Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1880-09-30
hendricks ON GARFIELD
The Yice-President De ia Dissect
Garfield as a Visiting Statesman.
Out of His Own Mouth the Republican
Candidate Convicted OF Manipu-
lating Election Returns.

Ind, on the 18th of August last, having re-
viewed the connection of General Garfield
with the Louisiana frauds of 1876, hassin
been violently assailed for that speech by
the local journals and more recently by
Secretary Sherman. On Monday last the
Indianapolis Journal deliberately chal-
lenged Mr.. Hendricks to substantiate the
imputations put by him in his Marion
speech upon General Garfield, admittinf
their fatal force, if they could be substan-
tiated, in the following words:
"This is a specific charge Of corruption
against General Garfield. Assuming, to
begin with, that the election OF Hayes was
fraudulent, an assumption which, as law
yer Mr.. Hendricks must know is not only
unwarrantable but false, he asserts that
General Garfield had more TO do aoith IL
than any other man. Proceeding to
specify, Mr.. Hendricks asserts that General
Garfield went TO New Orleans as partisan
Uithoat authority Of lGU,' as if any law
was necessary TO authorize man to go to
New Orleans, and that while there he took
charge of the retasrsas from West Ftliciana
Parish, and IN one of the inner rooms Of
Rdckard's CaSstona Hoasse.' r'saasipuldted
the returns and prepared G6fdGvits and
isterrogatories to make oatG case.
"IF THIS COULD BE SUBSTAN-
TIATED GENERAL GARFIELD
WOULD BE DISGRACED."
Mr.. Hendricks promptly accepted the
challenge and at Indianapolis made an
elaborate speech on the subject of General
Garfeld's connection with the Louisiana
frauds. Slips of this speech we're furnished
to the Indianapolis Journal, which after
the manner of the New York Tribune, re-
fused to print it, gracefully alluding to the
speech as "mock thunder to rouse the rab-
ble," and also as causing "the atmosphere Of
the wigwam to shrink away before the foul
breath it evoked" and to Mr.. Hendricks
himself as Ga parboiled lobster" This
paper, be it remembered, is owned and con-
Quoted by John G. New, chairman of the
Republican Central Committee of Indiana.
Mr.. Hendricks made General Garfeld's
own testimony before Congressional COM
mittee his text. He showed that on the
fourteenth of November, 1876, General Gar
field was in New Orleans with John Sher-
man, Mr.. Kelley, of Pennsylvania, and
others, and that he stayed there about
eighteen days. "What" said Mr.. Hem
bricks, did he do while there? / charge,
and the Journal says if it is supported Cen
eral Garfield is disgraced mani charge
that he occupied an inner room of the GUS
tom house, assigned to him and him alone,
and in that room he saw witnesses, black
and white, of Louisiana. and he conversed
with them alone, and when their testimony
was not made out satisfactorily to him he
suggested interrogatories that should be put
to them, and those interrogatories went to
the returning board and that returning
board made report against the men that
were elected. That is what I charge.
say to you l will make it plain to you to-
night by his own evidence. What does the
Journal say to me? That have furnished
no respectable evidence when 1 have re-
ferred by page and document to the sworn
testimony Of Garfield himself. What did
he do? First, gentlemen, I said that they
distributed parishes among these visiting
statesmen and that in the distribution of
the parishes for investigation and manipu-
lation the parish of West Feliciana fell to
James A. Garfield. l will read what he
swore to, and after tonight it shall not be
before the intelligence of Indiana what
Hendricks said, but the question now shall
be what Garfield said. (Applause.) In
his answer to question he says: There
upon, in order to make our work of exam
ination and our knowledge of the case as
full as possible, the suggestion was adopted
that all the testimony relating to one par
ish be given to one man, and the testimony
relating to another parish should be given
TO another man. Among the parishes that
were contested were the two parishes
OF Feliciana, and believe that Mr.. Sher-
man assigned these parishes to Mr.. Parker
and myself, saying that we could divide
Them between us as we chose. / suggested
to Mr.. Parker to take his choice. He took
East Feliciana; | took West Feliciana.'
(Laughter.)
"Q. What did you take it for?
" will give the answer of that pregnant
question, and when it is answered, the
Journal says that the man that the Repub-
licans have upon their banner for candidate
is disgraced man. (Applause.) "A. /
mean by that to say that took the copies
Of all the official papers which were deliv-
cred to the returning board touching the
election in West Feliciana and for conven-
ience Of examining these papers, as 1 did
not reside at the St. Charles hotel. occu-
pied room In the custom house, in the
corner of the building (Laughing.)
80 don't know whose room it was; it
was room not very much used / think ii
was one of the private Offices, perhaps,
of the collector himself You recollect
who was the collector, don't your 1t was
Packard that was running for governor
and that could not hold his Office, although
he got thousand more votes than Hayes,
who got The vote of Louisiana. (Applause) }
go. In that inner room was there any
body beside yourselfP ? A. Nobody