Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-09-10
GARFIELD AND THE ELECTORAL
ERSVD.

A controversy has sprung up between Gov.
Hendricks and the supporters of Garfield
that is becoming decidedly interesting to the
public. In the course of a speech at Marion,
Indiana, few weeks ago, Gov. Hendricks
charged Garfield with grave duplicity and
dishonesty in his connection with the cleo
toral count four years since. He charged
that Garfield went to New Orleans and as
sisted in the ccnsummation of the fraud by
which the vote of Louisiana was counted for
Hayes, while it had been cast for Iilden.
Returning to Washington and to his place
in the House of Representatives he assisted
in the preparation of the bill for an electoral
commission, assuring the opponents of
such reference eff the controversy that this
bill would enable the two houses of Congress
to investigate all The questions at issue and
ascertain definitely how each OF
the disputed States actually cast
their votes. He then procured
an appointment on the commission, and at
once took the position and maintained it to
the last that the commission had no right to
90 behind the face of the returns, but must
accept the decision of the returning board as
conclusive of the result of the election.
To this speech grave exceptions have been
taken by the Republican press and speakers,
and attempts have been made to prove that
Gov. Hendricks fslsifsd the record. But
that gentleman was strongly intrenohed be-
hind the battlements of official documentary
evidence. He had the files of the Congress
ional Record that showed Garfeld's position
on the electoral bill, and he also had the Of
fetal proceedings of the commission, and
has been able to fully sustain his charges
and to verify them from the records on file
in the library of Congress. In
speech at Indianapolis on Monday
evening he reviewed his critics in the most
caustic manner. He then proceeded to re-
iterate the charges he had previously made
and to adduoe the proofs of their truth. He
appealed to no witness but Garfield himself,
submitted no other testimony than his own
words IS inscribed in the official records of
the government, yet he made out case SO
strong that even the most partial of his
friends must be compelled to admit that Gov
Hendricks speaks the truth. In conclusion
he said:
''Tnis is the man, Republicans, that you pro-
pose the American people shall place in the
chair that Washington occupied. 1t will never
be done. No man with record like that ever
ri +olye hot oh md ho IND
of an eternal God it will never occur. +
They say he ia preacher.
dent pretend to be anything bat wicked
lawyer, but there is not wealth enough in all In
diana to get me- in my place in the House or
Senate of the United States, TO say that if you
pass this law l shall hold that it opens the door
to investigation, and we can go down to New
Orleans and ascertain how the vote was in fact
cast; and then. if got upon the commission,
to turn around and say that the returning
board and its finding is conclusive upon us,
and We Can not investigate AZ ail l wouldn't
do it for a thousand years Of the tenure of the
great Office fer which be is a candidate. He
will never be eleoseG President"
1t is, perhaps, unfortunate for Garfield
that every person at all familiar with the
incidents connected with the electoral strue-
gle knows that all the charges made by Gov.
Hendricks, and even more, are true. They
cannot be successfully contradicted, for the
record is made up. Garfield cannot escape
from his own utterancss. They prove him
to have been on active agent in pr occurring
the f. siaea.icn Of the returns from the
Sta CT Louisiana by means Of forgery, pei
jury ard bribery. They prove that he tried
to dslude the Representatives in Congress by
asserting that By means of the electoral
commission q review of the count could be
had and the facts arrived at. They prove
further that as soon as he had been appoint
ed a member Of the commission
he changed front and insisted that
the returns of the perjured
scoundrels who composed the returning
board could not be gainsaied, and that it
was not competent for the commission to
inquire into the truth OR falsity of such re-
turns. He vas probably mere responsible
than any other single person for the perpe
tration OF the gigantic fraud by which Mr..
Hayes, who had been repudiated by the PEG
pie, was installed in the Office of President of
the United States. He cannot escape the re
sponsibility, no matter how much he may
prevsricate and endeavor to dodge it. The
people who were SO grievously outraged will
remember, when they come to cast their
votes in November, that the chief instru-
ment by which their will was thwarted was
James A. Garfield, now the Republican can
didate for the Office which was stolen nearly
four years ago.
SENATOR MACDONALD.