New-York tribune., 1879-04-25
WHAT THE DEMOCRATS WANT

A TALK WITH GENERAL GARFIELD.
THE REAL OBJECT or The EXTRA sFssIoN-TRY-
ING TO REMOVE The OBSTACLES TO FRAUDS IN
NEw-YoRK AND CISCINSATI- PROBABILITY OF
GRANTS NOMINATION.
General Garfield came over from Washington
Tuesday night to identify certain copies of letters
from h1n to General Hazcn. which are to be used
a. evidence IN the Stanley Court-marfal. and re-
turned "Wednesday night. On his way to the train,
in the course of a conversation the political sit
uation with an old acquaintance, he said:
The Democrats will soon come to the forks Of
the road where they must take Of two courses.
When the Presidents veto comes in they must
either proceed 10 carry out their threat of de-
stroyinC the Government or they must back
squarely down. Az the beginning Of this session /
charged them with the intention to break down the
Government by stopping the appropriations n case
the President refused to yield to their demands.
They could have dsproved my statement by simply
denying us truth. shOuld then have been a ruined
man. for | would have stood before the country in
the attitude of falsely attrIbuting wrong motives
TO the Democrats for partisan purpose. Forty
five of them have attacked my speech since but not
a man has yet denied the intention charged them
with"
How will they get out Of the scrape they are in ?
They evidently have weakened in their purpose OF
starving the Government 10 DEATH
u think they will IN the end try 70 avoid the
appearance Of a backdown by throwing the whole
question over to the regular session next Winter,
and passing a joint resolution continuirg for elk
months pro rata the appropriations made for the
present fiscal year, which would carry the Govern
ment along uutil December 81. We prepared IN adj
vance for their escape that direction Be
fore the last session expired, drew and III. Foster
offered resolution OF That precise pTpOrt, and
offered it 20 the Democrats As . means or avoiding
the extra session. They contemptuOUSiv rejected
It., Now II they ln1rodnre II as looPhoir tAfou"h
which 70 crawl out of the fix they are H. we shall
say: Very well; accept that; % ls our resoiu-
tiOn which you refused ID pass last Winter. We
ar,. ri4d TO see that yDu have come around to our
proposition az last, after putting the country To all
the worry and expense Of the extra session"
Then Won DO not think the session VIII drag
along till midsummer ~
"No:I+ looked mat way a while ago. but the
Democrats are getting very sick or IL Lad IN
iut'matIOn yesterday, from a Democratic source.
thar they expect 10 adjourn M about two weeks"
"Our contest over tho Army bli,' continued
General Garfield. after some further talk, " does
not seem 10 be fully understood by some OF tire Re
publican papers. We are not making q fight t0 rC-
tam the Laws Of 500. which authorizes jhe use Of
troops TO keep the peace at the polls. When |
offered the Democrats 90 accept simple section re-
Dealmg that law, some OF our friends 1ut OF Wash
iuEtCu thought | was rctrcatnQ The fact was. our
Caucus Committee or nine Of the most prudent Re-
nublIcans in the House agreed with me that wa
should assent TO the repeal of that Jaw. ana thus
unmask the real purpose OF the Democrats, which
was TO secure legislation imposing severe penalties
not only for bringing troops % the polls blt for
using an armed force of citizens under the control
of civilian officers. To put this 10
test We prepared our repealng clause, aud
IN was offered by Mr.. Juu~.r, OF NlchI-
gan. whose radIcalism nobody over su epecred. our
100 Republicans voted Tor Do, but tine Democrats
defeated IT, While loudly declaring that ti..r
sole purpose was 10 secure the repeal OF an OBJ
uox ious law, they voted against O. proposition 10
accomplish just what they pretended tney all
wanted 20 accomplish. They still keep up an ado
about the law OF 500, and have succeeded to some
extent ~ deludng the country into the belief that
they are merely seeking 10 accomplish the repeal
of that statute
Just what did the Democrats intend TO accom-
piIsh by the extra session y
Their real purpose was 20 remove al obstacles in
the shape of uiteu States law 10 election frauds 10
the cities of New-lora and Cincinnati. Boll % all
down and 10 comes 70 this, they believe they can
carry New York ana OHIO and elect their President
In 1880, II th, y can have Tree field IA those two
cities iOr repeating, OallOt-OOX -tuing and irauGu-
lent naturalization. venture To- say that # New
York City anu Cincinnati could be exempted from
the operations Of tho Federal election laws. tho
Democrats would pass une Appropriation bills and
20 home delighted. W nile they are talGmg about
themes OF Government, the rights of tie states, nil
I-ary interference at elections and all tha-, they
have a definite practical purpose m view. winch Is
TO get possession Oi the Presidency against the VIII
Ol the people
How are the Republicans in Congress getting
along with President Hayesi'
Very pleasantly and hamoniously. The Presi-
dent Is acting M fuil accord with iTs 9arty'
nat Is tho feeling among Rrpuhhcans at
Washington about the next nomination.
d" IL is deadly ~ favor OF Grant. II there should
be no change IN the current before next year Grant
viii DO nominated By an irresistible popular move
meut The feeling u that We must have strong
determined man 10 resist the aggressiOns Of the
Southern Democracy
shall you DO at the Cincinnati Convention IN
Mayf
" Yes; il / can get away from Washington. | have
promised to go aud speak at tho Convention
NNr TffFF TVlfA l,tRV-
eTnOr, / hope ~
" | nave fully made up my mind tha6 Ought not
10 accept tic nomination. Sly friends all urge
70 remain in the House, and l greatly prefer 10
do So"