The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1880-07-09
GEN. GARFIELD.
His Own Answer TO His Pc
litical Traducers
In a Speech Delivered at War
rem, Ohio, in 1874.
All the Charges Against His Career
Met and Settled.
Solid Facts Which No One Can Go
Solid Facts Which No One Can Go
Behind to DisprOYe.


and answered all the charges that have ever
been made against him, and considered all the
criticisms that were at that time offered by his
enemies upon his official career
The speech in full is a powerful campaign
document, and should be printed such and
circulated among those who desire honestly to
investigate Gen. Garfeld's official career He
has remained silent on no great question that
has come before the people for the past twenty
years. He has never been on the wrong side,
but has ever raised his voice, not on the side
that the superficial observer considered right,
but he has invariably been indicated by the
verdict of time.
THE SPEECH.
FELLow-CITIZENs / have thought for o
number of years that we should reach point
where our political discussions would not relate
mainly to the past where, In the language of
some politicians OF the day. we should let by
cones be bygones' and the politics of our time
would look mainly to the future. But the
presence of great events, such as have trans
pired within the past few days in one of our
States leads me to fear we must again discuss
some of the questions connected with the late
war. Tonight | should prefer to discuss that
and other questions of public policy. Thus far
III my public speeches there has been but little
personal discussion. l have tried to make my
public life as impersOnal as possible bat the
course taken by some citizens of this district
justihes me, think, in departing from the or
binary rule, and | shall discuss tonight mainly
questions of a somewhat personal character.
In the first place. recognize it as peculiar
ly important element in our American politics
that the full blaze of public discussion, investi-
CATION and inquiry concerning all men who
serve the public as safeguard to our institu-
tons. do not complain if sometimes the fierce
light of the public press burns rather than en-
lightens. That perhaps is one of the necessary
incidents to a full discussion of individuals and
communities. / indorse and rejoice in the
principle of the utmost individual liberty. of
judgment about all men, whatsoever their sta
ton and career. That right of private judg.
ment is absolute in every American citizen. |
find no fault with any man for exercising it
upon me in the fullest possible manner. only
demand that it shall be exercised upon me in
Justice and for the sake of truth. Whenever
it is exercised for any other purpose and in any
other spirit, perhaps it is all the worse for the
man who so exercises it but [ have
in that case right to respond. |
have come here tonight to reply to
class of criticisms that have been made upon
me during the last two years. When [ have
fully stated what have to say to you on any
of those points, | invite any man, friend or
enemy, to put any question he chooses concern
myself to all who are in the audience but
there is one class of men whom I do
not care to address, mean those who are
glad to find me wrong, and who would be I'M
willing and grieved to know that I am not
wrong. That class of men do not address
with any hope of changing any sentiment they
may hold concerning me. But there is class
into whose hearts and whose minds, for the last
eighteen months, at least series of repeated
accusations have been poured until they have
come to think there must be some truth in the
charges. | have great sympathy for that class
of men they have been made to doubt where
they formerly trusted, and, hearing but one
side came to believe there was no other. To
that class | address myself, with the utmost de-
sire to have them know what am and what my
public life has been, and to give them whatever
information may possess on any point touch
ing that career.
THE CREDIT MoBILIER.
There is large number of people in the Uni
ted States who use those words without any
adequate idea of what they mean. I have no
doubt that great many people feel about it
very much as the fishwoman at Bilingsgate
market felt when Sydney Smith, the great
humorist of England, came along and began to
talk with her. She answered back in very
saucy way, and he finally began to call her
mathematical names. He called her paral-
telegram, hypotheneuse, parallopipedon,
and other such terms, and she stood back
talking man in her hfe-never was abused so
before Now, people think they have said an
enormous thing when they say that somebody
had something to do with the Credit Mobilier.
ask your attention just for very few mo-
ments to what that thing is, and, i'll the next
place, to understand precisely what it is that
am supposed to have had to do with it.
The Credit Mobiher was corporation char
tered in 1859 by the State of Pennsylvania, and
authorized to build houses, buy lands loan
money, etc. Nothing of consequence was done
with that company until the year 1867, when a
number of men bought up whatever stock there
was in it and commenced TO do very large
business In the winter of 1867 Mr.. Train came
to me and showed me list of names and sub
scribers to the stock of the Credit Mobilier
Company, and asked me to subscribe 81, 900.
should say there we're fifteen or twenty members
of Congress on the list, and many more promi-
nent business men. He said that the company
was going to buy lands along the line Of the
Pacific railroad at places where they thought
there would cities and villages grow up and de-
velop, and he had no doubt that the growth of
the country would make that investment double
itself III very short time
That was the alleged scheme that the Credit
Mobilier Company had undertaken.-a thing
that, ii there Is any gentleman in Warren who
would feel any hesitancy in buying it would be
because he did not believe in the growth Of the
country where the business was to be DONE
1naU STOCK was OHeEeQ TO me as q plain business
proposition, with NO intimation whatever that it
was offered because the subscribers we're mem
bers of Congress, for it was offered to many
other people, and no better men live than at
least large number of the gentlemen to whom it
was offered Some of them tookit at once. Some
men are cautious about making an investment :
others are quick to determine TO none of these
men was any explanation made that this Credit
Mobiler Company was ia any way connected
with ring of seven men who owned the princi-
pal portion OF the stock, and who had contract
with the Directors of the Union Pacific road for
building 600 or 700 miles at an extravagant price
largely above what the stock was worth. That
was secret held only BY those seven men who
owned the principal portion of the stock It is
now understood that Mr.. Cakes Alnes,s who was
the center of atcOmpanyo of seven men, sought
to gain the friendship of fifteen or twenty prom
inent Congressman, with the view OF protecting
himself and the Pacific railroad against any in
vestigatiOn which might be made; but it was
necessary part of his plan not to diYllge that