The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-03-06
Ynltttta1,
FORTY,FIFTA CONGRESS-,
Housr OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
washington, D, G, February %

plying y lU,UUUUuU Vi Vho PivV0SN
sale Of certificates Of deposit authorlA9u
to be issued in aid Of refunding the pup
lic debt to the payment OF arrears OF
pensions, which was defeated-yeas llo,
nays l73.
Mr.. Mcmahon stated that he had voted
Yesterday for tie passage of the Clvll
Sundrv Appropriation bill under the
imnression that it contained nothing but
anpropriations. Itdid, however, contain
legislation in regard to arrears oil pen,
sions, which, had he known 1t, would
have made him vote against the bill.
Mr.. Harris, Chairman Of the Commit
tee on Elections, reported q reso luton In
regard to the contested election case
from the Third Congressional District OF
Missouri, declaring that R 6 Frost ICON
testant) is entitled to the seat Ltid on
the table. al
The House then went into Committee
of the Whole Blackburn in the cham
on the Legislative Appropriation bill, the
question being on Mr.. Soulhard's amend
ment repeating the law creating the
office of electoral supervisors, etc
Mr.. Banning quoted from Mr' Gar
field's speech OF last Wednesday to tRe
effect that as many men had been sent
from Cincinnati to the Penitentiary for
election frauds as would take away the
majority of one Of the members from
that city. He said So far as | am
aware this is the first time that this in
famous falsehood has found any one 30
reck less of truth as to become lts lndor-
ser upon this floor. In 1872 | was elect
ed from the Second Congressional Dis
trict of Ohio over r. Hayes by a ma.
iority of ,505 10 1874 | was reelected
by majority of ,535 over Job Il ste
venson. In 1875 after the most exciting
contest that had ever occurred in the
district, in which every appliance known
in corrupt politics was used against me,
Governor Hayes certified my majority
to be seventy five over Senator Stanley
Matthews. believed then, as | do now,
that fair count would have given me a
much larger majority. Judge Matthews
gave me notice of the contest, which !
answered. Suffice it to say that he
abandoned the contest and never took a
WORD of testimony. After the election
charges of fraud were made by both par
ties, and examined into by the United
States District Court with Republican
Judge, Republican District Attorney
and Republican Marshal what, sir, was
the result? In the whole of Hamilton
county, comprising two Congressional
districts, fifteen persons in all were con-
victed of illegal practices, of whom five
were sent to the penitenliary. Ten OF
these fifteen were from the Second Dis
trict, and three of these ten were Repub-
licans, one being a Colored Republican,
This, sir is the record regarding the Con
gressiona election in 1876 in the Second
District of Ohio, as it has been furnished
to me; district composed of honora'
BILE men who hate fraud and detest false
hood. In their behalf, in the interest of
truth, and as q matter of justice to my
self, pronounce the assertion made by
the gentleman to be untrue, and de-
nounce its author, whoever he may be-,
as a falsifer. Before uttering this asser-
ten the gentleman should have been
certain that it was true, and should not
have made himself responsible on this
floor and before the country for that
which the record shows to be false. l
am informed that the gentleman was
wont to Clothe himself in the white
robes of an evangelist, and ascending the
pulpit to preach the Gospel Of him who
commands Thou shalt not bear false
witness against thy neighbor.' Surely
he of all men in this House should sat
isfy himself of the truth or falsity of an
accusation before placing it upon the
records of the nation. Oae word more.
l desire TO be distinctly understood about
this matter, once for all. If any person
means to assert that a single fraudulent
vote was cast at the election of 1876 with
my knowledge, by my authority, or
Uhrough my procurement / here and
now pronounce the assertion malicious
falsehood. ] might follow the ilustrious
example offered NE and retaliate by
gath ering up all the ISLANDERS connected
with the gentleman's official record, so
we'll known to the presc and people Of
the country, and pour them out on this
floor, but as | know nothing of my own
knowledge as to the truth or falsity of
these charges, | scorn to do 50, aud here
I leave the gentleman to a full enjoy.
ment Of the position he has made for
himself
Mr.. HAYES took the floor, but he was
asked to yield it to Mr.. Garfield, and he
complied with the generally expressed
will of the House.
Mr., Garfield said that he had no par
ticular desire to say anything in reply to
his colleague. He had made no charge
againt that gentleman. He had not
named his name or his district. He had
not said anything implying that
any member had done any corrupt
thing. If his colleague WAS ambitious to
get into a controversy and to elevate
himself to the position of ControVer-
sialist with him he had failed, for he
(Garfeld) had not challenged either his
colleagues personal character, or his
name, or his district. He had been talk.
ing about the necessity of law remain
ing in the statute book to protect the
purity of national elections, and, after
calling attention to frauds practiced in
New York, eahad mentioned, also, elec,
tion frauds practiced in Cincinnati. All
that he knew about them was what any
intelligent reader of current history also
knew. His only authority was the test
imony of one Eph Holland before
court of competent Jurisdiction, and in
the nature of a confession, to the effect
that be was an experienced repeater and
engaged, under the promise of pay (not
from his colleague) to carry on the work
of increasing the majority of certain
party in Cincinnati, and that he himself
had put somewhere in the neighborhood
of three hundred fraudulent votes in the
box. Eph Holland was sent to the PEN
itentiary, and it was said in the public
prints that one car took seventeen of his
associates to the Ohio Penitentiary. I'll
that statement about the general state of
facts had rendered his colleague restless
and troubled, he (Garfeld) was not re.
sponsible for it, because the record bore
him out. He had made no personal al
lusiOn.