Conkling And The President

The New York World publishes n long and important letter from its Utica (N. Y.) correspondent, being the sum of a series of interviews with Senator Conkling at his home in that city at intervals duriug the past few months. The relations between the correspondent and Senator Conkling, the World sayg, were Huch as made entire franknep.s necessary on the part of the latter, and, the Tl nrld adds, "the correspondente name will be forthcoming if tiie slightest renl occasion for publishing it shall arise." In tho interviews the Senator spoke with the utmost freedom about tho snccessive steps that led to the formafaóti of the. Electoral Conimission, the part had in it by prominent Demócrata and Republican members of CongreRs, and by President Hayes and his friends. In tne courso of the interview tho World" s correspondent asked. Well, Senator, I would like to know whether you think tlie true history of the Louisiana electoral business wil! ever be tolu ia Congress, and, if so, how soon? Conkling - Yes ; I think it will. I don't s?e how it can be kept down. There are too many avenues of information opened to-day to makc conceai Kent of avail mnch longer. No reasdp able man can doubt there was some kim of a bargain between the friends o Nicholls and that man Hayes, and tha Stanley Matthews and Shermau wer pnvy to ie. A vcry grcat niany people have beeonie exceediugly curious to know precisely what the bargain was and exaetly how it was crried out, and Yankee ingenuity will 1)0 sure to ftnd somo mcaiis of gotting at the informatiou. Icannot say how soon tho fiictn will come out, for somethmg may occur auy day to f orco tbcni to ti ie surf ace. It will probably be bost to lot them coino out nafiïralTy. Correspondent - What will be the rcsult? Couklirjg - Tho result will be that the whole country will be appalled by the dishonor of tlm ndniinittration. I teii yötr, sir, that never in the Jiistory of tbi nation has thero been in the entire four years of au administration so rauch corruption, bnrteiing of offices, rewarding of politica! favoritos, trnffic with politica! leadoae, and bargainqtid Bule of the electoral franchise, as during this past year. People will not believe it nntil the proof is shown them ; but the proof will bo forthcoming. People say that Hayes is a good man, ftnd means wel], luit thoy do not know what they are talking about. When all tho facts are known abont this itdministration no one will attempt to excuse the man ou account of Iiíh nupposcd goodness, nor yet because he is weak and ignorant. The acts that luwe disgraced this adininistration have all been done before the opened eyes of tho President. Mr. Conkling then goes on to review at length the history of tho Electoral Commission. He says the country was in actual danger. Yes, I mean that the danger was real and imminent. The point of peril was not in tho South, but in the West. It was understood that the Republiean leader had detormined to have Vice President Ferry count tho votes at all hazards and declare Mayes electcd, and the West was determined on resistance. It wft9 to be no child's play in that ation. Gen. Steedman had 70.000 men enrollcd and apsigned to regiments for the purpose of seating Tilden in iïïce in ense Vice President Ferry carried out his proposed programme. Yon may look astonished, but these things are true. Preeittènt Grant was at his wits' end. He confessed to me that he did not know what to do. He was gathering some troops at or near Washington, but he did not know how far he could depend upon them. Gen. Sherman told him that in caBe of trouble the sympathies of a largo majority of officerB and soldiers of the regular army would be with Tilden, and that the army must not be taken into consideraron as a dependonce in any such crisis. From these facts, and, from what was threatened and prophtsied publicly in those days, you cae imagine how gloomy the outlook was at tho Republiean councils. The President asked my atlvice, and I frankly told him I did not believe that Vice President Ferry liad any power to declare the vote, but could merely act in a clerical capacity to open the envolopes and lay the votes of tho Electoral College before the Joint Convention of the two houses for their decisión. And, by the way, I may as well state here that when a certain Senator carne to me and said it was proposed to make me President of the Senate in Ferry's place so that the thing should not miss flre, I frankly told him that I could not accept the position, and that, by my interpretation of the oonstitution, I should be compelled to rule exactly opposite to the wishes of hitnself and friemts. That will perhaps explain ono story that is told about me, and, while we are on the subject, let me eay that I suggested subsequently that there was no eoastitutional reason why Grant should not be i'lected President of the. Senate if they wanteda strong manthcre, though I saw no necessity for any such chango. Of course I kur.w there was no likelihood of sucli a choice, and that Grant imply düsired to sec his sucees-sor peaccfully inauguratod nnd to enjoy a long vuoatiou afterward. Conkling says that he then suggosted to President Grant tho idea of a commission, and that the latter embraccil it heartilj'. ïiv gjves an account of various interview witii the Pri'pident umi Gen. Sherman, the diffiooltiea the adyocaWÜ of the plan mot with, and then in particular deteil why he was oonvinoed that Mr. HayeH, tlien iuOhio, was intrigvijug wjtk (ioutlioru Jivtnocrfttic mombera .■! Coagross. Speaking of tbo fimil voto, ho snys: "I urn frank to say that I thought then there -was notnctliing not exactly raight about the Lonisiana business, ut now I believo that whon tho wholo ruth is known it tvíII Bink tho adminisïatiou, l'rofident nud all, lo tho lowest epthti oí infnmy." "You thi)ik, then. Senator, that the President is wholly in tho hands of Southern Demócrata ?" " I am sino of it," snid Senator Conkling. Conkling said thero Jiivd been no reform ander Hayos, not even in tho civil service, and said his list of appointmeuts was tho worBt evor made. Siiid he: "If Have shoulil seud iu a mes3iige on civil-service reform, a list of sorae of these appoiniments will b mblished, and ït will niake such au Btonmling commentary npon the Preel lent's works nu would diseoneert a inoro philosophical Oabiuot thtin that in wliicB Evarts nd Söhurx figure as re)rmcrB." Further on in tho interview the core.spoudent asks : ' ' Do yon see no hopo of bringing the President in nocord with ihe Ropublican leaders 1" Senator Conkling replied : "Imufit confesa that I havo ceased to havo any ixöpctations of it. No opportunity for larmonizing nwtters is given by the ?resident. In my opinión, it is not )osfiible to speak in too estreme a manier of this adniinistration. Look at ita usurpatioiiH of power. In Oliio it openly lictatës tlïe election of a United Btates Senator. Iu order to do this it bargnins with n man, to whom tho suecession properly bclongs, to step out of tlie way, aromising to use its influence, the influínce of nn army of officeholders and :luir positious, to make him Speaker of ;he Houso. Peoplo ioa't stop to think what thiH act really Ib. A President who holds the veto power of legislation promiBes to interfero iu logislation and control its couree by dictatiüg who s)ibU be Speaker of the House of BepreseutativtB. Fancy the fovereign of ICngland trying any such game with the House of 'Conirnons. There would be such an uprising as there has not been since Charles the First lost his head. Tet people are strangely quiet, and say that Hay es is a good man and means well at the vei-y moment he ia attempting to place all the power in tho hands of his personal frienets. If Grant had ever attempted any such usurpation of authority the whole country would have rung witli it, aod he might not have escapea impeahnient. " Concluding, the Senator aaid : "Republicans in and out of Congress have borne a great deal from Hayes becauae he is a Rcpublican President, but they are not quite prepared yet for Southorn dictation. I can look for no good from the President and his Cabinet. They have not got it in them. When the people know him as well as Republican Senators do tho party will be thoroughly uuited, leaving out the administration."