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"To Col. W. T. Pelton, 15 Gramercy Park, N. Y.: "Glory to God! Hold on to the one vote in Oregon! I have one hundred thousand men to back it up! "CORSE."

And said committee is further directed to inquire into and bring to light, so far as it may be possible, the entire correspondence and conspiracy referred to in the above telegraphic dispatches, and to ascertain what were the relations existing between any of the parties sending or receiving said dispatches and W. T. Pelton, of New York, and also what relations existed between said W. T. Pelton and Samuel J. Tilden, of New York.

The Louisiana bulldozing and frauds.

And said committee is further instructed and directed to make inquiry into all the circumstances and facts attending and connected with the alleged attempts to violently and fraudulently secure the electoral vote of the State of Louisiana for Samuel J. Tilden as President and Thomas A. Hendricks as Vice President of the United States, by organizing armed bands of men, who overran certain parishes in said State, particularly the parishes of Morehouse, Ouachita, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, and West Feliciana, burning the houses of colored Republicans, murdering the inmates or driving them from their homes, and by these and other methods of intimidation establishing a reign of terror such as prevented any approach to a fair expression of the legal votes of such parishes, and to make a full report upon the same; and also upon any attempt made to corrupt or bribe any presidential elector of said State, or any of the officials of the State, whose legal duty it was, by the laws of said State, to count or declare the vote of said State, to wrongfully and unlaw

fully count and declare said vote for the electors representing said Samuel J. Tilden and Thomas A. Hendricks.

The South Carolina bribery and corrup

tion.

And said committee is further instructed and directed to investigate all the facts and circumstances connected with an alleged attempt to bribe and corrupt any Presidential elector of the State of South Carolina.

so that a part or all of the electoral vote of said State should be wrongfully cast for Samuel J. Tilden as President and Thomas A. Hendricks as Vice President.

The Mississippi shot-gun frauds.

And said committee is further instructed and directed to make full inquiry and investigation into all the methods of violence, intimidation, and fraud by which the voters of the State of Mississippi are alleged to have been prevented from casting their votes freely and peacably for the candidates of their choice in the Presidential election of November, 1876, and the causes which led to the transformation in said State of a Re

publican majority of 40,000 to a Democratic majority nearly as large, and to extend such inquiries into all other States where such intimidation, violence, and fraud are alleged to have influenced the result in said Presidential election; and, in investigating into such alleged violence, intimidation, and fraud in the State of Mississippi, said committee is directed to examine especially into the facts of the population, colored and white, in the Sixth Congressional district in said State of Mississippi, and the registration for the year 1876, when it is alleged that more than five thousand colored men were improperly refused registration, and also to inquire into the facts which led to the radical change in the colored vote in said district, after such alleged intimidation and fraud were resorted to to prevent colored voters from casting their ballots freely and according to their wishes, some of which facts are set forth in the following statement:

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Tunica County. Coahoma County. Bolivar County. Washington County. Issaquena County. Sharkey County. Warren County. Claiborne County. Jefferson County. Adams County Wilkinson County..

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The Page Resolution condemning Tilden's attempt to steal the Oregon Vote and denouncing the infamy of Cronin is defeated by the Democrats-Only two decent men in all Israel.

March 3, 1877, Horace F. Page, of California, Republican, moved to suspend the rules and pass the following:

"Resolved, That this House condemns the recent attempt to defeat the will of the people of Oregon by the refusal of the Governor of that State to certify the election of an elector having a majority of the legal votes fairly cast and issuing a commission to a defeated candidate. And the House also condemns and denounces the corrupt use of money to aid in this outrage, and especially the payment of $3,000 to one Cronin, the defeated elector, for his part in the infamous transaction."

The vote by which Cronin was endorsed.

The above resolution was disagreed to; yeas 87 (all Republicans, save two Democrats), nays 90 (all Democrats): not voting 113 (22 Republicans and 91 Democrats), as follows:

YEAS-Messrs. Adams, G. A. Bagley, Ballou, Banks, Belford, Blair, Bradley, W. R. Brown, H. C. Burchard, Burleigh, Buttz, Cannon, Cason, Caswell, Chittenden, Conger, Crapo, Crounse, Danford, Davy, Denison, Dunnell, Eames, J. L. Evans, Flye, Fort, Foster, Freeman, Frye, Haralson, Hathorn, Henderson, Hubbell, Hunter, Hurlbut, Hyman, Joyce, Kasson, Kelley, Kimball, Lapham, Lawrence, Leavenworth, Le Moyne, Lynch, Lynde, Magoon, MacDougall, McCrary, Mc Dill, Miller, Monroe, Norton, Oliver, O'Neill, Packer, Page, W. A. Phillips, Pierce, Plaisted, Platt, Pratt, Rainey, M. S.

Robinson, S. Ross, Rusk, Sampson, Seelye, Sinnickson, Smalls, A. H. Smith, Stowell, Strait, Thornburgh, M. I. Townsend, W. Townsend, Tufts, A. S. Wallace, J. W.

Wallace, G. W. Wells, J. D. White, Willard, A. Williams, W. B. Williams, J. Wilson, A. Wood, Jr., WoodNAYS-Messrs. Abbott, Ainsworth, Ashe, Atkins, J. H.

worth-87.

Bagley, Jr., Beebe, Blackburn, Boone, Bradford, Bright, Buckner, W. P. Caldwell, Candler, Caulfield, J. B. Clarke, J. B. Clark, Jr., Clymer, Collins, Culberson, J. J. Davis, Durham, Felton, Finley, Forney, Franklin, Goode, Gunter, Hardenbergh, J. T. Harris, Hartzell, Hatcher, A. S. Hewitt, Holman, House, A. Humphreys, Hunton, Hurd, T. L. Jones, Knott, Lamar, F. Landers, G. M. Landers, McMahon, Meade, Mills, Money, Morrison, Mutchler, New, O'Brien, Payne, Phelps, J. F. Philips, Poppleton, Reagan, J. B. Reilly, A. V. Rice, Riddle, W. M. Robbins, Sayler, Scales, Schleicher, Sheakley, Slemons, W. E. Smith, Southard, Sparks, Springer, Stenger, W. H. Stone, J. K. Tarbox, Terry, Thomas, C. P. Thompson, Thr morton, Tucker, Turney, J. L. Vance, R. B. Vance, Wadden, Walling, Warner, E. Wells, Whitehouse, Wigginton, Wike, A. S. Williams, J. N. Williams, B. Wilson, Yeates, Young-90.

NOT VOTING-Messrs. Anderson, Bagby, J. H. Baker, W. H. Baker, Banning, Bass, S. N. Bell, Bland, Bliss, Blount, J. Y. Brown, S. D. Burchard, Cabell, J. H. Caldwell, A. Campbell, Carr, Cate, Chapin, Cochrane, Cook, Cowan, S. S. Cox, Cutler, Darrall, De Bolt, Dibrell, Dobbins, Douglas, Durand, Eden, Egbert, Ellis, Faulkner, D. D. Field, Fuller, Garfield, Gause, Gibson, Glover, Goodin, Hale, A. H. Hamilton, R. Hamilton, Hancock, B. W. Harris, H. R. Harris, Harrison, Hartridge, Haymond, C. Hays, Hendee, Henkle, G. W. Hewitt, Hill, Hoar, Hoge, Hooker, Hopkins, Hoskins, Jenks, F. Jones, Kehr, King, Lane, Levy, Lewis, Lord, Luttrell, Mackey, Maish, McFarland, H. B. Metcalf, Milliken, Morgan, Nash, L. T. Neal, Odell, Piper, Potter, Powell, Purman, Rea, J. Reilly, J. Robbins, Roberts, M. Ross, Savage, Schumaker, Singleton, Stanton, Stephens, Stevenson, Swann, Teese, Van Vorhes, Wait, Waldron, C. C. B. Walker, G. C. Walker, Walsh, E. Ward, Warren, Watterson, Wheeler, Whiting, Whitthorne, C. G. Williams, J. Williams, B. A. Willis, Wilshire, F. Wood, Woodburn-113.

PART VII.

"The resolution of Samuel J. Tilden, not again to be a candidate for the exalted place to which he was elected by a majority of his countrymen, and from which he was excluded by the leaders of the Republican party, is received by the Democrats of the United States with sensibility, and they declare their confidence in his wisdom, patriotism, and integrity, unshaken by the assaults of a common enemy, and they further assure him that he is followed into the retirement he has chosen for himself by the sympathy and respect of his fellow-citizens, who regarded him as one who, by elevating the standards of public morality, merits the lasting gratitude of his country and his party.”—Declaration 9, National Dem. Platform, 1880.

accuracy amounting to mathematical demonstration. The original cipher dispatches with the translations were published side by side, and cannot be disputed. In the language of the Tribune, they comprised:

"1. Telegrams between the Democratic managers in New York and their agents in California and Oregon, relative to the granting of a certificate to one of the Democratic electors who was not elected, and the purchase of a Republican elector to recognize and act with him.'

"2. Telegrams between the Democratic managers in New York and their friends and secret agents in Florida during the progress of the count.

"3. Telegrams between these New York managers and their friends and secret agents in Louisiana during the same critical period.

"4. Telegrams between these New York managers and their friends and secret agents in South Carolina during the operations of the Canvassing Board at Columbia, and the argument before the State Supreme Court, by whose interference Mr. Tilden's representatives hoped to control the action of the Board.

5. Various dispatches between local Democratic politicians in Florida and South Carolina, including the series of telegrams on the subject of an armed opposition to Chamberlain's inauguration.

The

Gra

Florida cipher dispatches mercy Park and Tallahassee in communication-A $200,000 bribe proposed— A $50,000 offer for one electoral vote accepted-A mistake occurs and the thing falls through.

The story of the contest for the electoral votes of Florida in 1876, as told for the first time by the Tribune, in its translations of the cipher dispatches between the Democratic agents in that State and Gramercy Park, New York, is this:

"The translations of these dispatches show that the confidential agents of Mr. Tilden in that State were Manton Marble, C. W. Woolley and John F. Coyle; that these agents went to Tallahassee with prearranged ciphers for communication with the residence of Mr. Tilden; that they first labored by lawful means to secure for him the votes of that State, and failed therein because the official returns gave a majority for Mr. Hayes. Cipher dispatches regarding the bribery of a member of the Canvassing Board then passed between Mr. Tilden's residence and his confidential agents in Tallahassee. One proposition to pay $200,000 for a member was held too high, because another dispatch from a different agent promised a cheaper bargain. Then by both agents separate propositions were sent in separate ciphers, to buy a member for $50,000. The reply from Gramercy Park was, 'Proposition accepted if done only once,' and the two agents were separately

not clearly appear that the goods would have been delivered. But the scheme fell through because four

Shameful story of the Cipher Dis-ordered to consult with each other in haste. It does patches and the Tilden barrelBribery and attempted Bribery to secure Electors in Florida, South Carolina and Oregon.

The story of the captured cipher dispatches and the secret efforts made by Tilden through his Democratic emissaries, to defraud Florida, South Carolina and Oregon of an Electoral vote, is one of the most damnable in the whole history of Democratic Election Frauds, and the exposure by the N. Y. Tribune of the entire nefarious business, was perhaps one of the most startling disclosures ever made to a disgusted Nation. Nearly 200 of the captured telegraphic dispatches were in cipher, and, although several perplexing systems had been adopted, all were at last deciphered with an

words were dropped from the dispatch authorizing the purchase, thus making it unintelligible. It was after some delay repeated from Gramercy Park in full and intelligible form, but arrived too late, and the visiting statesman so reported to Gramercy Park."

The South Carolina cipher dispatchesProposed bribery of the Returning Board— $80,000 the price-The proposition accepplan-Subsequent ted-Delay upsets the propositions of violence and corruption.

The story of the attempt to steal or vitiate the electoral vote of South Carolina-extending over the entire period, from election day to the assembling of the Electoral Colleges, Dec 6, 1876, is similarly told as follows:

"In South Carolina the purchasing agent was Smith M. Weed. He telegraphed to Colonel Pelton, on the

very day of his arrival at Columbia, a proposal to buy | popular choice of governor and of State senathe Canvassing Board for $30,000, to which Pelton tors, in their several districts, while represenappears to have readily assented. This figure was too low, and the negotiation, after lasting six days, was tatives of the Legislature are chosen by a closed at the price of $80,000. Weed went to Baltimore plurality vote. The representative districts to meet a messenger there who was to carry the money are nearly or quite all composed of several in three packages; but again a little delay upset the scheme. Subsequently a plot was formed to buy four towns, no town sending more than one repremembers of the South Carolina Legislature, for $20,000, sentative, and no city more than five. In and having thus obtained control of the State govern- case no person has a majority for governor, or ment, to put the Hayes electors in jail, and lock them for senator in any district, the vacancy is filled up in separate cells until the day for casting the electoral votes had passed. The result of this villainy by the members and senators elected, in a would have been to deprive South Carolina of any vote manner not necessary to be stated. and to throw the choice of a President into the House cast at the Maine election, held September 8, of Representatives, which would have elected Tilden. 1879, was the largest ever thrown in that State, The plan failed because the four members could not be bought." aggregating 138,355. It was thus divided between the gubernatorial candidates: Davis The Oregon ciphers-Plot to create a (Rep.), 68,766; Smith (Greenb.), 47,590; Tilden college out of the Hayes college-Garcelon (Dem.), 21,668; scattering, 311. It Cronin, and the proposed bribe of $5,000 for a Republican elector-The money gets there too late.

"The plot of the Democratic managers in Oregon was to create a Tilden Electoral College after the election, by causing Governor Grover to issue a certificate to one Democrat (Cronin), who had not been elected, in the place of one of the Republican electors who was said to be ineligible. Cronin was then to develop himself into a full Electoral College by filling vacancies' in his own body, and was to cast the single vote which Mr. Tilden needed in order to become President. But, for the success of this plan it was necessary that one of the two Republican electors who held regular certificates should be bribed to recognize and act with Cronin. Accordingly the Democratic Governor (Grover) withheld a certificate from one of the Hayes electors on the ground of ineligibility, and instead of allowing the other electors to fill the vacancy, gave the clearly been defeated. The secret agent in Oregon was one J. H. N. Patrick. He telegraphed to Colonel Pelton that it was necessary to purchase a Republican elector to recognize and act with' Cronin, and the price was $5,000. This proposal likewise was accepted, and the money was sent to Oregon, where it arrived only on the 6th of December, just too late to be of any

certificate to a Tilden elector named Cronin, who had

The vote

will be seen that although Davis, the Republican candidate, had 21,176 more votes than his chief competitor, he lacked 402 votes of an absolute majority over all others. So the selection devolved upon the Legislature, as above stated; and the choice would, of course, be determined by the political complexion of that body.

The "Fusion "-How "fusion did not fuse."

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Though three candidates had been put in nomination for Governor, there had been a fusion" between the Democrats and Greenbackers throughout the State upon Senatorial and Representative tickets. The day after the election it was well known, and everywhere conceded, that so far as the people could, by their action at the polls, determine the character of the Legislature of 1880, the Senate would contain 19 Republicans and 12 Fusionists, and the House 90 Republicans to 61 Fusionists. The aggregate of all the votes cast in the several Senatorial districts for the Republican nominees exceeded the aggregate of those thrown for their opponents by about 5,000, showing that "fusion would not fuse." Constitutional requirements disregarded— All precedents overturned-The Governor and Council usurp judicial functions. The Maine "Steal"-Brief HisThe Constitution requires each separate tory of the Garcelon Iniquity-town to transmit to the Secretary of State, to How it comes to Grief.

use.

33

For specimens of these cipher dispatches and other matter connected with the attempted frauds, bribery and corruption in Florida and other states, see pages 67 to 69.

PART VIII.

No more authoritative statement of the Democratic attempt to steal Maine can be given than the unanimous* report of the Joint Select committee of the Maine Legislature appointed "to inquire into the condition of the Election Returns of Sept. 8, 1879, and the expenditure of public moneys under the direction of Gov. Garcelon and Council." A condensation of that report and the evidence upon which it is founded will tell the outrageous story in a nut-shell.

be by him laid before the governor and council, a return of all the votes cast therein for Senators and Representatives. It is, then, a simple process of addition and subtraction to determine the result as to any particular district. The constitution requires the governor and council to perform this duty; to examine the returns so sent from the several towns, and "issue a summons to such persons as appear to be elected" in each district to attend and take their seats in the Legislature on the first Wednesday of the next January. Governor Garcelon and his "fusion" council, Peculiarities of the Maine Election Laws of fifty-eight years since the erection of Maine instead of following the unbroken precedents The vote for Governor The election thrown into the Legislature.

into a State-observed by all parties who have administered the government in that periodIn Maine a majority is requisite for the and performing the purely ministerial duty

*The statement of facts thereby established being expressly admitted by seven members of the committee, consisting of five Republicans and three fusionists, the eighth indicating his assent only by silence.

reatured of them, assumed that the constituon invested them with judicial tunemons. making them "udges of sections. and then proceeded to the most fagrant and Outrageous abuse of this wrongfully assumed hower in order to lefeat the will of the people is emphatically expressed at the polls.

The declaration that S Senators and 29 Representatives do not “appear to be elected”—Every one of these a Republican —No Democrat or Greenbacker under ban—Frivolous pretexts by which large cities were denied representation.

sons.

Their duty is to examine the returns and see who appear to be elected," according to those returns, and then to summon such perThey declared the condition of these returns to be such that eight senators and twenty-nine representatives, who, in fact, received the requisite number of votes to elect them, did not "appear to be elected. Every one of these senators and representatives was a Republican; not a singie Democrat or Greenbacker failed to receive a summons by reason of any defect in the returns; and thus those who were in a minority at the poils were to be made a majority in each branch of the Legislature. By rejecting returns for frivolous alleged informalities and technical inaccuracies, eight Republican senators were to give place to eight fusion senators, and twenty-nine Republican representatives were refused their seats, to which seventeen 'nsionists were admitted, and twelve were left vacant. Those twelve represented the cities of Portland, Saco, Lewiston, Bath, and Rock land. The average Republican majority in Portland was 629. Of the whole number of votes cast 143 were returned as ** scatter

ing,

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presentatives were summoned to take seats
belonging to their Republican opponents show
sull more fagrant rauds, perpetrated while the
turns (cere in the custody of the governor and council.
For instance, in York county, constituting the
irst senatorial district, two fraudulent altera-
tions of the same character were made to have
iifferent effects, though both subserved the
ame purpose that of seating men who ob-
tained the fewest votes at the poils. The re-
turn from Berwick, when sent to the Secretary
of State, gave to George H. Wakefield, a Re-
publican nominee for senator, 258 votes. In
Dayton, a strengiv Democratic town, Josiah
After these returns reached Augusta, the H in
H. Stover was returned as receiving 96 votes.
each case was converted into an A by closing
at the top, so as under the ruling of the gov-
nor and conneri) to deprive Geo. H. Wake-
heid, Republican, of the vote of Berwick, and
to give to Josiah A. Stover, Democratic fusion-
ist, the vote of Dayton; thereby depriving the
fermer of his seat in the Senate.
Oliver P. Bration was the Republican candi-
Again,
date for representative in the district com-
posed of Gouldsboro and several other towns
in Hancock county and received a majority of
the votes cast therein. In Gouldsboro' he re-
ceived 207 against 125 cast for James Flye,

Greenbacker.

hands of the governor and council, some one After the returns came into the changed the P into a 3. by adding a loop, and thereupon these 207 votes were counted for a suppositions Oliver B. Bragdon, instead of for summens, which was sent to his opponent, the proper man, and he was thus deprived of Five, upon the ground that he had more votes than either Qaver P. Bragion or Oliver B. Bragion--wrongfully and raudulentiy assuming the Republican vote to have been livided between two Bragions, when there was but

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If all of these were counted for the highest candidate on the fusion ticket, he Skowhegan cast 395 Republican to 302 would have been still several hundred behind Musion votes, yet the representative so chosen was denied his seat because the governor was the lowest upon the Republican ticket. informed that the Republican votes had the because the name of every man who received names thereon in two coinmns instead of one! even a singie vote was not written in No law prescribes aught as to the arrangement upon the returns, the Governor and council, acting under the obligation of oficial inty of names, which is a matter of taste with the and the sanction of an official oath, deciare printer or voter. The accidentally omitted that it does not appear" by such a return the town clerk from the name of Burnthat anybody was chosen to represent Port-a, Repubilean, defeats him, while votes and in the Legislature, and her ave repre- Democrat. returned for Tabbot and Taibart elect Talbot, sentatives, having an average majority of 529, are excluded. Upon pretexts equally trivo Cons the four cities of Bath, Saco, Lewiston and Rockland, having seven representatives, vere stranchised, the Governor reising even to order a new election: this denying to these principal cities in the State any voice in a Legislature which was to establish a valuation as a basis of taxation for the next decade. It was the most odious form of taxation without representation.

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in all the 37 cases, no instance of ambiguity in the returns-Ail "appeared” to De elected-Only 15 cases of doubt in 60 years-Favors to the Fusionists—Differeni sauces for goose and sander.

The foregoing are merely given as samples of the whole. There were very many other instances of similar changes and frauds, made and committed to keep out Republicans who

Fraudnient counting in of Fusionists who were elected, and to seat fusionists who were had the smallest votes-Fraudulent reas, soning conclusive to traud-loving minds →specimens coming under the Gover nor's remarkabie ruling.

206. There was not one solitary instance out of the thirty-seven in which there was any amoignity in the returns, or in which it did not plainly thereby appear" who was elected. In the sixty years of the history of The cases in which fusion senators and re- that State bus ifteen such instances of tatai

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defects have occurred-15 out of more than | of their fellow-citizens; and that if they re10.000 persons elected to the Legislatures con- ceived no notice or "summons (which is vened within that time; yet Governor Garce- merely a notification and not a judgment) to lon's astuteness, aided by the wisdom of his attend the convening of the Legislature they council, discovered 37 among the 182 persons could convene without one. Thereupon the making up the Legislature of 1880. Every whole fusion conspiracy collapsed for want of error counting out a Republican, and 25 of popular support and not from any acquithem also counting in a fusionist. No error escence on the part of the fusion leaders in could affect a fusionist, because new blanks the supremacy of the law. The Legislature, were surreptitiously sent out from the capitol as chosen by the people, went on and perto several towns electing fusion representa- formed its appropriate functions, first choostives, that they might be correctly filled ac- ing Daniel F. Davis (Republican), governor. ecrding to the new strict requirements of the governor and council, and were substituted for the original ones, which contained errors similar to those held fatal to Republican success. In other cases errors fatal to a Republican were held not to prejudice a fusionist. Had the law, as previously and correctly administered, been observed, the Republicans would have had a majority in each branch, and had the technical rules wrongfully estabfished by Governor Garcelon been faithfully and impartially applied to both parties, the Republicans would still have had a majory: but they were only enforced to exclude Republicans and were disregarded to seat fusionists.

Intense indignation throughout the State -Garcelon calls to his aid convicts and jail birds-He abstracts $4,000 from the special fund for free high schools, with which to pay them.

Naturally, this course created intense excitement and indignation throughout the State. At first, Governor Garcelon was disposed to disregard it, and summoned to his rapport an illegal body of men, among whom Tre convicts and jail birds (one of them ng been recently pardoned out of States' pson by Governor Garcelon himself), whom e paid by a misappropriation of the public ds. To make his conduct harmoniously namous throughout, the governor took $4,000 from the free high school fund to pay these men being the fund of all others that should not have been touched, not only on account of the importance of the purpose to which it was devoted, but because it is a special fund raised and pledged to aid towns in the maintenance of such schools.

PART IX.

The Infamous New York Election Frauds—Supervisor John I. Davenport's Startling Revelations on the Stand — For Twelve Years the Tammany Democracy has Voted Thousands of Men who Never Lived! -64,000 Votes Fraudulently added, in 1868, to the Lawful Votes of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut-“Whole Streets Taken and Naturalized from House to House!”—The Various Systems in Operation,

Following is from the sworn testimony of Supervisor John I. Davenport, given before the Wallace Senate Investigating Committee, July 16, 17, 19, and 20, 1880, in New York city, after which the testimony was abruptly terminated because, as Senator McDonald (Democrat) said: "the chairman (Senator Wallace) was unwilling to have the investigation go on.' The Democratic members of the committee had evidently had enough of it. It is a most interesting bit of history.

Who John I. Davenport is, and what he has been attending to these many years-How he commenced work.

Said the witness, Mr. Davenport (July 16, 1880):

The storm still rising-Garcelon quails at last-Refers the case to the Supreme Court-It unanimously declares him utterly wrong in all respects-Sudden collapse of the whole damnable conspiracy.sel for the Union League Club to investigate the At last, however, the governor quailed before the rising storm, and consented to ask the opinion of the Supreme Court in a method authorized by the Constitution upon the emity of his conduct. The unanimous reply of this tribunal, in which both parties were presented, was that he had been utterly Tong from the beginning and in every parscar; that the senators and representatives were not dependent upon the governor and connal for their seats, but upon the suffrages

"I am a United States Commissioner, and Supervisor of Elections. In 1876 I issued a number of warrants for the arrest of persons using fraudulent naturalization papers. In 1868 I was employed as counfrauds that had been and were still going on, and to prepare proof and to secure witnesses. I sifted the mass of evidence obtained, and laid it before the committee, known as the Lawrence Committee, and following that came their report. At the first election after I was appointed Chief Supervisor I gave notice 1868 to be careful in their use, and proceeded to acto all persons having naturalization papers issued in cumulate additional evidence to reach those who had committed the frauds. I found that there were persons who acted as witnesses for hundreds and thousands of people, and I accumulated information relative to the conduct of naturalization proceedings in that year, and in 1866 and 1867 also.

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