The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-08-24
THE WHEELING DAILY TUESDAY MORNING AUGUST 1880

Il YeStigntion 10 know that no lnVesuRhu(
! into any public affair hss been held IN Il
/. last three years in Warrington that ha'
not helped to organize and bring abou
!, [Applause.l
!. THE COMMITTEE or INVESTIGATION.
Now what was the investigation Yc
will remember that before the inyestig
ton had gone far feeling Of alarm and e
element swept over the whole COUNT
that had hardly been paralleled in Amer
can history. Some men whose nam(
were connected with the charges Of th
Credit Mobilier matter, shocked at th
terrible charge Of bribery thrown at then
In the hurry Of the moment 20 far forge
themselves as TO give equivocal ar
swers as to whether they knew anythin
about the matter or not, and the impress
ion was made throughout the country this
most Of them had denied that they kneN
anything about 1t. The fact was that th
country was settling down TO the belle
that the whole thing was mere cam
paign SANDER and had no foundation Il
fact. Looking at the subject iron
this distance, / am inclined y
believe that the impression lei
upon the American mind Is that the fault
Of those who were charged with buyini
stock was not that they did anything
wrong In reference 10 the stock, but tina
afterwards they prevaricated, or lied abou
1t. Now, without discussing anybody
else, | call you to witness that ! stated al
once what knew about 1t the first time
that l knew the thing was going the
rounds OF the newspapers. When the
committee OF investigation came to make
up
THE REPORT
there was one thing In that report to
which I personally took exception, and
only one. l understand that a gentleman
occupied this room a few nights ago who
undertook to make the impression upon
his audience that Mr.. Garfield was found
guilty Of some improper relation with the
Credit MobiIier. Let me read you a
sentence or two from that report. The
committee says: 4
Concerning the members to whom he
had sold or offered to sell the stock, the
committee say that they do not find that
Mr. Ames, in his negotiations with the
persons above named, entered into any
detail Of the relations between the Credit
Mobilier Company and Union Pacific
Company, or gave them any specific in
formation as to the amount OF dividends
they would be likely to receive further
than has been already stated, viz, that in
some cases he had guaranteed profit OF
ten per cent. They do not find
as to the members OF the present House
above named that they were aware OF the
object Of Mr.. Ames, or that they had any
other purpose in taking this stock than to
make a profitable investment.
They have not been able to find that any
OF these members OF Congress have been
affected in their official action in
consequence OF interest in the Credit
stock. They do not
and that either OF the above.named gem
tlemen in contracting with Mr.. Ames had
any corrupt motive OF purpose himself, or
was aware Mr.. Ames had any. Nor did
either Of them suppose he was guilty Of
any improperly or even indelicacy In be-
coming purchaser OF this stock And
finally, that the committee find nothing
in the conduct or motives OF either Of
these members in taking this stock, that
calls for any recommendation OF the COM
ni:tee OF the House." See PIP. viii. tx. K. }
In Mr.. Ames' first testimony he names
sixteen members OF Congress to whom he
offered the stock, and says that eleven Of
hen bought it, but he sets Mr.. Garfield
iown among the FIVE who did not buy 1t.
de says: "He (Garfield) did not pay for
h or receive it. He never paid any
money on that stock nor received money
IN account OF it" Let me add that the
asst grant to the Union Pacific Railroad
was by the act OF July, 1854, and that
0akes Ames had nothing to do with the
Credit Mobilier till more than two years
liter that date.
The point on which i took exception to
he report OF the committee was this: The
report held that Mr. Ames and Mr.. Gar
ield did agree upon the purchase oil the
and that Mr.. Garfield received $500
IN account Of 1t. insisted that the evi.
lence did not warrant that conclusion,
and rose in my place in the House, and
announced that should make that state
nent good before the American public;
that hold myself responsible TO demon
strate that the committee was wrong; that
although they charged me with no wrong,
they still had made a mistake OF fact, which
was against tho evidence and an injustice
to me. Soon after I published iphamp-
let OF twenty-eight pages, In which care
fully and thoroughly reviewed all the ties:
timonv relating TO me. / have now stood
before the American people since the Sth
day OF May, 1873, announcing that the
following propositions were proven con-
cerning Iayself: That ] never agreed even
to take the stock Of Mr., Ames; that new
ar subscribed for it, never DID take 1t, new
or received any dividends from It. and was
never In any way made o beneficiary by
Il. Seven thousand copies Of that phamip-
let have been distributed through the
United States. Almost every newspaper
in the United States has had copy malleu
To II. Every member OF the Forty-second
Congress-Democra and Republican,
had a copy, and there is not known to me
a man who having read my review has de.
Mad it's conclnsiveness Of those preposit-
IONS after having read them. l have seen
no newspaper review OF itthat denies the
conclusiyeness OF the propositions.
II 4 Tor these reasons that a great public
journal, the New York Erening PoSt, said a
few DAYS ago that on this point Gen. Gar
fields answer had been received by the
American people as satisfactory. lap
plause,1 If there Is any gentleman in
his audience who desires to ask any cues.
lion concerning the Credit Mobilier, !
shall be glad to hear 1t. mo response
II NOT, would not it be about as well e
modify the talk on that subject hereafter
Applause. !.
question purely OF official conduct-and
that Ia a subject which has grown thread
mare In this community, and yet l desir!
YOUR attention to It for few moments.
refer to
The INCREASE OF OFFICIAL SALARIES,
one wear and half ago. First, what art
the accusations concerning mel
There are several citizens in this town
who have signed their namesto statement
In the newspapers during that discussion