The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1880-07-18
THE DE GOyLER G1REyEt,D EEE.

TIE DE GOYLER GARFIELD FEE.
To TIE Editor or the sunday Heraid:
SIN If ever the true inwardness " of
this transaction shall be revealed, the fol-
lowing version of II will be found to be
nearly if not quite correct:
The proposed expenditure of millions of
dollars under the Shepherd rdgime attracted
to this city all the vultures from different
parts of the country. Among the most vo-
racious of them all was the set composed of
the Chicago wooden pavement ring. Their
agent and, partner, Chittenden, was here,
having under his control corruption fund
of 500 900. Shepherd seemed to hold back
from imposing upon his iellow-citizens this
worthless and condemned pavement. At the
same time lie was exceedingly anxious to
cultivate the goodwill of the chairman of
the Appropriation Committee of the House,
who seemed to hold back from making the
appropriations for improvements in front of
the public grounds. happy thought
struck him, and he intimated to Chit
tenden that If he could get the aforesaid
chairman interested to the extent of
asking that this contract should be given to
his company he thought there might he some
show of securing the coveted prize. The
suggestion electrified the greedy Chittenden,
| and with all haste he communicated it to
his friend and agent, the lobbyist, r. C. Par
sons. Five thousand dollars out of the cor
| ruption fund was appropriated "to fix Gar
81 field, and, with the hook thus bated, the
willy Parsons threw his line and bagged his
game without delay or difficulty. How
! ridiculous the pretence that this immense fee
| was paid to Garfield as attorney at law I!
What service did he render for IL Search
the records of the District government and
you will not find a scintilla of evidence that
he ever filed a brief or made an oral argu-
ment before the Board of Public Works. He
did what was expected of him: he spoke to
Aleck Shepherd OH the street, and asked him
to give this contract to ChitteDden ef al
See Gariield's testimony before House com
mittee.] But was it the voice of the attor.
ney, or that of the chairman of the Appro.
priation Committee, that whispered in the ear
of Shepherd Hear what Chittenden says,
as in the exuberance of his joy he flashes
the glad tidings to his fellow-con-
spirators in Chicago: 60 We have
captured the man who holds the purse
strings of the nation" Could words make
palmer the nature of this transaction And
now, with this magnificent fee in his pocket
put there at the suggestion of Shepherd, VT
find the chairman, ETC., relenting and taking
down one by one the barriers which mpeded
the District appropriations. Shepherd had
him under obligations to him, and he used
his advantage by extracting from Garfield
committee appropriations for the District
to the amount of million and quarter o
dollars
Such is the history of the "De Golye
fee" 1t is tainted from top to bottom
with fraud and corruption, and no sophistry
however ingenious, can blind the plain peo
pie of this country to the fact that this money
was paid to the Congressman for this influ
ence, and not to the lawyer for his ability.
In confirmation of my view Of this shame
ful transaction, and as illustrative of th
fitness of the principal character for the roll
to which he has been assigned, Il beg leave t,
, refer to the series Of resolutions passed at
meeting of the political friends and neigh
bors Ono Democrats ADMITTEDLY of the Repub
can candidate for the Presidency.
The seventh resolution arraigns him fo
) selling his influence to aid the Chicago RIM
in imposing upon the people of the Distric
of Columbia a pavement which is almos
t worthless at price three times its cost
| SAILING his infIueuce in a matter that in
volved no question OF law upon the shallov
pretext that he was acting as lawyer, AM
in manner so palpable and clear as to b
so found and declared by an impartial ant
, competent court.
Such was the verdict of the jury of hi
vicinage. In November next it will be rati
fled and confirmed by the American people