The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1880-06-23
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Something About the Candidate.
Style Cushing Grandiloqueut
Garfield. Mental aud Physical
characteristics.
[Fran onr Regular c0rrespOndent.l

WASHINGTON, June 18th, 1880.
Congress has left Washington, but the
Capital ,gill be a centre OF unusual interest
during the recess. Here will be the cam
paign headquarters for both political par
ties, and an Through the dog day heats,
and until what Mr.. Garfield calls the mel
ancholy days Of November, commands and
supplies will be issued from Washington,
and the fierce strife waged in city and vii
lage. on plain and in dingle, will receive
It's impulse and return its echo here.
Already clerks in all the Departments
have organized, according to their several
states, and are prepared to do the work
they know SO well how to do, for the par
ty that has so long kept them in sinecures,
at the public expense.
Last night Mr.. Garfield trumpeted the
keynote Of the campaign in speech from
the balcony OF the Riggs House; but it was
a note OF uncertain sound, characteristic OF
the cornet, and "who shall prepare him
self for battle?" venture to predict that
thecampaign will not be waged with much
enthusiasm on the part of the Republicans,
Mr. Garekld is,no n candidate to excite
enthusiasm. Your correspondent has
known him for thirteen years, and has
studied him, not because he is individually
interesting, but because he is such n type
as no student OF contemporary history can
ignore. 1t is true that Don Piatt and
George Alfred Townsend have recently
written letters that are highly eulogestic OF
the candidate, and ingeniously exculpatory
OF his crooked record. But it must be re-
membercd that these gentlemen would
each like to have foreign mission or at
least first class consulship. Mr.. Garfield,
they say, is great scholar, a broad-guage
statesman, brainy man. l do not think
he is any OF these. ] think his genius is
chiefly in his lungs and other viscera.
His voice is like the note OF war; he has
the famed appetite OF Boswell's hero, and
the digestion OF an ore crusher. He is q
superb animal. Mr.. Gariield's chieftest
mental attribute is precocity, not profun-
dity. He is unripe, prematurely develop
ed. He rose rapidly from the helm OF u
canal boat to the head of fourth.rate
college for both sexes. His advancement
had been rapid but not remarkable, for,
in an era and area OF low culture, tlippant
oratory, is considered proof Of genius,
and resonant voice is mistaken for ora
tory. None Of Mr. Garfield's speeches, in
deed scarcely single paragraph will bear
literary criticism. Gush and grandilo-
quence are the characteristics OF his style.
The first time 1 heard him speak was at a
college commencement, twelve years ago,
when he exhorted us in such platitudes as
"to keep up with the times, to press for
ward to the van and march abreast with
the latest thought" Now rejecting men
donot have to be very old before they
learn that the latest thought is not neces.
sarily the best thought. But in these few
words | think We have key to. Mr.. Gar
fields mental tone. LII religion, politics.
and science he believes in many unsound
unsopnded things. Jesus Christ hest
tated and asked: "What is TRUTH" II Mr..
Garfield could be persuaded to answer he
would say: "tlle newest tangled thing"
c. AS.