The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1880-09-21
ner room, bpt there was nobody in the
inner room but himself,

tuuCt IUOtu Uub ulluSCHs
s.Some of the men who we're getting
up statements about other parishes came
in there, but the room was, assigned to
me. (Applause.) There you have it an
inner room reached only by passing
through another room from the public
hall, and he occupied it and received the
Witnesses there, as I will now proceed
to prove. So the question. what did he
do in the inner room and that question
was asked him under oath. @ What
did you do2 A. l took all those pa
Ipera, commencing with the protest, and
read them carefully and made "a careful
brief of their contents, giving the sum-
mary of each witness 10 my own WAYS
! would if were lawyer in the case.
{ Applause. There Is Garfield at New
i0rleans-the man that asks to preside
IN the chief Office of this great nation
There is Garfield sitting in that inner
room Of the Custom.H House, where the
light OF day and the judgment of the
American people was cut off and receiv.
ing the evidence that turned the parish
OF West Feliciana and examining them
as though he was lawyer in the case
and swears: when I had completed
that felt great deal OF anxiety to see
the men who bad testified, if l could.
Now, notice what he has sworn to
That he occupied that room and that
when the testimony was all banded to
him relating to the parish of West Fe.
liciana, as he examined it and the testi-
mony and he made ont a list OF one.
half or two thirds Of the witnesses, and
he sent for them one by one. He ex
amined them, and when their testimony
was not as full as be desired he prepar-
ed additional interrogatories which went,
10 some cases at least. before the Re.
turoing Board The summary in the
testimony in the case of West Felicana
was prepared BY him. A little further
about what be did: Some of these af.
idavits I notice In the West FeliciaHa
case we're made after you arrived in New
Orleans Did you have anything to do
with them yourself-in taking them? A.
Nothing, except that in some instances,
as have already related, l prepared in.
terrogatories. Now. gentlemen, be
mentions as the most remarkable case
in which he prepared the questions for
the witnesses the case Of Amy Mitchell,
so will read what Garfield swore to in
regard to that case.
30 As regards the case OF Amv
Mitchell, which made an impression on
you, can you tell whether it was before
or after you we're furnished with q copy
Of her affidavit that you had this con-
versation With her2 A. 1t was after
ward 1t was the reading Of the afflda.
Wit that impressed me, and ask to have
her sent to me-"
go ] see that the affi iavit appears
to have been sworn to the 30th of Nov
emherp A. / advised them to take q
fuller statement by interrogatories from
Amy Mitchell, and think I propounded
. aLpoEtiens Of the interrogatories. The
preliminary statement, the simple affida-
Wit, was earlier Now, gentlemen,
will turn over page and see what the
case of Amy Mitchell was. Turning
the leaves of.a book.) She first made
an affidavit in the Custom House, where
she was examined privately by James
A Garfield. That affidavit was not full
enough. He prepared additional inter.
rogatories to be propounded to her, and
she answered those interrogatories, aud
in her testimony before this same com.
mittee she afterwards herself swore tha,
there was no truth in the statement Civ.
en- in response to Gar6eld's interroga-
tories. In answer to a question pro.
pounded by Governor Cox, of Ohio,
who is Republican. Amy Mitchell said
-she repeated her direct testimony
THAT every statement contained in the
affidavit wss false; that she did not say
anything because she knew it, but said
what they told her to say. Her testi-
mony also showed that she bad been
trained in the Custom House to testify
before the committee. / don't say that
Garfield was present when she swore to
the answers to interrogatories, but he
prepared the interrogatories that were
answered, and he prepared the interrog.
atories after he had an interview with
that colored woman, when there was no
person besides themselves present, and
the same woman comes before the COM
mittee of Congress, not in an inner
room, not when the light of Gods day
is shnt of, but she comes before the
committee cf Democrats and Republi-
cans, and in that testimony, given under
oath and under the test Of cross-ex.
animation by the Republican members
OF the committee, she saws there was not
q word Of truth 10 the testimony which
she gave In answer to Garfeld's ques.
tions. (Applause.) The next purpose,
gentlemen, have in my mind is to ask
why did Garfield spend eighteen days in
the inner room in the Custom House 2
Why did ne have private interviews with
the colored and white people whose'tes.
timony was to be taken to be used be.
fore the Returning Board and why did
he prepare interrogatories for the wit.
nesses? I will answer in his own
words:
go But don't you understand thai
In the cases where you suggested thai
interrogatories should be prepared in.
stead Of the evidence they were to &c
before the Returning Board? A. Yes
SIR
"And when his work of taking the
testimony was completed he turned his
attention to the preparation OF a brief
A brief, as you all know. is q. lawyers
argument in writing. will show yor
what be says upon that subject, on page
797 Of the report:
20 Was that brief furnished to the
Returning Board7 A No, cir. Tha,
brief was never furnished to ANYBODY
but the President of the United States
In fact, considerable portion of th,
brief was written on the cars on my way
to Washington
60. Written after you left New Or
leans9 A. A considerable portion o
It.. had written summary Of the evil
dence before that. but q considerabl,
portion of the brief was written in pen
Gil on the cars after left New OrleanI
on my way home
"You see he completes the evidence
L - -al l. .