The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1880-07-10
Lives of the Candidates.
Gen. James Abram Garfield.

Gen. James Abram Garfield.
The Choice Of the Chicago Convention
for the Presidency-His Early strug-
giles with Poverty Canal -Boatman,
School Teacher, and State Senator
His Services on the Battle-F -Field-His
Congressional Record.
Gen. James A. Garfield was born
il Orange, Cuyahoga County, Ohio,
about 12 miles from Cleveland, Nov.
10, 1881. His parents were both of
New Eng extraction. His father,
Abraham Garfield, was born iu
Otsego County, N. z, but his family
had lived in Massachusetts for gener-
ations. His mothers maiden name
was Ellen Ballou, and she was a niece
of the Rev. Hosea Ballou, noted
Uniyersalist clergyman of New
Hampshire, 10 which State she was
was born: James was the. Youngest
0f four sons, aud his father died il
1888, leaving his children dependent
solely On their mother. Mrs. Garfield
was woman of remarkable business
qualities, and it is from her that
Jamts inherited his persevering ia
ture. With the aid of her thee older
boys she managed to support herself
and tie family on the little farm left
by her husband, and James, from his
earliest years, was obliged to aid to
the extent Of his ability in the gen
eral work about his home. But be
liked work, and it was said of him
when boy that there was not a
lazy hair in his head" He was poor
boy, and saw no means Of making a
living but by manual labor, and lie
applied himself to learn the trade of
a carpenter. During the summer
months he toiled early and late on
lis mothers farm, and the winter
days he passed at his carpenters
bench. There was village school in
Grange; where the citizens met on
winter evenings to read and discuss
the books which they possessed, and
this young Garfield attended, picking
up such information as lie couh in
the capacity of a listener. No observ-
er of this thoughtful boy, listening to
the reading OF newspaper at the
age of 16, could by any possibility
have foreseen in him the leader of a
great National party.
Reauy money was commodity Of
which the young farmer and carpen-
ter saw but little, and as the ambi-
tion to secure an education, which
had been growing on him as his mind
was opened to the events of the world
in the village school," could ouly
be realized by means of money, he
naturally cast about him for some
vocation which would bring him that
The Ohio Canal passed with
III a short distance Of the Garfield
farm, and james discovered shat the
canal-men were paid in cash, aud
made better wages than he could re-
alize by farming and carpentering Iu
his seventeenth year he decided to be-
come canal-man, and secured po-
sition as driver of one of the boats.
His care and attention to his business
the attention of his superb
ors, and he was soon promoted to the
more dignified post Of holding the
tiller Of the boat. He continued i'll
this business. saving what little of his
he could, for about eighteen
until the fall of 1645, when
he determined to advance a step, and
ship as sailor on the lakes. At this
time, however, an attack Of fever
and ague prevented his executing his
plans, and drove him back to his
mothers house an invalid. The sick
ness proved the turning point in his
life, and as a result Of it, James Gar
field, instead Of bnrying himself in
the forecastle of a ship, became one of
the leading men i'll the American Re-
public.
He remained PROSTATE in his moth
er's house for three months, and du-
ring that time made the acquaintance
Of Samuel D. Bates, who was teach
ing the district school that winter.
Bates SO fired the ambition of Young
which bad almost died away
under the influence Of his canal boat
that lie determined to for
sake his idea of becoming sailor,
and make an attempt to secure an
education. He was accompanied to
the Chester Academy by cousin and
another Young man from lis village,
and the three took with them irving