The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-09-09

population? 80.
rate political reform is to drive the Republican party
from power, and place the Government in new
hands. By no other means can the era of sectional
estrangement be closed and the orderly and healthy
administration of affairs be re-established. This
conclusion not at all affected by the conduct Of the
and the war, nor by its record since. 1t has not
been charged with the administration of national
affairs for many years. with the slight exception of
its recent ascendency in Congress- during which the
power Of the lobby has been broken, the political
npS s1oa and S Of sey i'm
ment greatly reduced. But do not rest the case
upon these facts. The Democratic party is not in
This has been especially true in particular States
and districts during the dispeusation of plunder
and misgovernment which marked the two ad-
ninistrafions of Gen. Grant Durinp the Years of
sectional bitterness unavoidaby resulting from the
war, and needlessly aggravated by demagogues, the
Democratic party had a very trying experience, and
otism and statesmanship. am not here to defend
it where its conduct is not defensble do not dis
guise the fact that should it now regain power twill
have on its hands work Of exceeding difficulty.
do not believe in the power Of any party to work mir
aces, but it is the only instrument through which
the Government can now be rescued from the de-
praved dynasty which now controls it, and which, "a
have shown has completely lost the power of self
saving the country till perfect party shall offer to
undertake it, and 1t is always wiser to the haz
ard of possible, or even probable evils than volun-
tarily to accept those which are certain. Twenty
years Of power would demoralize party of angels
1t would convert them into governing class with
interests wholly apart from those Of the people, and
the complete overhauling of their misdeeds would
only be possible through party, stimulated in
its work by political victory, and having complete
control of their records.
In following out the line Of argument indicated in
my opening statements let me now briefly refer to
the personal character Of the candidates. OF Gen.
Hancock need say but little It is the singular good
fortune Of his country and of himself that he does
not need to be defended In private life he is above
reproach. His honor is unsullied There is no stair
of bribery or official greed upon his garments. His
loyalty to the Union has been tried by fire, and DEM
onstrated by acts which will make his lame as i'm
perishable the history of his country. His subor
dination Of the military to civil power, wfne
holding an important command, is guarantee that,
if elected the arbitrary methods which have brought
shame upon the Government under Republican rule
will cease, and that statesmanship, and not mere
brute force will guide the conduct of public affars
while there is no reason whatever for believing that
he will initiate the conduct of Gen. Grant by sur
knaves. He is . clean man, and, il political reform
should not be thoroughly accomplished under hiE
administration it will at least be made possible by
breaking up the organized machinery which now
stands in its way, and assuagng the bitterness of
tional strife.
AS regards the Republican candidate, 1 know him
pretty well, having served with him in the House of
Representatives eight years. Our personal, well
political, relations at all times friendly, and
+! have no disposition whatever to do him any in
justice.
But the character of Gen. Garfield is involved in
certain particular charges to which propose to re-
active Salary act the De Golyer pavement swindle
and the Credit Mobilier developments. In dealing
with these it may be well to remember that every
of them has Republican pedigree, and, therefore,
when complaint is made about throwing campaign
mud, refer the account for settlement to the Re
publican ledders and journalists who made these
charges, years ago, and are now SO ready to brand
them as Democratic lies. They dumped this "mud"
the doorsteps of their candidate, and 1t is their
business to cartit away If they Let say, fur
ther, that wish to deal only in facts. shall in
duge in no denunciaton, no personal abuse, and no
extraEagant assertions to Gen. Garfeld's criminal
ity. If his early accuEers and present champions had
shown more candor and less partisan bias in dealing
with his conduct should have felt less disposition
to arraign it, If instead of attempting prove his
character stainless, they had been willing, like the
Springfield Republican, to admit his weakness, and
refer his conduct to the corrupt atmosphere Of the
period in which he yielded to temptation, and the
charitable Judgment of the public, there would have
been less motive and less inclination to overhaul the
facts and sift the evidence The people have right
to know the truth respecting the character OF cand-
date for the highest Office within their gift, ana,
If it cannot pass their scrutiny unscathed, no
amount Of whitewash should be allowed to conceal
the fact -
The material facts connected with the Retroactive
Salary bill may be briefly stated. On the last day OF
the Fortysecond Congress this measure appropriated
for salaries they had never earned It regarded
by the people a naked Legislative theft. Cen
Garfield was Chairman of the committee OF confer
ence having charge of the appropriation bill con-
tanning the retroactive provision and as such eng-
neered its passage and voted for it 1t is true that
salary increase separate proposition, but this
does not relieve him of the responsibility Of finally
voting for and urging its passage 1t is also true
that he attempted to justify his action on the plea
that If the appropriation failed, extra session OF
| Congress would be necessary. But this was pre-
tense and not justification. If the measure had
failed through his opposition, there was time enough
for another committee of conference, and further
effort to save the treasury; If, however, he clearly
saw, could have seen, that an extra session OF
Congress would be the result it did not JUSTIFY him
| in so fragrant game of robbery. BE should have
washed his hands of it and secuted the Jesuttical
principle which invited him to pick the nations
pocket to avoid greater evil. That Gen. GARFIELD
was really in sympathy with the measure is shown w
theft at ALL but justified by Legislative precedents
and by the fact that he allowed the salary to stand to
his credit and, Of course, meant to retain it SIX or
weeks afterward it is true, he covered it into
the treasury, and thereby confessed his gu1t Bus
this was in the midst of popular indignation which
had spread like fire throughout the Union, and few
days after Republican Convention at Warren, in
Trumbull county, in his Congressional district, had
and requested him to resign. He only dropped his
| swag when he found the police on his tracks.
connection 1Rs with thp and the peop
will decide whether they do not signally fall to re-
lieve him of his conspicuous responsibility for this
| memorable legislative outrage.
The De Goyer pavement matter is connected with
| inaugurated by the Board of public Works in 1s72
In response to bids which were invited by the board
De Golyer Co. applied for large contract for lay
ing their patent wooden pavement, which was re-
1ected by the Board OF Engineers. Iney tnereupOl
determined to raise large fund through which tC
influence the action Of the board in their favor, unt
the evidence taken before two Congressional inves
eating committees shows that sundry influential par
ties in Washington enlisted in the work, in
cluding R. C. Parsons, then Marshal of the Suprem
Court, who to receive large fee for his services
contingent upon an appropriation by Congress
Garfield S., 900 for professional services before tn
board, in behalf of the application of
'i aeIa was IS at at that M time % known to the the peopi
as q lawyer, it is quite certain that he had won NJ
celebrity. The question to be decided involved tn
character and comparative value of many patents
both wooden and concrete, and could scarcey b
considered judicial one at all. There was no cas-
in court, because no one had been sued. 1t was
r1tter for experts, and not for lawyers, and it Ia
not to be tried by judicial tribunal. Gen. Garfe
never appeared before the board, and filed an
written argument If he prepared one, as he de de
clares he did, it strangely failed to find its way to tn
tribunal it was intended to influence. He ono
spoke to Gov. Shepherd on the subject, in behalf G
his clients, and received s., 900 for serving then
1 think he must have known that his opinion
| wooden pavements was not worth this sum. Ths
he received it for his Fictitious influence mem
ber Of Congress and Chairman of the Committee o
Appropriations is perfectly manifest any fac
can be, short Of mathematical demonstration. L
: he declares, he did not himself know it, nc
suspect it, it is q psychological phenomenon wnic
may well awaken doubt as to that mental soundne.
which is the special boast of his friends. Gen. GA
. | field and his champions endeavoring to white
his record by asserting that the money
! | pay for these street improvements did not CON
| from tne nauonal treasury, but from the n
sources of the District, and had already been pr,
vided by the District Government, so that the onl
question involved was the kind of pavement whic
should be used. II this were true, his official pos
ton would have been less influential in his emplo,
ment, and he would be at lenst partially exonerate
But the truth is that behind the District Governme
= and its revenues stood Congress, the ultimate r
q sponsibe authority for appropriations, and tn
Il large appropriations for the De Golyer paveme
q were afterward reported by Gen. Garfcld's commi
= tee and passed. That his official position and il
= huance constituted the motive Of his employment
. shown by the fact that after he had been secur,
= his employers made their boast that they had nc
= = the influence OF the who held "the purs
= strings of the United States," and the stron
y y est man in Congress-" and on this ground it b
q since been judically determined that the contra
y y procured by such methods against public pon