The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-06-21
a Cnapter from aarheld's Record

The New loik HtTusos WV" w - 80
-suwed voc,ferAtson, mas been GAZING upon
she Rsd,ca, nominee for The presidency 70
,,,erroyc the allegations Of corrupt ct'csus
conduct which are made against him. 10
thu end Il has offered the columns OF INC
herald. We learn from Washington tns.
Mr.. 0ARrrELp declines 70 vtndicate n,nse'.
further. relying upon bis solemn den"'
made IN February, 1873, when an invesoga'
,,nc vss had before congressional com-
rn,s,~e. and upon the 6nding OF that com-
,,,ttee that he had not been bribed by
OArss AxEs or snybcdy else 10 any matter
touch,ng his legislative duty. To reopen
The question Of corruption In reference 70
ma Credit Mobilier transactions would DC
: IN rexrgue and retry the matters which IL
would be claImed were settled by the mo
ING Of the committee, and the discussion
might be as proGtless as II would oe eho'es':
Bur the Herald seems to have ovef'ookeu
{ one conclusion, upon the facts proved pe'
sore them. reached unanimously by inst
committee-whcb Is quite as damaging as
n they had found he had been brsoed. ms
Is the point OF real difficulty In Mr. GAR
vryLp's case. That committee, consisting
of i've members, was composed In the man
Of his political and personal friends. they
were his daily companions, and had every
motive TO do him full justice. For every
reason, public and private, they were 'n-
t@re,ted. we will not say unduly, IN pro-
tectine the honor and the character OF
friend, a political associate, and pubic
man, rising rapidly into prominence; one
who promised 10 shed lustre upon his
marty and win exalted fame and station.
Al its head was POLAND, Of Vermont then
came BANKS, Of Massachusetts; hcCRARY'
Of Iowa 1.-THE late Secretary Of War;; NIB
LACK, Of Indiana, and MERRIcK, OF Mary
land.
Before this committee, on the 14th day OF
January, 1878, Mr.. GARFIELD appeared,
aud, being duly sworn, he gave his state
ment of his connection with the Credit
Mobilier stock. II is immaterial TO repro
duce Il 10 detail. Let II suffice to say that
he denied any ownership OF the stock or
receipts from it, and closed In these words:
Ell never owned, received, or agreed to re-
ceiye any stock OF the Credt-Mobilier or OF
the Union.Pacfc railroad, nor any diyi-
dend or profits arising from either OF
them" (PoLAND report, page 129 }
The committee report among the facts
which they "fnd proved by the eyideDce" "
the following as to Mr.. JAMES A. GARFIELD,
of Ohio: "He agreed with Mr.. AMEs 70
take ten shares Of Credit. Mobilier stock,
but did not pay for the same. Mr.. AMEs
received the S0-per-cent. dividend In bonds
and sold them for 81 per cent, and also re-
ceiyed the 60 percent. cash dividend, which
together paid the price Of the stock and in
terest and left balance OF 1929. This sum
was paid over to Mr.. GARFIELD by check
on the Sergeant-at-Arms, and Mr.. GARFIELD
then understood this sum was the balance
OF dividends after paying for the stock.p
(POLAND report, page wiz
The committee, after reporting these fear
ful facts in the face OF Mr.. GARFIELDs
sworn denial as to the Credit Mobiler stock
and it's dividends, forbore to recommend
any action to Congress in reference thereto.
.rbev vsYo limited to the ,~-.ieation OF
o.ioeIy Iaise sfase.~-"es were beyond thair
Jurisdiction. This only gives point and
sting to their finding. They were con.
strained to find facts aud to report them,
which, though insufficient to sustain the
charge OF bribery, yet crushed by their ter
rible weight as effectually as il the main
charge had been established.
This is the Indictment Mr.. GARFIELD has
30 meet. There is no room for him to dis
pute over contested evidence. POLAND and
BANKS and McCRARY have said that when
he swore that he bad neither received nor
agreed to receive stock or dividends OF the
Credit Mobilier they could not upon the
evidence before them believe him.
1t gives us no pleasure TO reproduce this
damaging and painful record. We shall
listen with impotence for the voice OF
BANKS, especially in support of GARFIELD's
nomination, and we hope some one will ask
him what he thinks OF GSRrIELD's character
for truth, and what he thought on the 18th
OF February, 1878.
We have before us the report OF the. Po-
LAND committee, and we quotethe findings
from that report. The evidence which &C.
companies and is printed with it fills vol
ume OF FIVE hundred pages. Hcontains the
whole story OF tbs redit-Nobilier as it af.
feels members OF Congress and others. 1t
Is the grave OF many regulations. CoLFAx
the smiling is entombed therein along with
better men. 1t may be, and we shall be
glad 10 learn, that POLAND and BANKS and
McCRARY, have since recanted their con-
demnation of GARFIELD. IL they have it
has escaped us. But while that record re-
mains unobiterated and uureyoked Mr..
GARFIELD stands branded before the coun-
try, not by political adversaries, but at
the hands OF his sympathiZers and well
wisbers, as ubwortby OF credit, for they re.
jected and spurned his oath. We do not
mean 10 be led into controversy over the
-sufficiency of the evidence to establish this
conclusion, 10 which the committee arrived
unanimously. His enough for us to know
that those who acquitted Mr.. GARRIkI9 on
the charge Of bribery, in reaching that Te-
suit were compelled by their sense Of hon
esty and OF virtue to pronounce his swern |
statement unreliable and overwhelmed by |
opposing evidence. When POLAND, ana
BANKS, and MCCRAEr aand we select Them
because we know they are Radicals OF the
trpest type) shall have said that the facts
they teund In 1873 we're unsupported by
the evidence, 1t will then be 10 order
70 examine the testimony for ourselves.