Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-08-31
JUDGE BLACK.
MOISE ABOUT HANCOCK AND GAI;
FIELD.

A Republican Interviewer who went WOOL
Gathering and got Shorn.
Phila Press interview with Judge Jcre S.
| Black.
"Well, judge, what do You say of Han
cock as Presidential candidate %
"When l read his Order No. 40-of
which am done disclaiming the author
ship-I said, There is the foremost Amer
ican of his time, and tho note wrote him
upon that occasion came from my heart.
l said, There is man who deserves the
highest honor his country has to bestow,
| and believed that he would receive his
reward, if not in life, then by posthumous
fame, which would descend upon his chill
dren, and l could not tear out Of my heart
the lively hope that he would some day be
rewarded with the presidency of the United
States.''
"You do not rate Hancock high merely
as soldier?''
"Whcn General Jackson defended New
Orleans he filled the measure Of his coun
try's glory but when he grapplcd with
the United States bank and strangled the
monster lie rose to the full height of states
manship and made himself his proudest
place in history. General Hancock was 4
splendid soldier, but his civil record
Order No. 40 alOne-is worth more to him
and his country. He showed 4 knowledge
of the constitution and respect for its
legislation not exhibited by any other high
officer of our army. He took his stand in
defense of the constitution 1T 4 time when
Thad. Stevens was fiouting his contempt
for that sacred instrument, holding that
Congress was legislating outside of the
constitution, though he observed that some
people still had splintcrs of that shattered
instrument fostering in their livers. That
was the ground taken by the strongest in
telicct of his party-a man who led the
Republican party to lengths to which it
would have followed no othcr.''
| "Don't you think Stevens believed he
was risht?"
| "Thad Stevens was utterly without
moral sense. lie had 10 moral standard.
How could he determine what was right,
believing in nothing, rejecting God and the
devil: Naturally great power, this lack
made him a great power for evil. 1t was
under his leadership that the Republican
party tried to do what Clay and Webster
predicted tho ultra -abolitiOnists would at
tcmpt-to destroy the Union by force"
"In your opinion, Judge, how will the
| tariif-fOr-revenue plank in the Democratic
platform affect Hancock in Pcnnsy ylvania ?"
els anybody opposing that PROPOSE
tion?'
"The Republican party flatters itself
that it is opposing it to some purpose
"Wcll, General Garfield isn't opposing
it, is he? If there is man in this country
who is al anti-prOtcctiOnist that man is
Garfield. know it, and know he stood
up for his principles in his own district
when he was urged to declare himself. He
said he was not 4 protcctiOnist, and though
they might vote against him he would
stand Oh his convictions
"But General Garfield confcsscs that he
was not too stubborn to learn, that free
trade theories captivcd him, while the prac-
ticc.was obnoxious to him, for which rc:l-
son, believe, hc never gave an anti-pro-
tcctionist vote in the house. Judge Kelley
put it pretty we'll when he said recently
that Garfield had grown up to the full
measure of protection
"Well, l was afraid of tlIat--afraid he
would allow his devotion to party to over
come his personal convictions. Why, don't
you remember that Garfield was put Oh the
ways and means committee to balance kel-
ley-an -protcctionist against protcc-
zionist? 1t must have been 4 wonderful
sudden and rapid growth, beginning about
the time he got the presidential maggOt in
head. No, sir; Garfield is no more pro-
tcctionist than am."
"Judgc, you know General Garfield
well. Would you object to giving your
estimate of him 20
81 have 10 desire to add anything to
my published letter to Blaine. What |
said then of him was true and is true.
With regard to the Credit MObiliOr trans
action, have said. and always will say,
that believe that General Garfield told
me the truth about it. lie would not do
anything else. Watched tho development
of the investigation, and saw nothing in
that to alter my opinion. will tell you
General Garfield hands wcrc clean in that
transaction, as lie always has kept them,
but he unfortunately adopted the false de-
fensc of those who were guilty and who
expected Oakcs Ames to swear them
through. instead OF standing Oh his own
true and good defense and leaving the
guilty to their fate. There was his dcvo-
ton to party. 1t w:,s urged upon him as
party necessity, and he yielded to that
consideration. rs he always will. His
party demanded the sacrifice and he made
it. For that the Credit Mobi!ier affair has
not hurt him with his party, and will not
and ought not. l believe firmly i'll General
NaIhc" pclooiisl lHISSlACy, tthN o'toC
my Judgment upon the intimate knOwl- |
edge of his private walk and conversation.
He has large sympathy and great humani-
ty; would make any sacrifice to serve his
friend in any honorably way, but in poll
tics gives to his party the key to his con-
science. He is a man of the gentlcst M
ture would not harm Il hair of your
head yet, at his party's command, he
would help on the oppressive and brutal
policy against the South. Personally Inc
believes in the constitution; knows the
tenth article is there and has read it
knows that the president has no right to
use his standing army to police the polls
and dragOOn the South after a fashion
that has disgraccd our civilization. l
heard him say SO before the supreme court
in an admirable argument in the Mulligan
case, protesting his ardent devotion to the
declaring that no officer Of
the army could trample OH tho constitu-
tion without laying perjury on his SOU, and
yet he went into the House ut the dircc-
ton of his party, struck down the consti-
tuition, and insultcd the corpse by kicking
it. There you SEQ Garfield the man,
the right and struggling to do it,
yet driven to wrong by his party, Il bad lot
which holds conscience in rs little esteem
rs its great leader Stevens did. when
ever hear man begin to talk about con-
science, said Stevens, Il know that he is
about to betray his party. Conscience
bah!' Now understand me. There is
the man who would do no wrong,
and Garfield, the party servant, who will
do his party's bidding. Now have said
~, ~ T ~. |