The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1880-07-09


long before any pressure came upon Mr.. Ames,
most of the men who had been invited to pur-
chase that stock had either declined to pur-
chase or had purchased and realized, or had
purchased and sold out. But, in 1872 in the
midst of the Presidential campaign, an article
was published in the public journals charging
that sixteen prominent members of Congress -
Senators and Representatives sold them
selves for money or stock; that they had ac-
cepted brides. You remember that was rum
ming for Congress in this district at that time.
When that news came I was away in the
Rocky mountains / came home, and the
first day after my arrival at Washing
ton I authorized to be published statement
concerning what | knew about the Cakes
Ames business. A great many people suppose
now and say, and it has been repeated hundreds
of times in this district, and especially in this
town during the last two weeks, that Mr. Gar
field hedged and denied any knowledge of
the Credit Mobler business until finally
the investigation brought it out. / repeat
that immediately on my arrival in Washington
| made statement to the correspondent of
the Cincinnati Gazette, of which the following
is copy
WASHINGTON, Sept. Is, 1872.
Gen. Garfield, who has just arrived here from the
Indian country, has to-day had the first opportunity
of seeing the charges connecting his name with
ceving shares of the Credit Mobilier from Cakes
subscribed for share of the stock and that he
received or saw share of it. When the company
first formed, George Francis Train, then active
in it, came to Washington and exhibited list of sub
scribers, Of leading capitalists and some members
of Congress, to the stock of the company The
subscription described popular of ST. 900
cash. Train urged Gen. Garfield to subscribe on
two occasions, and each time he declined. Suisse
quently he was again informed that the list was
nearly completed, but that chance remained for
him to subscribe, which he again declined and to
this day he has not subscribed for or received any
share of stock or bond of the company.
Now, want my audience to understand that
IN the midst of that storm, and tempest, and
accusation, and only little while before the
election, stated it, and let it go broadcast to
the daily press, that I did know something ABOUT
the Credit Mobilier; that had been invited to
subscribe to it that / had on two occasions dis
cussed the matter; that had taken it into con-
sideratiOn, and that finally / had declined to
subscribe; that never had owned or held a
share had never seen q certificate of the stock.
Now, am not asking you at this moment to dis
cuss the truth of that statement, but only to
say that stated it long before there was any
investigation talked of /; that never lodged, or
evaded, or denied having any knowledge of the
subject, but at the first declared plainly and
fully what I did know about it.
When Congress met, Speaker Blaine and the
rest of us whose names were concerned in it at
once, on the first morning of the session, de-
manded q committee of investigation to go
through with the whole subject from beginning
to end. want those gentlemen who talk about
Mr.. Garfield being cot after by committees of
investigation to know that no investigation into
any public affair has been held in the last three
years in Washington that have not helped to
organize and bring about.
THE COMMITTEE OF INVESTIGATION. $50
Now, what was the investigation You will
remember that before the investigation had
gone far feeling of alarm and excitement
swept over the whole country that has hardly
been paralleled in American history Some
men whose names were connected with the
charges of the Credit Mobiier matter shocked
at the terrible charge of bribery thrown at
them, in the hurry of the moment so far forgot
themselves as to give equivocal answers as to
whether they knew anything about the matter
or not, and the impression was made through
out the country that the most of them had de-
MED that they knew anything about it. The
fact was that the country was settling
down to the belief that the whole
thing was mere campaign SANDER, and had no
foundation in fact. Looking at the subject
from this distance am inclined to believe that
the impression left upon the American mind is
that the faults Of those who were charged with
buying stock was not that they did anything
wrong III reference to the stock, but that after
ward they prevaricated or lied about it. Now,
without discussing anybody else, | call you to
witness that / stated at once what knew about
it, the first time that knew the talk was going
the rounds of the newspapers. When the Com
mlttee of investigation came to make up their
report, there was one thing in that report to
which personally took exceptions, and only
one | understood that a gentleman occupied
this room few nights ago who undertook to
make the impression upon his audience that Mr.
Garfield was found guilty of some improper re-
lation with the Credit Mobilier. Let me read
you a sentence or two from that report The
committee says:
Concerning the members to whom he has
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, en-
tered into any details Of the relations between
the Credit Mobilier Company and the Pacific
Company, or gave them any specific informa-
ton as to the amount of dividends they would
be likely to receive further than has been al
ready stated-vlz. that In some cases he had
gu ranteed profit of 10 per cent They do
not find as to themembers of the present House
above named that they were aware of the object
OF Mr.. Ames, or that they had any other pur-
pose in taking this stock than to make profit
able investment They have not been
able to find that any Of these members of Con-
gress have been affected in their official action
In consequence of interest in the Credit Mobi-
Her stOck. They do not find that
either of the aboye-named gentlemen in CON
tracing with Mr.. Anles had any corrupt motive
or purpose himself, or was aware Mr., Ames had
any, nor did either of them suppose he was
guilty of any improperly or indelicacy in be-
coming purchaser of this stock. And, final
ly, that the committee find nothing in the con-
duct or motives of either of these gentlemen in
taking this stock that calls for any reconmen-
dation by the committee of the House." TSee
pages8, 8, and 10.1
In Mr.. Ames first testimony he names sixteen
members of Congress to whom he offered the
stock and says that eleven of them bought it,
but he sets Mr.. Garfield down among the five
who did not buy it. He says '.He (Garfeld)
did not pay for it or receive it. He
never paid any money on that stock nor re-
ceived money on account Of it" Let me add
that the last grant to the Union Pacific railroad
was by the act OF July, 1864. and that Cakes
Ames had nothing to do with the Credit Mobilier
till more than two years after that date
The point to which l took exception to the
report of the committee was this the report
held that Mr.. Ames and Mr.. Garfield did agree
upon the purchase Of the stock, and that Mr..
Garfield received 1929 on account of it. I in
sisted that the evidence did not warrant that
conclusion, and rose in my place in the House
and announced that should make that state
ment good before the American public; that i