The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1880-07-03
GARFIELD AND CREDIT MO-
BILIRR.


II there is a lawyer in this country
who has q constitutional hatred of all
public officials who shew the slightest
tendency toward corrnption, il u Judge
Jere III s Black. Democrat of Dem.
ncrats. With full knowle igs, after .
thorough investigation. he wrote the
f!iowing letter. which we commend to
the careful study of eli intelligent and
disin'erested readers:
PHILADELPHIA. Feb Is, 1873.
Ny DEAR Sie: From the beginning
Il the Investigation concerning Mr..
Anes's use o. the Credit Mobilier. /
bell wed that Gen Garfield WAS free
II 30 all guilty connection with that
h,-.n-ss This q. i,,.D was founded
nyt merely gu my confidence in bis
Integrity, but on some special knowl-
eixc of his case ! may have told
you all about il in conversation. but
ne.ire now to repest it by way Of re-
minder.
assert unhssi,A.ingly that whatever
Gen Garfield may have done or for-
borne to do, he acted in profound ig.
norAnce Of the nature and character Of
the thing which Mr. Ames WAS propos-
ing to sell. He had not The slightest
suspicion that be was to be taken into
Ring organized for the purpose Of
deffauding the public, nor did he
know that the stock was in any way
connected with snything which came
ar could come within the Legislative
jurisdiction of Congress. The case
against him lacks the sctenter which
atone constitutes guilt.
IL the winter Of 1S69-70 / told Gen
Garfield Of the fact that his name was
ON A,nes's list; that AWes chsrged him
with being ons of his distributes; ex-
pl.ined To hin the character. origin
aud objects OF the Credit Mobilisr
pointed out the connection it had with
Congressional legislation. and showed
him how impossible it was for men,
Der of Congress to hold stock in IL
without bringing his private intsrests
in conflict with his public duty. That
ell this WAS ~ him perfectly new
revelation I am as sure - I can be Of
such fact. or Of ahy fact which 10 o.
psbie Ut being proved only by moral
circumstance. He told me then tbs
whole story Of Trains otter 70 him end
Ames's subsequent solicitation. aud bis
own action 10 the premises. much - be
details it 10 the com nittee. do not
undertake to reproduce the converse.
ton. but the effect Of il oil Was to con.
vince me thoroughly that when be
listened to Ames he was perfectly un-
conscious of anything evil. / watched
carefully every word that fell from him
on this point. and did not regard his
narrative Of the transaction in any
other respect with much interest, be-
cause in my view everything else was
Insignificant. did not care whsther
he made bargain technically binding
or not; his integrity depended upon the
question whether he acted with his cyl e.
open. II he had known the true char
aotsr OF the proposition made to him he
would not have endured il, much less
embraced il.
Nov, couple this with Mr. Ames's
admission that he gave no explanation
whatever Of the matter to Gen Gar.
field, then reflect that not a particle Of
proof exists to sh0w that he learned
anything about it previous to his con
versatien with me. and ] think you will
say that It 10 altogether unjust to put
him on the list of those who knowingly
and wilfully joined the fraud ulent asso-
citation In question.
j. &. BLACK
"Hon ] g Blaine. Speaker " the
House Of Representatives.