Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-10-21
: Clear Case OF Perjury.

Judge Black is General Garfield's
witness, for ON the only two public oc-
casions when Garfield attempted to
defend his corruption in the Credit
Mobilier jobbery he put Judge Black
on the witness stand. In 1873 Garfield
paraded in pamphlet he issued Judge
Blacks letter to Speaker Blaine. in
which he defended Gartields share in
the bribery on the plea of ignorance.
Garfield used this letter again in speech
to his constituents at Warren. Ohio,
September, 1874.
This extract is from Judge Blacks
letter to the N. Y. Sun. "a
will set down their substance and give my
reply to each one in the order you put them:
/. Did mean in my letter to Mr.. Blaine that
General Garfield acknowledged the receipt of
stock and dividends from Cakes Ames?
Unquestionably he agreed to take the stock,
and did receive dividends upon 1t. The letter
plainly Implies that he had not concealed, nor
tried to conceal that fact from him. But his
admission was coupled with a statement which
showed him to be guiltless.
Judge Black here says, on the lad
mission of Garfield to him, that .un-
questionably he (Garfeld) agreed to take
the Credit lfobilier stock and did receive
divide1a1s ON IT.
Now let us see what was Garfield's
testimony before the Poland Committee.
On January IA. 1873, he went publicly
before the Committee and swore upon
the Gospels:
~ never owned, received, or agreed to re-
ceive any stock of the Credit MObilier, or of
the Union Pacific Railroad, nor any dividends
or profits arising from any of them"
Ii this don't make Garfield out a per-
iurer then there is no distinction be-
tween truth and falsehOOd. =
But Judge Black says Garfield's
admission to him that he agreed to
receive Credit-Mobilier stock and did
receive dividends, was coupled with
a statement that showed him to be
guiltless." What was this statement?
Garfield declared that at the time he
agreed to receive the stock and re-
ceived the dividends, he was ignorant
of the connection between the Credit
Mobilier and the Union Pacific Rail
road This convinced Judge Black
that Garfield was guiltless.
But it was lie OF that there is con-
elusive proof in the debates of Con-
gress. In December, 1867, when Ames
began to distribute his stock. f. b.
Washburne of Illinois, ex-Ministeri to
France, and his brother, Governor
Washburne of Wisconsin, exposed the
whole operations of the Credit MObilier
in the House of Representatives, and
showed the magnitude of the swindle,
how it was to be contaminated, and its
connection with the Union Pacific
Railroad, just as it is now known. The
debate was on IL resolution introduced
bv E. b. Washburne to reduce the
rates of freight and passengers on the
Pacific roads. Garfield was present in
the House during these discussions and
participated in them. Everybody knew
then that the directors of the Union
Pacific re contracting with them
selves 10 aid the road, and thai the
franchise OF the old Credit Mobilier
corporation had been purchased
for that purpose. To suppose Gar
field ignorant of a knowledge which
was common at the time in the House
and elsewhere, and that, too, when the
whole business had been clearly ex-
posed in several debates, wherein he
had taken part and voted, is to insult
public intelligence.
In what pitiful plight this leaves
Garfield. He not only perjured him
self before the Poland Committee, but
he deliberately lied to Judge Black and
betray ed that astute lawyer into gross
error as to his motives by an infamous
deception of his own confidential adj |
wiser and friend. And this is the sort |
of candidate the Republicans have put
up for President?
TIE chances are that there will still |
be another letter from Judge Black as
soon as the Judge gets hold of the Con-
gressiaasal Globe of 1S67-'6S, proving
that Garfield, as preliminary to his per-
jury before the Poland Committee, lied
to his confidential friend. Pittsburgh |
Post.