Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-08-18
Hen James A. Garfield
OF OHIO,
Inatlis HOuse Of Representatives
Friday, AUGUST 4, 1875.
Can tie Demoerstie Party le Safely II.
Trusted vita the Aamlalstratioa
Of tie Government

The House being in Committee OF tb
Whole on the bill Isl. y. No. z592) 70 trans
fer hs cOhdtet Of Indian affairs from til
Intefiof Department 10 the War Depart
ment, Mr.. Garfield said:
M CHAIRafAN. IreeTet that the speeel
Of She gentleman from Mississippi A4f
LaEaAF bRs not yet sPpeaFed in the Record
so tsat might have hae It's full and aE
theRtic text before Offering my own remarks
in FsPly. But bis pr9Posiaoas we're =
, elesrly and 80 very ably stated, the doe
trines that run through Il were 50 logical.
connected, Il VIII BE hny own fault Il fai
70 u16efztsnd and appreciste the genera
scope and purpose Of MS speech.
In tae OUs8et, desire for myself and fOf {
majority, st least Of those for whom
Epeak5 70 express my gratitude % the gentle
maa for all that portion of his speech Ehiel
had. for its object, the removal Of the preiu
diees and unlZindly Feelings that have arisen
among citizens Of the Republic in eonsa
queRea Of the late war. Whatever faultI
the speech may have, les aUtho4 expresses al
earnest desire to make progress III the direc
ton Of a better understanding between the
Nefth apd the South; and in that Il meets
ny most hearty eoHeurrence aud approved
VIII attelnpt 70 state briefly what / m
derstand 70 be she logic Of the genfleman'i
speech. He sets ont with dsplsring The
evils OF party, aad expressing the belief
that tie CREST Elsss Of the American people
sre tired Of much that belongs to party
and, locking beyond and above mere part,
pEeludices and passions, they greatly desiFf
70 remove public eorruptions, and reform
the manifold errors and evils OF administra,
tion ano legislation; that those errors and
eyiis consist mainly Of two things First,
of g generally corrupt state Of public ad-
ministration and second, OF q depiofa5ie
state Of the civil service; that this state Of
adairs Is buttressed and maintained By an
euOrmoas army Of l00, 900 civil efiee-hoiders
ana 1o0 Oo9 more expsetanfs for oiiice and
that because OF this vast force The people
haFe Hitherto been unable tc make the re
ferns they desire. This is his major prem
Use.
The next point bis minor prenise, il
that pc Republican party IS incapable Of
eEecting the great reforms which the peSpIe
desire ahd his eohelusi6a from these prem
ises Is that the Democratic party ou6ht to
be 5EopgAt INTO power "a The coming eIse-
hisWes the summary, and, 1 may say,
absePt. conclusion Of his reasoning. The
gentlemtn seemed to be aWare thar there
mie1t &c some apprehensionE ID the minds
OF The people that It would not, quite vet
be safe to recall the Democratic party Is
power a1d he endeayored TO ouiet those
approximations b. stating IN the first place
that there need be no fear that the South.
lately n rsbelAon, would again control slie
goFernnen {, flaf tkey were pres trGted that
their institntioaE had been oyofthrosrp !.
that tteir industries had been broken IN. !.
that q their Feak and broken o0aditi6n
there need be no fear that they would
again be placed At the head Of public
atizsrs and, finally, that ~ Spnfh has
united with the Democratic 49,, Ut from
cholee, but forced 70 DO it by,ife5,s1asabfe
necessity - taeirs0Aly means Of protection.
In the second place, there tas apprehsb-
Ee1, he sid, that the Democracy, # ghey
came into power, would not rreservs ne
Denehoe1t results Of the war. But he So
sures q that shis fear Is Eroundless: that
the people Of the South have no Aspirations
Which are not boundt -Dy the horizon az
the Union; that ti.ts- = y as the Denloe.
racy of the NOy-sss ,6nestlv ma an.
eerely, the eshtasx Of me var ana
that they can be trusted 70 preserve an 4be
good that has been gained.
Again he says It Is fsHed, en- the psTtlaf
many that the eolored race, iateIy enslavsa. !
VII net oe safe n the full enjoyment of
AZ tns rights resulting from the war and
guaranteed oy the amendments to the Cor
stltAtlen. This, be slso assures Us, is
RrQundless teaf, because the people Of The
South understand the e0lored raee snn-s-
elete .hell qualities, and are on such 4 faof.
ing q eIlendzhip and regard that fIlsey are
IN fact better fitted to meet the vs5Sts of
that people and help them along in the vvsI
of civilization, enlighsenment. and oeaea
than, those who are 1urther removed from
such knowledge.
He emphasizes de statement that The
Seuta eheerfuily accepts the results Of t6e
war and eoIliis that much good has been
aealeFs5 hy the Republican party which
ought . Be preserved. ! Was grafifed 70
herr che gentleman speak Of Lincolnas the
i41stEious aufhor Of the great act Of
euhneipstiOn." That aduisssoa w;H =
welcomed everywhere BY those who believe
in the justice snd wisdom OF thst ereat aet.
While speaking Of the condition Of the
so71th and iN wants he deploFes two evfIs
which alhiCt that portion Of ouF countTv
First Federal supervision; and second.
negro aseondancy In its political 1ifssirs. II
faaf com et sion, Il viii be femenibsreS ~
quoted from Joh1 Stuart Mn and from
Gibbon; the one to show that the Taost
dsplorable form Of government is where the
1iaYe governs; and from the other to show
the evils Ct q agoyeruIseut whish IS IN slien
bands dhe gentleman represented tile
.A-lAA--8 AlS .couu uoElI9 evils de-
pieted b both these great Ftitars. TRat I
may Pc sure 70 do him justice quote . mar
agrapo from the Associated Press report Of
his 3eeehS
Ihe ineTitable eject Of that reconst-uet;on
policy had 55en to draw one race "a ia =,
anq dri7e me other race 10 is opunsifir,1 !
quotes sf5hhQn, the historian a. ea,-fS, = ts-ss
the most absurd and oppressive system al ,aV- /
erni1eft n'h1cn coalt be conceived of & tksti
Whaeh sub jeetg the natiYe Of a country ~ ~, I
domination q his slave. He also ouotod fYo1S
John ttuHrt Nil 70 the elect that when a Gov
sible to the people governed. bat to some other
e2mmunity. tits one Of the worst Of conceive
bic soVtf1 nents, ana be said thkt the hisleouS
system establ nd IN the South e eoEspasifs
q those Two vicious systems. The people are
bunlected % the d0mination OF their fcrIner
slaves sad are ruled over by people whose
eon9tlt7elts 'HeEe nQtithe people for whom they
Should act, but the Federal eoFernmelt,
Nov Y have stated-of course very briefly,
but hope with entire fainess-t6e scope
OF the very able speech to which We
listened ln word Il Is this tbe Repiib.
ican party Is depressing the South: negr0
suffrage Is 3 gfievous eyil there are serious
eorruptions IN public affairs in the nEtlo1aI
legislation and administration the civil
service Of the country especially needs
great and radical reform and therefore the
Democratic parry ought 70 be placed in
control 81 the government ct this time, bv
the election Of Iilden and Hendricks.
1t has not been my habit, and Il is not
my desire, to discuss mere party politics