Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1880-08-28
STALWART RELIGIOUS
OPINION.
Garfield Selling his Legislative
Influence for q %, 900 Bride
What q Leading Church Paper
Said When the Crime was

Said When the Crime wal
Fresh.
New York Independent. July 80, 1874
There is now no absoi bling question
of statecraft before the people. The
great question Of the last generation is
settled. II We may except the problem
how and when We shall replace our de-
preciated currency by genuine money,
there is nothing but mere administra'
ton to be attended to. What the next
Congress has to do is to keep things
a.going as quietly, frugally and honestly
as possible. 1t might not have been
the banner which would have ttuttered
most gayly in the breeze, but II the Re,
publican party had, at its last Presiden-
tial Convention, confined itself to the
promise to administer Government well,
and then bent its energies mainly to
this task, we believe it would have stood
better with the people to-day.
The main point then to be considered
by those who select Congressional cam
didates is this: Who will administer
the Government best-that is, most
honestly and most intelligently? And
Of these two qualifications honesty Is
even more essential than intelligence.
Let electors get an intelligent represent
alive, il they can find him; but they
must find an honest man. Ii their rep
resentative in the last Congress is not
tainted by the suspicion OF jobbery, IT
he has kept his hands clean, if he has
not been getting rich in Washington
and no honest man can get rich as
Congressman, any more than he could
as soldier in the rebellion-let his con-
stituents be very slow to replace him by
new man.
STERLING INTEGRITY REQUIRED.
But the most sterling moral integrity
should be required. Let electors look
very sharply at charges which affect the
purity of their servants. An honest
man will not shrink from the most
thorough scrutiny OF his official acts.
Let us take an example. The Nine.
teenth Congressional District OF Ohio
has been represented for twelve years
by James A. Garfield. He is one OF the
ablest and most promising members OF
| Congress. He is man OF uncommon
| culture, a graduate of an Eastern Col
lege, was for GONE time principal OF an
excellent school in Ohio, and a preacher,
we believe, in the denomination which
| supported it, and afterward lawyer
lie has risen rapidly in Congress, until
he occupies the Craftsmanship OF the
| Committee which is second in impor.
lance in the House, and, il elected, will
doubtless next winter BIZ the recognized
leader of the lower branch OF Congress,
taking the place vacated by MIR. Dawes.
His constituents have been very proud
OF him. and have had reason for their
pride.
But were We citizens OF the Nineteenth
Dstr ct of Ohio we should seek OF Mr..
Garfield Very clear explanation OF his
conduct before consenting TO vote for
his re election. We refer only to facts
i'm his late career, which We Judge Of
simply from the uncontradicted record.
DEEPLY INVOLVED IN CREDIT MoBILIER.
We cannot forget that he was more
deeply involved in the sad Credit Mo-
bilier difficulty than any other member
of the House of Representatives-ex-
cepting, OF course, Ames and Brooks
After such an experience he ought to
have been extremely cautious. But the
testimony taken in the investigation OF
the District of Columbia frauds show
that Mr.. Garfield received $, 900 for his
| aid in getting through a paving contract
| accepted by the District Government
| A Mr.. Parsons, q notorious jObber, made
an argument for the Paving Company,
and then got Mr.. Garfield TO make a
| further argument and to use his person
| al influence in its favor. OF course, Mr..
| Garfields argument was successful
| How could it be otherwise? He was
Chairman of the Committe OF Appro.
priations. Every cent OF money voted
to the District had to come through him
Shepherd could not afford to refuse him
anv thing that he asked, and Mr.. Gar
field knew it when he asked and receiv.
Ell for his services lee which would
have been grossly eXtravagant but for
official position.
WILLING TO SELL OUT FOR 5000.
That is, so far as the case is known to
the public, for 5000 he was willing to
sell to the Mcclellan contractor his in
fiuence as a Legislator. For $1,000 he
was willing to Use his position as a
guardian of the Treasury OF the Nation
to make the District Government award
a profitable contract. So far as most
men can see s. 900 was an eytravagant
price for any service which Mr.. Garfield
could render that did not depend on his
official position; and, II We can Judge,
| the breaking away of the Williamsburg
Dam no more indicated the worthless
ness OF It's construction than does such
an act of this. thus far unexplained, the
breaking away OF the moral foundations
of mans character. Mr.. Garfield
should very clearly explain this trans
action before asking the vote OF one hon.
| est man.
| A THOROUGHLY TRUSTWORTHY MAN WANT
ED.
We have selected Mr.. Garfield's case
as an illustration, not because we have
any i'll will against him, for our respect
for him has been very deep, and his act
has panied us greatly, but because he
best points the moral which We wish to
draw. Doubtless il he were returned,
he would make an excellent Represent
| alive, and do honor to his constituency;
but that district and every other wants
now not so much an able man rs a
thoroughly trustworthy man; and we
would have every citizen in every State
ask similar questions about his Repre-
sentative to those which We have sug-
ges,ed to the Nineteenth Ohio District.
| Is the man for whom you are requested
to vote through your Fprimaries, at the
Convention, at the polls, a man who is
beyond all faint OF Just suspicion that
he will use his office for personal ends?
Not merely is he too honest to lie and
steal, but is he honest enough to feel
disgust for those indirect and specious
DISCUSSES which corruption so much al
f.cts?
The Right Way of Doing Things.
- Y. Evening Pest,
One of the most surprising things one
constantly meets is to find that people
who have the same duties TO perform
day after day or year after year do not
improve in their manner or even once
blunder into the right way OF doing
them. Nothing is more easily made
~, ,.o,1 ,a, on1 yat how seltnm away