The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-09-01
THE PERSONAL ISSUE.
HOW GARFIELD MALIGNED
TWO PROMINENT
DEMOCRATS.
COMING HOME TO HIM.
Cincinnati Enquirer.

The friends of Gen. Garfield com
plain with much of bitterness that
charges involving his honor as pub
lie officer are made against him-all
of which charges were first made and
were proved true by his own politi-
cal friends-the "salary grab" the
Credit Mobilier," and the $4,000
fee for services in getting pay for
fraudulent co"tract denounced by
his own party press.
Gen. Garfield has no just cause of
complaint when charges are made,
sustained, as they are, by the evi.
dence of his own friends. If the
charges were false, or if they were
not susceptible Of proof-of which
evidence has been given to the pub
lie again aud again, until it is almost
as household words-then Gen. Gar
field might have cause TO complain.
But as they are true, he has none.
Has Gen. Garfield never made
charges, involving high crime, on his
political opponents, and false char
ges at that?
In the proceedings of Congress,as
found, in the Congressional Globe,
"In House, April s. 1864" while
making a speech of bitter partisan
character, Mr.. Garfield, breaking
from the subject-matter which he was
debating, said:
81 am reminded here of the fact that
had well nigh forgotten. Last sum-
mer I remember Union spy came to
our camp, bringing two letters to Maj.
Gen. John G. Breckinridge, c. s. A.
They were letters of introduction, stat
ing that the bearer desired to obtain
commission in the Rebel army, and re-
commencing him as gallant and relia-
BILE man whom Breckenridge could trust.
One of these letters was signed by
man who had lately held a seat in this
House. [Cries of ''name him, from the
Democratic side of the Housed
"Mr. Garfeld-I will produce the let
ter in good time. 1t is not here with me.
The other letter was from an associate
of his, prominent in the local politics of
the State of Indiana. I am responsible
fin. the 71yor77sefi9yl of the letter
'Mr. HOLMAN, of Indiana.-I hope
the gentleman will give the name now.
"Mr Garf1eld-When l produce the
letters any further testimony that may
be called for can be had at my hands"
On the 18th April, after Garfeld's
charges had been made the subject
of much newspaper comment, Mr..
Garfield at length came forward to
substantiate his charges, which he
pretended to do with a flourish of
trumpets, thus:
"When submitting some remarks in
the House few days ago, in reply to
the speech of my colleague (Mr. Long,)
made very grave charge against some
of the leaders of the Democratic party,
alleging that they were IN correspond
ence with Rebels, and was called upon
to produce the documents to which l
referred TAKE this occasion to do so. Be-
fore producing them l wish to say a
word in regard to them. 1t is a very
grave matter for a member to rise in his
place here and say that leading men of
any party in the North are actually in
correspondence with rebel leaders in the
rebel army, made that statement not
without full knowledge of what said.
have had opportunities for knowing of
the existence of such correspondence-
more, perhaps, than NEST of the gentle
men have"
Mr.. Garfield then said that the
letters came into his Garfield y pos
session while in the army. A young
man who had got sick resigned, and
was engaged to go to Indiana and
get letters from Rebel sympathizers.
which would enable him to get
B s4sL