
heard of the Florida bribery from
Mr.. Marble. He simply mentioned
the circumstance after he had re
turned from Florida. He gave me
no details and I made no inquiries.
I made no inquiries from my
nephew about these corrupt propo-
sitions to buy and sell.


Q.-Then you had no interest in
it?


A.-Only an interest in stopping
it.


Mr.. Tilden admitted that he had
had confidential relations with Mr..
Marble; that the latter, before going
to Florida, called to bid him good
bye. There was nothing in their
conversation at the meeting bearing
on this question. 1t was little more
than a formal taking. He
reiterated in reply, to questions,
that in his interview with Mr..
Cooper no idea of accepting a prop
osition to purchase votes was de-
bated between them or thought of
for a moment, and as for Col. Pei
ton, he was the last man in the
world he (Tilden), would have
selected if he had intended to enter
into such a transaction as purchas-
ing the electoral votes. Being
asked why in his card to the public
he did not refer to the Baltimore
transaction, Mr. Tilden replied that
it was not pertinent.


Q.-Do you not see that your
statement that you had no knowl-
edge of the negotiations except
through the Tribune, is likely to
deceive, because you had heard of
the Baltimore negotiations


This question seemed to stagger
Mr.. Tilden somewhat, but he said
he did not know of the cipher tele-
grams which had passed on the
subject, nor of any negotiations,
but did know that there had been
an offer in South Carolina which
he had put an end to by his inter~
vention.


@ You made your statement con
scious that you knew something which
the public did not, and which you did
not make in your published states
ment?


Al made my statement in accord
ance with truth.


Odd you intend TO convey the
idea that YOU had no knowledge of
this offer?


Al did not intend to convey any
idea on the subject. [ bad been ad-
vised by hundred people to do che
thing and another, and L did not
think it was necessary to refer TO the
fact of the Baltimore transaction.


In reply to the very able and close
examination, Mr.. Tilden reiterated
that it was not pertinent TO the subject
to refer, in bis statement to the public,
to the corrupt offer he had heard of,
and denied that he drew up his state
ment with the special design of keep
ing this information from the public.
Sharp cross questioning, in which
Mr.. Tilden was occasionally requested
to be frank, failed to get him to admit
that he remembered any conversation
at the Third National Bank with Mr.
Smith week prior to the latter's de-
parture for North Or South Carolina.
This finished Mr.. Reeds cross exam
ination of Mr.. Tilden.


Mr.. Hiscock n ow took him in hanu.
In reply to a question if he was in
formed of the nature of the dispatches
received by Mr.. Smith from Florida,
he said /: I did not occupy myseli
much with the progress of the Flori
da proceedings; never saw the dis
patch advising the employment of
some man who could be 'Itrusted for q
weak ~ heard T hnd ono naiOritY