Rensselaer Union, Volume 11, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 February 1879 — THE INVESTIGATION. [ARTICLE]

THE INVESTIGATION.

The Teller Committee. 1 IN WASHINGTON. Gen. Reuben E. Davis, of Mississippi, testified before the committee, on the 12th, that he whs a candidate for Congress in the late election from the First District; he bad been informed privately of threats to prevent him from being heard; the idea prevailed that he was endeavoring to reorganise the negroes in opposition to the Democrats! after the election he had been hung In effigy, and then burned; he was a Greenback Candidate, having been nominated by that party attd was voted for by the colored people; he was at first informed He Had been elected, but was afterward told Muldrow was successful. Witness Wes asked whether he did not once make a speech in Congress about hanging Northern men. and he replied that he did. m December. I 860; in that speech he arraigned the Bepnblicans as rebels, and said if Seward would come South and uttet slich Sentiments as he entertained and had frequently expressed. he iWitness) thought the people would hang him before he returned North. Witness said he indorsed every word of his testimony before the BoutwellCommittee in 1876; he had said the Radicals were bull-dozers, and they operated on negroes by superstition, threatening to put snakes and lizards into them; the Democrats l.ow are obnoxious to what he then stid of the Radicals; the white man could not vote in the South against the Democracy without being ostracised; bnt witness said he dreaded the assassin's knife more than he did ostracism; he believed the great majority of bis district was against bull-dozing and ballot-box staffing, but there Was a class of ambitions, aspiring mefi who •ought to render all persons 0 Holts who do not adopt their views t he claimed that by a fair count he could have beaten CoL Muldrow by 10,010 votes, William Vasser, a native pf Virginia, bttt living at Aberdeen, Miss,, since 1841, testified that he was baptised in the old Whig party, and since the star was elected on the Alcorn ticket as State Treasurer; in the late election he supported the Greenback ticket; at Okolona a political meeting was very boisterous, two-thirds of the crowd seemed drunk, while at West Point he was called upon for a talk; he was charged with making a Radical speech; he had put bis speech in print; the crowd came in, and one person demanded what he was reading; he felt satisfied it was a bull-dozing crowd; a good many white, people supported Davie| everything 18 called Radical In Mississippi that is not Democratic t a man s social and business relations are affected by his political opinionnt in Mississippi middle-aged men. and nub advanced in life, are moderate «nd respectful to all citiscns: Confusion And boiftteifttlß aha illegal conduct are confined to tne younger men, tne politics of Mississippi being largely governed by young men: the Republican party there is virtually dead; it has bad no vitality since. 1875 and 1876; the leaders were mostly Northern men. and since the State passed into Democratic hands the Republicans have been without leaders; the whites would take every measure possible to prevent the State from again falling into Republican hands: the people have a great hoftor of being rdled by colored people, and loftk Upon Northern people wming into the state as an intrusion; the oolored man will vote tor any man in opposition to the Democratic party if he can be protected in so doing; witness' observation did not corroborate the claim that the colored vote was divided between the Republicans and Democrats.

J. H. Field, of Columbus, Miss., testified, On the 13th; that be did not know of a single instance of intimidation or attempt to prevent anyone from votine; the election was sought to be conducted in a pleasant way in accordance with the principles of right and justice, though actively and energetically; witness did not agree with Gen, Davis’ unfavorable estimate of the negro; those of gjod conduct and intelligence have the regard of the people generally. In answer to a question by Senator Garland, witness said the white people of his State generally would dissuade the negro by kind and conciliatory means from having anything to do with politics, while they would pot exclude him from doing so; he thought his people were against-- a limitation of suffrage or taking the suffrage away from the adored people. Witness was further asked if -enatora Kirkwood and Teller should go to Mississippi and make Republican bow wonld they be received and treated, and said be thought the people wonld warmly welcome them as coming with honest intent to investigate the condition of affairs; witness' people had endeavored to indnoe the best class of Republicans to visit their section, that the low degradation in the condition of the colored people might be improved; CoL Muldrow was elebted owing to his popularity; the election was peaceful as any witness had before known, and he neither knew nor heard of complaints of intimidation or hat-lot-box stuffing. Capt W. W/Humphreys testified that the late election was more peaceable and quiet than usual: nobody was prevented from voting; he thought it a fair and honest election as any in any witness “ided there was no disposition to deprive the colored man of any of his rights, except, perhaps, on ths part of a few extreme men: freedom of speech and of the press was fully recognized in Mississippi, and any man could make a speech there provided it was not calculated to create a breach of the peace; he believed the pnadpal reason the people desired

the colored men to rote was increased representation in Coqgress. ' J *r Tbe Chairman of tbe committee appointed as a sub-committee Messrs. Hoar. McMillan. Kirkwood. Garland and Wallace to ioquiro mlo the f .lli.wing branch of the resolution of Senator Blaine, namely: ‘‘Whether, in tbe yesr 1878, money wna raised by aasemment, or otherwise, upon the Federal officeholders or employee for election purposes, and under what circumstances ana wbat means; and, if so. what amount was so raised and bow tbe same was expended; and. farther, whether such assessments were, or not, in violation of tbe law.'' Tbe committee then adjourned subject to a call of the Chairman.

The Tetter ( mssiiuee. IK wakmnotok. A The committee, in secret 'session, on the 10th, tallied a letter from tbe President of tbs WestenAjnion Telegraph Company explaining how tbe politieal telegrams came to be burned, etc. it was stated that the majority did not intend to call any mote witnesses, ibe Republican members intimated that they wonlrl like to have one or two witnesses testify regarding points elicited in New York. The committee then adjourned. ... , m xrw YORK. On the Bth, Gov. Tilden appeared before the subcommittee and testified. Witness had read the dispatches and their translation in tbe New York papers; did not recognize a single dispatch be had ever seen before; never entered into any arrangement to purchase the vote of Booth Carolina or Florida; bod no information or suspicion that any such communications were, being earned on nntil tbe dispatches appeared in the New York Tribvttf had no knowledge and no dealings with any parties to these negotiations. anti never authorized them in any form; on Nov. 20, 1876. first learned that l’efton had left the city for Philadelphia: later in the day Mr. Cooper told him he had received an offer from some party offering to secure the vote of South Carolina for money: told Cooper he would authorize no such transaction, nor spend money for any such purpose I obtained Felton’s address in Baltimore and telegmpheil him to come home; know nothing of the ciphers that had been paining between him and others, and could not have translated them; never saw one of the telegrams either in cipher or translation in regard to Florida; diu not know and waa not informed that negotiations were going on in regard to illegally obtaining certificate!) of the Returning Board; bad heard Marble speak generally of the corruption of the Florida Returning Board; did not know that the Oregon dispatches came in cipher untilafterthe meeting of the oommittee to investigate them; did not know that any of them were delivered at hia residence; Cbl. Pelton's habits of mind and Witnoai,’ were very different; none of the Democratic statesmen who went South w< reauthorized to do anything that a gentleman might not do; from Nov. 7, 1876, until Dec. 6. did not enter into any combination to seek certificates by venal inducement; there never was an hoar or minute that such a thought was entertained; owed it to the 4,000,(60 citizens, who. aa he believed, elected him President of the United States, to ptoclain that he would not yield one jot or title of Lis right; whatever evils resulted from this subversion of the Electoral system and free government, he resolved he would enter into no auction for the purchase of the Chief Magistracy; resolved that he would continue to protest against a wrong by which the people were defrauded out of their rights; did not recollect having received the dispatch to Geo. W. Smith, his private secretary, suggesting that the Governor of Oregon refrain from issuing a certificate to one of the Electors, and had ’no knowledge of such dispatch ; did not know if Smith had a cipher, and knew nothing about ciphers himself; did not get from Peitotl when he returned from Baltimore any information about his negotiations; was told by Cooper of the Sonth Carolina vote being for sale, but never neatd of any attempt to bribe until tho fact was published; first heard of the -Florida bribery negotiations from Marble, on his return: Marble gave no details and witness made no inquries; aid not consult Pelton about the propositions to buy or sell, and was only interested in stopping them; Pelton ceased to reside at Gramercy Park about the Ist of January: did not ask him to resign his position, but manifested great displeasure, and he left; knew nothing of Weed’s ptesence in South Carolina, and did Hot heat ttom him of this proposition to buy votes; had confidential relations with Marble: Pelton was the fast man in the world he would select if he had intended to enter into snch a transaction aA purchasing Electoral votes; did not refer to the Baltimore transaction in his published card because “it was not pertinent.” On cross-examination, Mr. Tilden stated that he did not converse with Weed before he left for the South; saw the dispatch. received in New York, saying. “ You are imperiling the result here.” In reply to the question why he did not call Cooper’s or Hewitt's attention to Pelton’s course lest the Democratic General Committee should be compromised. Gov. Tilden said he supposed that they had full knowledge and would be able to lake case that nothing wrong should be done; the civil law doesn t recognize purposes nntil they are embodied in actions; the Church punishes the purposes of crimtbalß, eVen if they are not carried ont; the atmosphere at that time was full of rumors of fraudulent Returning Boards; “I dßclafe befofe Godafld my country that the Votes of fxmisiaha ftnd Florida were bought (meaning by the Republicans); 1 would scorn and condemn my righteous title if the Democratic party had secured my seat by fraud.” Witness did not remember receiving any special information in regard to the expenses of legal proceedings in the disputed Southern States; he knew nothing about it, but supposed these matters were under the charge of some member of tne National Committee. In answer to the question if it did not occur to witness that he ought to investigate Col. Pelton’s relHiofra to the National Committee after ne learned of Pelton s Baltimore transaction, Mr. Tilden said he thoußht the best wav to deal with snch transactions was to stop it, Dut to do it himself and not let anybody else do it; he thought that such catirse would have been better in Florida than Kfidt waadofle therS; When a certain party set np a high standard of morality, he proposed to analyze that standard, and sec it they lived np to it themselves; Col. Pelton thought it excusable to fight fire With fire, and adopt the tactics of the enemy; Mr. Pelton’s act was an inchoate offense : the acta of the other side were consummated, and gave the Presidency to a man not elected; Het id slot attempt to excuse Col. Peltttn; the latter did not Ufct Up to his oWfl standard of morality. ... ~ , E. L. Parris testified that hts telegrams, though addressed to Mr. Tilden, were intended for the National Committee. George W. Smith, Gov. Tilden’s private secretary. was put on the stand and Bwore that he remembered nothing in regard to the cipher dispatches. . , The committee went into executive session, decided to examine nd imore witnesses, and left in the evening for Washington,