Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-09-26

question By the first act Of the LegisIasurt
Of the District of Columbia, no contract
was to be made, no work was, to be
/ Congress had adjourned. The appropriation
for the District of Columbia we're made before
! touched or had anything to do with this mat
/ ter. 1t is true that the next yesr there were
i appropriations made for the District of Colum-
bia, but the appropriation that Congress made
never had ANYTHING to say about one pavement
or another. Congress knew no more about the
De GOllyer pavement or any other paveme II
than you in Warren did. It simply made the
appropriation to pay for paving in front of its
own building if it thought proper to do 50, and
Question by DR.. Smith Why didn't you
make Dick (hicl up in the Twentieth lhicl mp
there give you 81 500 instead OF thicl i've thou
sand2 ur
General Garfield II understand Mr.. Persons
and they paid him retaining
| fee Of s.. 100 for his services whether he sue
eeeded or not. and they were to pay him SIC, 900
as a CONTINGENT fee If he succeeded Mr. Par
to me saying there were $4,000 depending
upon Lis success, of which he would pay
half in case made the argument and
was successful. l suppose that is q
fair explanation. understand some gentle
men think thatis large zee; well. it is large
fee. but it was nothing for that. Either ell
would be more. don't know that those gem
tlemen said il was large fee when Judge
Trumb bull made an argument in the Supreme
Court and received ten thousand dollars out of
the United States Treasury for it. s na
QuestiOn-Genersl Garfield, allow me to ask
one question. What question Of law was sub
mitted 10 you in that case2 W g il question
of law or q question of the difference between
the pavements2 -ca sssr5 s5laie
General Garfeld-There we're questions both
of law and of merit In the first place there
were forty-two different binds of pave
ments esented: If the government took
L., r
S0sdST SDS aSTs %Sss ehI Be- PssS q
lawsuit growing out of 1t, and felt it TO be
my first duty to inquire whether the two pat-
ents that extend into this pavement were valid
patents that could properly be sustained. l
made that examip alton as the very first step
I took in the case. i understand that the
Boaro of Public Works said that they did OF
care very much about that, on the ground that
case: but the fact was that the contractor
himself-the owner Of the patent REGARDED it
as a valuable franchise. and the validity Of the
patent was to him the first consideration.
Now. where there are forty patents or nearly
that concerned, it is Of some Importance to
know the relative validity of the patents.
Question--W ould it have made any difference
to the tax payers of Washington or to the
government treasury, whether Mr.. Parsons re-
csiVed five thousand or twenty thousand dol
lars for his eervicesf
General Garfeid-Well. suppose not. 1
never saw how it would.
If no further questions are to be asked win
conclude with few general reflections on the
whole subject. ..
Nothing is more distastefuI to me than to
speak of my own workout this discussion has
been made necessary by the persistent misrep-
resentations ofthose who assail me,
During my long public service the relation
between the people of this district and myself
has been one Of mutual confidence and indie
pendence. have tried to follow my own con-
victions Of duty with little regard TO personal
consequence. relying upon the intelligenee and
of the MANILA Tol
have sought to promote, not merely local and
class interests. but the general good Of the
whole country. believing that thereby I could
honor the position hold and the District /
represent On the other hand my constituents
have given me the great support of their strong
and Intelligent approval. They have not al
of my public acts. But they have sustained me
because they knew l was earnestly following
my convictions Of duty. and because they did |
not want representative to be the mere scho
dependentjudgeo of public questions.
since my hrst election, twelve years ago.
there have been some citizens
other nan 1 a. their representStiye. ie apS sP at
Feveral Of the successive nominations that
preference has been expressed. I have no
right, and have never had the least desire TO |
find fault with this. have never criticised |
or blamed any one for opposing my nominal
ton In the criticisms ! am about to make |
do not refer to these. but to
A SMALL KNOT OF MEN
in TrumbuIl county. and mainly in this town,
who for many years have made their special |
aim TO cripple my influence as Q public man /
and create distrust and opposition in the minds |
of the people. If their criticisms and assaults |
had been made in . spirit of fair |
ness and truth should have No
right to complain. But they have repeatedlv
resorted to personal slander and misrepre-l
and hsve seized every opportunity |
to magnify my errors, and to infamefhe public |
mind against me. To them my SUCCESSES have
been 3 source fregret, and my failures and |
source Of pleasure.
Let me illustrate this: When the country /
was reused to indignation BY the salary increase
Of March 8, 1873, without waiting to hear /
word, without waiting to inquire whether I 1
had or had not draw the back pay, they toof /
occasion Of slimly attended county conven- /
ton, in this place, on the 18th of March 1873 1
to launch into thst convention q RESOLUTION /
which pretend d to speak in the name Of the 1
Republicans Of Trumbull county, and to de- /
mend my instant reeignation. That conven-
lion was not called for any such purpose. The
people had conferred upon 1t nc such jurisdic-
lion over the subject, At the last moment and /
without deliberation. the resolution was hur-
-ied through, and then It was q message sest Il
1n the wings Of the lightning all over the Unit
ID States tina the people Of Trumbull county /
lad arisen in their might and stamped the |
brand Of iufamy upon their representative
The people of this district did and do strongly
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