The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-10-06

OI tue ConsGlIuIloh' IN III eHio
+ did not transgress, like Others. in ig
. norance or in passion; be sinne'
against light and knowledge and ol
: cold calculation of partisan policy
1t is an ip6uite pity that such a maj
, should be not only false to his coun
: try but false to himself.
What makes all this very mucf
worse is his denunciation of Genera
Hancock for saying that the military
was constitutionally subordinate tc
the civil power. and that liberty was
still the Inheritance of the American
people for these were propositions
which be himself bad asserted and
knew to be true.
| 1t might be expected that the
course Of man so Influenced would
frequently defect from the straight
path, and one great alteration we
cannot but remember. t
| Mr.. Tilden was elected in 1876.
| A false return was the only resource
against him. I do not believe that
General Garfield, if let alone, would
commit an election fraud any more
than he would steal a horse or a
sheep. But when the managers of
his, party demanded his aid in q
great swindIe he could not refuse.
Uuder that coercion be went down
| to Louisiana and there found it alb
solutely certain that the Tilden elec-
tors had beea duly appointed" at
legal and full poll, so peaceably
conducted that there was not even
squabble about it in the whole State.
And the appointment so made was
attested by and recorded upon the
certificates and the oaths of election
officers adverse to the appointees in
all their feelings and wishes. There
was no earthly excuse for denying
this no contradiction Of it could be
honest. To count the State for
Hayes was a thing that could be
done only by impudent and unmiti-
gated fraud. For a time / hoped
that General Garfeld's share in that
great crime had consisted in passive
acquiescence, and / am surprised by
the proofs recently brought forward
of his active assistance in it's perpe.
tration. His judgment as a member
of the Electoral Commission was a
thing to be expected, for he must
long before that have convinced him
self that fraud WAS as good a way
as any other Of electing President.
In political game he did not think
that anybody bad moral sense enough
to abstain from throwing a die which
he himself had loaded to win the
stake.
This liability to be rushed into
evil courses by his party associates
has brought upon him much odium
which he does not deserve in the
transactions of the Credit Mobilier.
The stock distributed by Oakes
Ames was intended to influence the
Legislation of Congress corruptly,
He and the company who put it into
his hands meant business. and that
business was bribery. Undoubtedly
those members Who took it knowing
the nature of the thing were great
criminals and wholly unworthy to
retain their seats. But General Gar
field, though he certainly agreed to
take the stock and did actually take
dividends upon it, had no suspicion
of its connection with the Union Pa
cifc railroad or of the conflict which
it's possession might create between
bis private interests and his public
duty. He was as guiltiess as the
child unborn Of any dishonest mean.
ing about the whole business. l be.
lieve this not merely because he
told me so, but because it is proba-
BILE in itself and corroberated by
many circumstances. If he had
stuck to it he would have been cred.
tied by all men as implicitly as he
was by me. Fearing that his politi-
cal friends might influence him TO
depart from it, wrote beseeching
him to stand fast upon the defense
he had made to me. That he did
not take this advice is the bitterest
regret Of bis life. But "the party
would not let him take it. The &C.
cusation struck at the highest heads
in the House and the Senate They
had but one answer and that was a
positive denial of the fact that any
stock had ever been taken by them
and on that line they expected Mr.
Ames to. swear them through. Gen.
eraI Garfield, for the benefit of 9TH
ers and to his own great injury, uni
ted in making this false defense.
Their witness failed them and they
were all convicted. After the re.
port of the committee | wrote to
Mr.. Blaine the letter which has been
extensively published and which was
an effort to put General Garfield
back upon the true ground which he
| never ought to have abandoned.
But it was toe late,
4 regret sincerely that General
Garfield is a candidate or that he
should be placed in any position