The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1880-09-18

"ss,i eheh JuuBe OF tue FOURTH District Court |
oil New Orleans, la, now Of Yankton, Dako.
tai the Hons. Frank Morey, and John Raw Of
ouaehita, and the Hon. b. |. Blanchard
i am IN position to state that the charge
affecting Gen. Garfield is entirely false. He
could not have had any such connection with
the case as charged, without my knowledge.
Nor is the charge sustained by any "eyidence"
which the Democratic agents we're able to
collect in Louisiapa. The protest aud ailida.
yiss in the West Felicana case we're prepared
BY my chief clerk, James l.. Hagins, Esq.,
attorney at'law, now, ! think, Of Mount Yer.
nom Ind, aud James p. MeArdle, Esq, then
and now Of New Orleans, under the personal
supervision Of Judge Campbell.
COPIES Of all papers affecting any parish
were prepared under my direction, for the use
and information Of the Republican Visiting
COMMITTEE, ofwhiehthe Hon. John Sherman
was Chairman. From these copies the mem.
bers Of that committee, Garfield included, oh.
talned their FIRST knowledge Of the case in dc.
tail.
"Garfeld and his associates conducted
themselves in Louisiana with rare discretion.
For example, Gen. Garfield and myself never
met IN Louisiana. 1t is manifest that had he
desired 10 exert auy influence in the pvepara.
ton OF the Republican case, he would have
sought, necessarily. first of ALL my private
Office Sgs
81 regret that my distance from Indiana
Will unduly delay this denial. regret still |
more that | cannot nail the lie at the place
and IN the presence where il was uttered. |
Very respectfully. d. J. NJ. A. JEwErr
"WmTF OAKS. New Mexico, Aug "a"
If 1 don't this evening sabstantiate ey. |
cry material charge, will aAk no man to
vote against James A. Garfield. Ap. |
plause. Every single charge, the sub. |
stance Of every charge, | will make good |
to the intelligence OF this great audience
tonight, aud you shall be the jury; aud if /
| do, then the Journal has said in advance
that Garfield is disgraced. [Applause. ! !
What did | say, gentlemen? | said that |
Garfield went to New Orleans Immediately
after the election four years ago; that he
participated in manipulating the evidence
and preparing the case for the Returning
Board, aud that upon the evidence which
he and others thus prepared the Return
ing Board made a return against the men
that were elected for the men that were
not elected-that is the charge. | wish
to dispose Of one witness that the Journal
introduces first, aud / will not occupy
much of your time in that task In that
letter you will observe that Jewett under
takes TO say 10 sentiment aud substance
that Garfield did not call upon him while
down there, therefore, he observed great
discretion while down thcre. That would
not question, but win read you, gentle
men, from this mans own testimony be-
fore the Committee Of Congress. This
same man that the Journal cites as author
ity ia this ease gave his evidence before
the Committee composed Of Democrats
aud Republicans, and in that testimony be
gives the reason why he did not see Gar
field and the other visiting statesmen.
will read it to you;
Q-About that time were the visiting states.
men down there2 Ayes.
Odd you have Anything TO do with themg
, A-No sir; nothing whatever.
Q-Why not2 Al did not care to.
: Q-They were members high in the Repub.
. liean party, and high in the couusels Of the
nation, aud you were Secretary OF the Repub
, lican Election Committee, aud were cognizan
Of all the faets-what was there 10 the char
acter fthis or any circumstances which made
a repulsion and kept you and these visiting
! statesmen apart? A-Nothing that know
of; but my duties did not bring me into con.
tact with these gentlemen, as we always had
Coroner's inquest held over US afler every
election. | cared to know as little as posi-.
bic. Mr.. Butler asks the next question, that
Is, old Ben, as We are in the habit Of speaking
Of him. Laughter and applause
THE question as read by the speaker was
inaudible TO the reporters ear on account Of
laughter and applause.l A-lfyou choose to
put il ia that way.
Mr.. Butler-l an only carrying out your
parallel. You TGrposely avoided meeting with
visiting statesmen lest you might know TOO
much Of what is going on. Is that III A.
Without casting any reflection upon them, yes
| This witness swears that he avoided
knowing anything that those visiting states
men we're doing, because he did not want
to know what was going on there, as he
would probably have 10 answer under In.
yesiigation afterward SO will spend no
more time upon him. Now for Mr. Gar
field himself, and ho gave his testimony
before this same committee under oath:
Odd you visit New Orleans in the month
Of November, 1892 Al did.
| Q-What time in the month did you 20
Al think il was the l4th day Of November
that we arrived at New Orleans.
The 18th day Of November was imme.
diately after the Presidential election of
1876, and he was there with John Sher-
man. he was there with Kelly of Pennsyl-
vania, and many others whose names will
not delay you to repeat. In his testimony
he says that they left New Orleans to re-
turn to Washington city on the LIST day of
December. SO you win observe that Jas
A. Garfield was at New Orleans, reaching
there about week after the Presidential
election, aud staying there eighteen days. |
What did he do while there? charge
and the Journal says if it is supported he
is disgraced mani charge that he oc- |
cupied an inner room ofthe Custom House,
assigned to him, and him alone, and in that
room he saw witnesses, black and white,
Of Louisiana, aud he conversed with them
alone, and when their testimony was not
made out satisfactory TO him, he suggested
iaterrogatories that should be put to them,
and those interrogatories went TO the Re
turning Board, and that Returning Board
made report against the men that were
elected That is what charge. Tsay TO
you will prove il to you tonight by bis
own evidence. What does the Journal
say to me? That have furnished no re-
spectacle evidence, when have referred
by page and document to the sworn testi-
Inony Of Garfield himself What did be
do? First, gentlemen, said that they
distributed parishes among these visiting
statesmen, aud that in the distribution Of
the parishes for investigation and manipu.
lation, the Parish Of West Feliciana feli to
james A. Garfield. | will read what he
swore to, and after tonight Ii shall not be
before the intelligence Of Indiana what
Hendricks said, but the question now shall
be, what Garfield said IApplause.l In
his answer to question he says.
Thereupon, in order 10 make our work of
examination and our knowledge Of the case
as full as possible, the suggestion was adopted
that all the testimony relating to one parish
be given TO one man, and the testimony reln
ting TO another parish should be given 10
another man. Among the parishes that we're
contested were the two parishes Of Feliciana,
and 4 hnltvn that NJ Qhors,,c, -, II 49,. /