Democratic Sentinel, Volume 3, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 March 1879 — The Ciphers. [ARTICLE]

The Ciphers.

MAJORITY REPORT OF THE POTTER COMMITTEE. Washing ton, D. C., March 5. The report of the majority of the Potter Committee upon the cipher dispatches says generally that the Western Union Telegraph Company seem to have exercised due care in respect to the preservation and privacy of their dispatches, and the theft and publication of certain dispatches did not seem to be their fault. At the same time they could not but suspect that Orton, President of the company (since deceased), who was an earnest and active Republican leader, forwarded the dispatches in the custody of the company to the Republican committee of the Senate rather than to the Democratic committee of the House. He had also shown his bias bv allowing certain of the dispatches to be withdrawn. On examination of the Indiana dispatches, in which Mr. Z. Chandler was asked by Mr. Tyner to “ appoint two Indian Agents ” one could see how very naturally the telegraph officials should have failed to recognize these most improbable cipher dispatches to have any concealed meaning, but regarded them rather as corrupt dispatches; that they could recall them so well was a credit to the efficiency of the company, and suggests that nothing in the protection of dispatches by telegraph would be gained by transferring that business to the Government It was not for the committee, however, to suggest whether any legislation was required to prevent private telegrams from being purloined or exposed, or for their production in proper cases, considering the watchful, competent, and intelligent partisan custody of dispatches for fourteen months. It was to be expected that nothing would come to light not wanted by the parties in charge, and it would have been too much to expect that any messages reflecting seriously on the credit of the Republican party would be found am mg these bundles. The translations of the cipher dispatches disclose negotiations on the part of certain near friends of Tilden after the election to secure the electoral votes of the States of South Carolina and Florida. These persons seem to have apprehended that the electoral votes of those States which they believed to have belonged to Tilden would be declared for Hayes, and to have regarded themselves as justified in endeavoring to defeat this corrupt and fraudulent action by submitting to the payment of moneys which they were informed the Canvassing Boards demanded by way of blackmail. The committee did not in any way justify their action, and considered it a gross wrong. But these negotiations were not authorized by the National Democratic Committee or any person entitled to speak for them. All the persons who had been connected with the negotiations, so far as the committee had secured their testimony, declared that in no way were they authorized by Tilden, whose particular friends they were, and Mr. Tilden had himself voluntarily appeared to corroborate that statement No charge from any source whatever had at any time attached to the name of Mr. Hendricks.