The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-09-23

when the testimony was all handed to
him relating to the parish of West
Feliciana, he examined it and he made
a list of one-half or twO-thirds of the
and he sent for them one by
one. He examined them, and when
their testimony was not as full as he
desired he prepared additional inter-
which went, in some cases
at least, before the Returning Board.
The summary Of the testimony in the
case of West Feliciana was prepared
by him. A little further about what
he did: Some of these af1idavits
notice in the West Feliciaua case We're
made after you arrived in New Orleans.
DId you have anything to do with
them yourseif-in. taking them? A.
Nothing, except that in some stances
as i have already related, 1 prepared
Interrugatorles.' Now, gentlemen, he
mentions AS the most Remarkable case
In which he prepared the questions fol
the witnesses the case Of Amy Mitchell
SO L Will read what Garfield swore u
i'll regard To that case.
q. As regards the case of Amy
Mitchell, which made an impression
on you, can you tell whether it was be-
fore or after you were furnished with
copy of her affidavit that you had
this conversation with her? A. 1t
was afterwards. 1t was the reading OF
the affidavit that impressed me, and /
asked to have her sent to me- r
90. see that the affidavit appears
to have been sworn to ting 30th OF No
vember9 A. | advised them to take
a fuller statement by yfnterrogatories
from Amy MITCHELL, and 1 think
propounded portion of the interroga-
tories. The preliminary statement,
the simple affidavit, was earlier" Now
gentlemen, will turn over q page
and see what the case of Amy Mitchell
was. Turning the leaves of book }
She first made an affidavit in the Gus
TOM House, where she was examined
privately by James A. Garfield. That
affidavit was not full enough. Hepre-
pared additional interrogatories to be
propounded to her, and she answered
those interrOgatOries, and in her testi-
mony before this same committee she
afterwards herself swore that there
was no truth in the statement given in
response to Garfeld's interrOgatories.
Goverdor Cox, of Ohio, who is a Re
publican, Amy Mitchell said-she re-
peated her direct testimony-that ev-
cry statement contained in the affida-
Wit was false; that she did not say any
thing because she knew it, but said
what they told her to say. Her tesri-
mOny also showed that she had been
trained in the Custom House to testify
before the committee. l 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
interrOgatories after he had an inter.
view with that colored woman, when
there was no person besides themselves
present, and the same woman comes
before the committee of Congress, not
in an inner room, not when the light
of Gods day is shut Oft, but she comes
before the committee of Democrats and
Republicans, and III that testimony
given under oath and under the test OF
cross examination by the Republican
members of the committee, she says
there was not word of truth in the
testimony which she gave in answer
to Garfield's questions. (Applause)
The next purpose, gentlemen, l have
in my mind is to ask why did Garfield
spend eighteen days in the inner loom
in the Custom House? Why did he
have private interviews with the col
ored and white people whose testimO-
ny was to be taken to be used before
the Returning Board? and why did he
prepare interrogatories for the wit
nesses? 1 will answer it in his own
words: ....F .i-1- 4It.-
%. But don't you understand that
in the cases where you suggested that
interrogatories should be prepared in-
stead of the evidence they were to go
before the Returning Board A. Yes,
SIR t.--..
"And when his work of taking the
his attention to the preparation of a
brief. A brief, as you all know, is a
lawyers argument in writing. l will
show you what he says upon that sub
ject, on page 791 of The report.
@. Was this brief furnished to
the Returning Board: A. No, sir.
That brief was never furnished to any
body but the President of the United
States. In fact, a considerable portion
of the brief WAS written on the cars on
my way to Washington"
Written after you left New Or
leans? n. \ considerable portion OF
it, / had written a summary of the
evidence before that, but considers
bic portion of the brief was written in
pencil on the ears after / left New Or
leans on my way IlOnle.
" You see he completes the evidence.
He is the only man that prepares it for
West teliciana after the evidence had
been turned over to him, and when he
had done that work on his way from
New Orleans to Washington he pre-.
pares All argument in the case. L wish
to connect directly this transaction
with the duties of the man who takes
a solemn oath to deal fairly. 1t is your
duty as a member of the commission
to deal fairly. The next question is,
what did Garfield know in regard to
louisiana? That we find on page sos.
L say he knew that Louisiana was
Democratic by 5000 majority when he
sat in that inner room and had private
conversation with witnesses and pre-
pared interrogatories to guide and con-
troll their testimony, when he was at
that work and when he was writing a
brief to make it appear the other way
he knew that Louisiana had cast a
Democratic majority of s, 900, and here
is his sworn testimony on that sub.
ject: ".f ..Ha .-tfil
did you get any idea of how the
vote of Louisiana stood from the face
of the returns A. L had all those
ideas that could be got from the news
papers anu Iuc lestucIS VI tilo OiueTeuG
parties. We had, of course, full in
of that sort" .i-. .....
80. Presuming that there We're not
some parishes to be thrown out by the
Board, it was very clear
that the State had gone for Nichols
and Tilden, was it not? A. 1t was
very well understood by the time we
got there, and indeed, before 1 got
there, that if nothing but the face of
the returns was to be considered, aud
if every vote sent up was to be treated
as legal vote, Mr.. Tilden was ahead"
%. And if every vote sent up was
a legal vote, and some more Republic
can votes were not found, it was very
clear that the State had gone for Mich
oils and Tilden A. Yes" . -...
There is your man, Republicans,
that you propose to place in the chair
that Washington occupied. "a voice,
- No, never.") 1t will never be done.
No man with record like that ever
did take the chair, and in the kind
of an etarpal God III will