Litchfield enquirer., 1880-06-17
James A. Garfield.

JS111GS A. OdlACAO
 MT. Garfield is but forty-nine years old yet he has long been not only well known but emi- nent in American politics. Part of his repu- tatlon Mr. Garfield no doubt owes to his good fortune in continuously holding seat in that branch of our Congress whose personnel most frequently changes, for nine successive, two years terms Still, although promotion goes to a large extent by seniority, in Congress as we'll as in the army, MT. Garfield has per sonal reputation much more valuable than comes merely from years of service or even from years of prominence in the service. He holds the position of an eloquent, fair mind- ed, fair dealing, clear headed representative, the scholar and the thinker rather than the pushing politician. In short we scarcely know half dozen men in Congress, of anything like Mr. Garfeld's prominence, who areso much of the statesman and so little of the ''boss."
 MT. Garfield is one of our self-made men, if any college graduate can lay claim to that distinction For short time after leaving college, Mir. Garfield was the principal of a school, and, being Cambellite, was also a preacher. His public career began with an election to the Ohio Senate in 1859 Since that time he has been continually before the public in one or another capacity. After serving twoterms in the Senate, he went out early in the summer of 1861 as colonel of the 42d Ohio regiment, and rose to the rank of maj jor- general of volunteers by real merit shown in the field. His last battle was Chickamauga, where he was Rosecrans' chief of staff, where he had a horse shot under him, and where he rendered very essential service towards saving the Union army from destruction after the defeat of it's left and center.
 In the fall election of 1862 he had been chosen to congress from the 18th Compression al District of Ohio, embracing portion of it's territory which was once part of this State j; which is now known as the Western Re- serve, but which was formerly called "New Connecticut" This district casts about twice as many Republican as Democratic votes, and has never failed to return MT. Garfield on each of the nine elections that have been held there slnce the breaking out of the war. His ma- ::ority has generally been some ten thousand and only once ran as low as three thousand, and that when an Independent Republican was in the field.
 Of Gen. Garfeld's congressional career we could not venture to speak adequately in such brief space as a newspaper editorial permits. For more than half his period of service he has held chairmanships of important commit tees, or has held an almost equally responsible position as one of the recognized leaders of the minority. His votes have been on the whole satisfactory, and he has done much towards sustaining the character of his party at times when the unprincpled sefshness of more ambitious leaders has brought it to the verge of ruin. At the last session of the Ohio legislature, Gen. Garfield was chosen U S. Senator to succeed MT. Thurman.
 To say that his spolitical career has been with out spot or blemish is untrue. Some damage has been done his reputation by his connection with two scandals. of which the fairest state- ment we have seen is from the Springfield Republican, now his firm though independent supporter:
 There are two blemishes on Gen. Garields career,-the Credit Mobilier scandal and the DeGolyer scandal. His name was on Oakes Ames's paper, as one to whom stock in the Credit Mobilier had been distributed,- 10 shares. He did not pay for it, but Oakes Ames kept the dividends till they paid for the stock, and then paid Garfield $329 by check on the sergeant at-arms. Whether he ever said anything to Garfield till the stock had paid for itself is not known nor does it appear that he ever paid anything more to Garfield than the sum above named, or delivered the stock at all. Garfield authorized the state- ment that he ''never subscribed for share of the stock and that he never received or saw share of it," which was strictly true probably. But with equal probability he did receive the dividend as above. It will not be claimed that he was bribed The De Golyer matter is on the whole graver. De Golyer was the proprietor of patent wood pavement which he wanted to lay by contract in Washington in the era of Boss Shepherds ring rule Gen. Garfield was chairman of the committee on appropriations Tn the House, through which the money must be secured for this purpose A lobbyist or agent named Chittenden took the description of the model to Garfield for examination and approval and offered to share his own fee with him. He claims to have
 
 Supposed to be $5090) to Garfields credit in bank. Chitenden made this arrangement by his own confession to secure Garfield" and in fact got his approval of the patent and his favorable report on the appropriations asked for by Shepherd. Whether Garfield was in- attentive to the double nature of his position or whatever may be the explanation, this epi. sode certainly detracts from Career other wise Of singular purity. His career is not succession of jobberies like that of one of the defeated candidates, and it will be difficult to persuade men who know him, even those of opposite politics, that he was really corrupted. That he was smirched testifes to the tempta. tioHs which beset the republican leaders dur ing the worst era of Grantism, an era happily never to return, at least under the same influ- ence.
 ln his testimony before the committee, Mir. Garheld denied having received any Credit Mobilier dividends though he admitted having once borrowed $500 of Ames which he said he repaid him. Ames had Garfield charged with $329 Credit Mobilier dividends, and de- nied the loan. His testimony is very cir cumstantial and very plausible, and was be- lieved by the committee; but the question is, Tn the main, one of veracity.
 We do not see MT. Garfield classed by any candid Democratic paper among the congress sional jobbers whose villaines are seldom brought to light They of course make the most they can of the blots they find on his rep uta:ion, but they dc not, even now set him down as a corrupt man. Mir Garfield may justly plead the corrup ton of the times as an excuse for doing occasionally what he saw so many others do ing constantly. This is not a pure age, and while we regret the imputations under which the Republican candidate labors, we are hearti- ly glad his general reputation is not of a piece with these Credit Mobilier and De Golyer complications.
 The selection of Arthur as Vice President