The Republican journal., 1880-06-17
General Gartield's Record.

IN l''7toll liti tti'i llttN 'FilI IINNi llbtIl
various sources the recent public record
Of our candidate for the Presidency and
ii hardly needs to be said that the result
is in the highest degree satisfactory. 1t
is a record of which any man may he
proud, and fully warrants the elevation
of Gen. Garfield to the highest office in
the gift of the people. On the l2tii of
January, 1876, he took conspicuous part
in the debate on the amnesty bill. in
which exceptions were takentu including
Jefferson Davis within its provisions. In
reply to the speeches Of Mr.. Cox, Of New
York, and Mr.. Hin, of Georgia, Cen Gar
field said he did not desire to hold JEFF,
Davis responsible for the rebellion" but
he believed that us 1.-THE conscious author
Of that terrible work at Andcrsonyllc,
the American people still hold him UNFIT
to he admitted into the Legislature of the
nation On the 9TH of February, lo7G,
he opposed III the House a bill Tor the r.
duction of the cost ofour consular service,
concluding with an urgent appeal to the
House not to cripple and rain the growing
commerce of the country which would
eventually bind the Asiatic and South
American countries to the United States
in the interests of commerce and recipro-
cal friendship and good will. In April Of
the same year he made himself conspicu-
Gus by his denuuciation in the House Of
the frauds practiccd upon the War De
partment by Messrs. Cowlcs and Brega,
for a patent process Of DISCRIMINATING
moths from the military and naval fabrics,
purchased and III store, for the use of the
soldiers and sailors of the United States.
The amount paid to the company by the
government was S4OOOOO, and it Was
charged at the time, that of this sum
100000 was paid to the lobby, and that
Gen. Garfield was in the "ring.' But an
investigation proved that he was one Of
the foremost men 10 caution the secretary
of war against the fraud. His eXpana-
ton of his alleged connection with the
matter made ut the time of the investiga
ton, was, that while in the West, learn
ing that the secretary OF war had suspend
ed the contract because the preparation
was a humbug, and that a strong effort
was being made to override his decision,
he telegraphed to the secretary to stand
firm in his opposition. lie also wrote to
that officer at the same time, urging him
to suspend the payment of any more
money for the moth eNtermlnatol until
an investigation could be had 10y Congress.
On the 18th of August, 1876, Gen. Garfield
made an elaborate speech in the House
on General Politics." in reply to Mr..
Lamar Of Mississippi who had argued
that the two great obstacles to reform
were the generally corrupt state of the
administration Of affairs and the seriously
corrupt state of the civil servce-o which
the following summary is given
In opening, Mr. Garfield made some compliment
tary remarks upon Mr.. Lamars speech, saying that
he recognized in it an earnest purpose to make
progress in the return of good feeling but the de
ductlOns OF the speech that the Republican
party is incapable OF eilecting the great reform
needed, and that, therefore, the Democratic party
ought to be brought into power at the next eec
tOn. Upon this he would take issue and show
that the South had not accepted the results Of the
war. as MIR. Lamar had declared and quoted from
numerous reports of southern speeches, outrages,
etc, to sustain his point. He claimed that he did
not misrepresent the Democratic party when he
declared that within the past IL years it had not
advanced one great national idea that was not to
day expode and as dead as Julius Caesar. Seces-
sion was dead, slavery was dead squat sovereign
y dead, the doctrine of the failure Of the war
was dead and were not the representatives of the
South glad that these all dead If they had
tear to shed over them they should shed it in
the graveyards not in the halls of living men. IT,
then, they glad of the great defeats they had
sustained for the last Ii years, would they not be
equally glad when they suffer another defeat in
next Novemberi There were now in the halls of
Congress 63 men who had fought to overthrow the
government He only asked that these men
should not say that they were apostles of liberty
and the blessing of the colored race lie went on
to speak OF the immense jobs that being kept
back ID the House until after the next election
and referred to the fact that 3 separate investiga
tons had been carried on by the House majority
in search of some savOry morsel with which to
impregIate the air in the coming election, and
that none of them had found 81 stolen from the
treasury Mr., Garfield spoke for two hours. aud
as he closed was warmly applauded. The New
York Tribune of the day following remarks that
"PrOmlnent among those who congratulated HIM
was Mr. Lamar himself
At the opening of the second session of
the 44th Congress, in 1876, Gen. Garfield
received the nomination Of his party for
the speakership Of the House, but the
Democrats were in majority and Hon.
S. j. Randall was elected over him. The
New York Tribune said at that time
"Mr. Garfield is now not only the most