Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-06-17

the soldiers IN Whicn nau Oeen Stuueuts aI
Hiram. He took the field in Eastern
Kentucky, was soon put in command OF
brigade, and by making one of the hardest
marches ever made by recruits, surprised and
routed the Rebel forces, under Humphrey
Marshall, at Pketon.
From Eastern Kentucky Gen. Garfield was
transferred to Louisville, and from that place
hastened to join the army of Gen. Buell.,
which he reached with his brigade in time
to participate in the second days fighting at
Pittsburg Landing. He took part in the
operations along the Memphis and Charles
ton Railroad In January, 1868, he was
appointed chief of staff Of the Army Of the
Cumberland, and bore prominent share in
all the campaigns in Middle Tennessee in the
spring and summer ofthat year. Hislast con.
spcuous military service was at the battle OF
Chickamauga For his conduct in that battle
he was promoted to major, generalship. 1t
is said that he wrote all the orders given to
the army that day, and submitted them to
Gen. Rosecrans for approval, save one. The
one he did not write was the fatal order to
Gen. Wood, which was so worded as not to
correctly convey the meaning of the COM
manling general and which caused the de-
structon Of the right wing of the army.
ELECTED TO CONGRESS.
The Congressional district in which Gar
field lived was the one long made famous by
Joshua R. Giddings. The old anti slavery
champion grew careless of the arts OF poll
tics towards the end of his career, and came
to look upon nomination and re election as
a matter Of course. His over confidence was
taken advantage of in 1858 by an ambitious
lawyer named Hutchins, to carry Conven-
tion against him. The friends of Giddngs
never forgave Hutchins, and cast about for
a means of defeating him. The old man
himself was comfortably quartered in his
Consulate at Montreal, and did not care to
make a fight to get back to Congress. So
his supporters made use of the popularity ot
Gen. Garfield and nominated him while he
was in the field without asking his consent.
This was in 1852 When he heard of the
nomination, Garfield reflected that it would
be fifteen months before the Congress would
meet to which he would be elected, and be.
lieving, as did every one else, that the war
could not possibly last year longer, con-
cluded to accept l have often heard him
express regret that he did not help fight the
war throug gh, aud say that he never would
have left the army to 60 to Congress had he
foreseen that the struggle would continue
beyond the year 1868. He continued his
military service up to the time Congress met.
On entering Congress in December, 1868.
Gen. Garfield Was placed upon the committee
on military affairs, with Schenck and Farms.
worth, who were also fresh from the field.
He took an active part in the debates of the
House and won a recognition which few new
members succeed in gaining. He was not
popular among his fellow.members during
his first term. They thought him something
of pedant because he sometimes showed his
scholarship in his speeches, and they were
Jealous of his prominence. His solid attain
ments and amiable social qualities enabled him
to overcome this prejudice during his second
term, and he became on terms OF close friend
ship with the best men in both Houses. His
committee service during his second term was
on the ways and means, which was quite to
his taste, for it gave him an opportunity to
prosecute the studies in finance and political
economy which he had always felt a fondness
for. He was hard worker and great read
er in those days, going home with his arms
full of books from the Congressional Library,
and sitting up late nights to read them. 1t
was then that he laid the foundations of the
convictions on the subject of National finance
which he has since held to firmly amid all
the storms of political agitation. He was
renominated in 1864, without opposition, but
in 1866 Mr.. Hutchins, whom he had sup
planted, made an effort to defeat him.
Hutchins canvassed the district thoroughly,
but the Convention nominated Garfield by
acclamation. He has had no opposition
since in his own party. In 1872 the Liberals
and Democrats united to beat him, but his
majority was larger than ever. In 1874 the
Greenbackers and Democrats combined and
put up a popular soldier against him, but
they made no impression on the result The
Ashtabula District, as it is generally called,
is the most faithful to its representatives of
any in the North. 1t has had but four men,
bers in half a century.
HIS WORK IN CONGRESS.
In the Fortieth Congress Gen. Garfield
was chairman of the committee on military
affairs. In the Forty first he was given the
charmanship of banking and currency, which
he liked much better, because it was in the
line of his financial studies. His next pro-
motion was to the Craftsmanship of the ap-
preparation committee, which he held until
the Democrats came into power in the
House in 1875. His chief work on that
committee was steady and judicious reduc.
ton of the expenses of the Government. In
all the political struggles in Congress he has
borne leading part, his clear, vigorous and
moderate style of argument making him one
of the most effective debaters in either house.
When James G. Blaine went to the Senate,
in 1877, the mantle of Republican leadership
in the House was, by common consent, placed
upon Garfield, and he has worn it ever since.
In January last Gen. Garfield was elected to
the Senate to the seat which will be vacated
by Allen G. Thurman on the 4th Of March,
1881 He received the unanimous vote Of
the Republican caucus, an honor never given
to any man Of any party in the State of Ohio.
Since his election he has been the recipient
of many complimentary manifestations in
Washington and in Ohio.
GARFIELD AS LEADER.
AS leader in the House, he is more eau
tious and less dashing than Blaine, and his
judicial turn of mind makes him too prone
to look for two sides of question for him to
be an efficient partisan. When the issue
fairly touches his convictions, however, he
becomes thoroughly aroused and strikes tre
mendous blows. Blaine's tactics were to