Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-06-23
GARFIELD'S RECORD.
His Financial Doctrines are shown to
be Very Clear and Sound.

vi ttlI,J VI ClIc SItttu " uoSUlOuS DeIOTo Ule
country since he has been in public life.
But few persons, we fancy, are aware
how strait and clean and consistent his
record is on one of the gravest and most
difficult questions pending since the war.
Indeed, we doubt if a representative in
congress, or senator, east or west. of
anything like equal prominence, can be
named whose record in all the branches
of currency legislation is better.
When the original legal tender act was
passed he had not entered congress, but
was leading his soldiers to battle. As
long as the war lasted it was useless to
attempt a reform of the currency; but
when it had ended congress undertook to
restore the value to the legal-tender
notes by the proper and reasonable
method of contraction. It was not long,
however, before the alarmists raised an
cutlery at the consequences of
this contraction, and congress was
food with resolutions ordering the In
slant cessation of the process. A bill so Or
dering was reported by Mr.. Schenck
from the ways and means committee on
the 7th of December, 1867, the first week
of the session. 1t was passed by vote
of 127 to 80. Fifteen of the minority
were Democrats. Among the seventeen
Republicans were General Garfield, Mr..
Blaine and Washburne--three of the can
didates at Chicago. Mr.. Garfield ives
the only Republican who attempted to
oppose the bill in debate; and vainly, for
the previous question had been
called, endeavored to procure a
vote on substitute for the bill, Ia
resolution referring the subject back to
the committee with instructions to re-
port to this house such legislative meas
ures as shall most speedily and safely
lead to resumption of specie payment. :"
His stand was taken then, when contrac-
ton was most unpopular, and from it he
has never wavered. On the 18th of May
following,-in 1868,-he made per-
haps the most important financial
speech he has ever delivered, covering
more than seven pages of the Congress
siOn0t Globe, in which he combatted
every form of currency delusion, and in
conclusion, declared his belief that the
gradual restoration of our ancient STAN
dard of value will lead us by the safest
and surest path to national prosperity
and the steady pursuits of peace.
We printed yesterday in the biograph-
ical notice of General Garfield a partial
list of his speeches on this as well as on
Other questions. Until quite recently
the mantle of leadership of the opposi-
ton in the house fell on his shoulders he
has usually been content simply to give
his vote on the propositions relating to
the currency brought before the house.
But these votes were all true and right.
He was supporter of the public credit
act of 1869; hevoted against the imitation
bill in 1874, having vainly tried,
seconding the efforts of Mr.. Ct.
F. Hoar, to get the bill referred
to committee of the whole. The whole
state of Ohio mustered but five votes
in the house of representatives in oppo.
sition to the bill, and Gen. Garfield was
one of them. At the next session the
resumption act was passed. Gen. Gar
field voted for ID At the time the meas
ure seemed to be no more than an empty
declaration, and even hard-money men
were divided upon it. So strong an adj
vocate of honest money as Senator
Schurz favored it, but some-a few only
of the radical hard-money men In the
house voted with the inhationists in a
body against it, Time has indicated the
wisdom of those who favored the meas
ure.
The course of Gen. Garfield on the
silver issue has already been referred to.
He opposed it both by his voice and his
vote. When the measure was first passed
by the house, Gen. Garfield was absent
on leave and had no opportunity to vote
upon it. But when it came back from
the senate amended he was one of the II
members who voted in favor of Mr..
Hewitt's motion to lay it on the table,
and so kill it. In the course of brief
debate he explained his position, and
ended by saying
believing, as [ do-and I shall rejoice if the
future proves me MISUNDERSTANDING as do,
that this bill will not bring the two metals to
equality, or keep them there; that it will bring
no relief to the suffering and distress that now
aff1ict the country; that it will seriously injure
the public credit, and thereby injure every citi-
zen, I shall vote to lay the bill on the table"
The delegation from Ohio contained
twelve Republicans, and General Gar
field was the only one of them who voted
against the bill. Ten of the other
eleven we're present, and all voted for it.
The bill was vetoed by the president,
and on its passage over the president re-
ceived the solid vote of Ohio, Mr.. Gar
field alone excepting. The currency
record of our candidate is like light
shining out of dark place. No other of
the distinguished men who live in the
midst of the Ohio idea" can
show record without a blot.
Mr.. Sherman wavered for a time
on the question of paying the
bonds in coin; Governor Foster was a
silver man through and through; even
President Hayes has a faltering vote
charged against him in the days just sue
ceeding the war; On General Garfield s
record there is not spot. His name is
recorded as one OF the sturdy thirty-fve
members who, on the 29th of April, 1878,
voted against the bill forbidding the fur
ther retirement of notes, and the reissue
of those redeemed. The majority was
more than five to one. There were but
twenty-eight Republicans in the whole
bo11oo RI COW No 70 tho y,roroci+1oy, op1