The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-07-21

GARFIELD and the Independents Rspnbli-
cans
N V Gun

The Sprinefeld Republican has sus-
pended its inquiry into Mr.. Garfield
private character in order to mourn prop
srly over his detection from the civil
| service reformers. Its grief is not uniting
ed with malice. In the difficult feat" it
says. 'of spinning SO rapidly as to seem to
face all ways. the agile farmer of the
Western Reserve may now be considered
an expert"
That means, we suppose that the
Springfield Republican has discovered
from Mr.. Garfiaid's letter of acceptance
that he is a hypocrite and fraud on those
questions which il has most ct heart The
discovery may save il the trouble Of a
further examination of the candidate s
record as bribe taker and peijurer.
Whether or not the opinion of candi
date for president on the right way to dis
tribute offices is more important matter
for voters to consider than the question of
his personal honesty, we leave TO every
body TO determine for himself There is
40 doubt however, that some of the inde-
pendent Republicans of the class which is
well represented by the Springfield news
paper would have tried pretty hard to wink
away Mr.. Garfeld's record of 1878 If he
had held out to them the slightest hopes
of civil service reform administration
The effect of constantly dwelling upon
that one subject is to befog the brain as
to its relative importance. and to lose all
sense Of proportion in estimating public
events.
But Mr., Garfield has plainly manifested
to the Independent Republicans the hy-
pocrIsy of his past utterauces; and they
are bewailing him as one lost. to the
esteem of good men, Since he did not
60 even as far as Hapss went, in making
promises never to be kept. there seems
to he no further occasion for them to
hire eminent lawyers to defend
the Credit Mobilier bribe taking and per-
jury and the DeGolyer bride taking and
perjury. They might hesitate about
refusing to vote 70: a dishonest man who |
was civil service reformer; we do not
see how they can hesitate long over a |
dishonest man who is not q civil service |
reformer.
Since our esteemed contemporary 10 |
Springfield has come to the conclusion that
Mr.. Garfield is a liar, there can be no |
indelicacy ip reminding it now tina it held |
tho same opinion in S73, when it is said.
on March %:
''Gen. Garfield explains that he signed the con-
ference report on the salary grab, because to wit
hold his signstSre would have been to turn over
"a bill without the passage of which severy func-
of the Gsvernman. would have been deronged |
until extra session OF Congress could have been
called in June following This explans ton lacks
0ne important element-truth."
Aud if our Springfield contemporary |
cares to resume its very interesting exam
nation of the candidates Credit Mobilier |
record. it may find use for the following
extracts from its own files. The first was
on Jan. 80. 1873, before Mr.. Garfield |
began TO explain:
'Gen Garfield still preserves q silence which his
friends are beginning to find very painful"
The next was on M arch 6, after Garfield |
bad done some explaiRing and promised to
do more:
Gen GARFIELD isn't satisfied to let bad enough |
alone and il going TO explain some more
And the last which we shall offer to our
inland contemporary was on
March %, after Mr.. Gar6eld's constitu- |
ents had taken up the matter:
"A Republican County Convention in Gen. Gar |
feld's dstcrit SO invited that eminent public
to resign his seat We look to see other con-
sti uenccs follow suit at the next election of Con
gressmen, II not before. When these men come TO |
run again they viii begin to realize the disRdvan-
age OF being Handicapped with q disgraeeful rec |
ordr
N doubt Mr. Garfield realizes this dis |
advantage to the fullest extent And no |
doubt when the Springfield Republican |
looks again over the evidence taken by the |
Poland ooDmIttee-this time with vision |
by beguiling hopes-it will see
that il was wholly right in 1873.