Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1880-08-25
THE AluEs a11EDIoAroN.o


| THE AMES "I,INDICATION."
In some of the forthcoming biogra.
phies OF Gen. Garfield, the authors
presume to give an authoritative ac-
count of his relations with the Credit
Mobilier business, and are very severe,
in his behalf, upon the character of
the late Oakes Ames, between whom
and Garfield it will be remembered
there was very decided issue of vcrac-
ity in their testimony before the Credit
Mobilier Investigating Committee.
That issne was determined against
Garfield by the Committee controlled
by majority of his party friends and
headed by the notorious Judge Poland.
For after Garfield had solmnly sworn
that he "never owned received, or
agreed to receive any stock Of the
Credit Mobilier or of the Union Pacific
Railroad, nor any dividends or profits
arising from either of them" the Com
mittee deliberately found and reported
to the contrary in these burning words
"The facts IN regard to Mr.. Garfield,
as found by the Committee, are that
he agreed with Mr.. Ames to take ten
shares OF Credit Mobilier stock, but
did not pay for the same. MIR. Ames
received the eighty per cent dividend
in bonds and sold them for ninety per
cent, and also received the sixty per
cent. cash dividend, which, together
with the prise of the stock and inter
est, left balance of 1929 This sum
was paid over to Mr.. Garfield by a
check on the ScrgeantatArms, and
Mr.. Garfield then understood this sum
tCaS the baianceof diUideHdS after paying
| for the stock"
1t is not enough therefore for Gar
fields biographers, in their attempts
to give him a clean bill OF health, to
ignore this finding, to omit the most
important parts Of the testimony be-
fore the Committee and by other garb.
lings of official records to eudeavor to
whitowash his Congressional record.
They must needs go further and villify
Ames, in order to break the force of
his testimony, which they say is all
that makes out case against Garfield,
so vividly presented by his partisan
friends on the Poland Committee.
Consequently in one of the Garfield
campaign biographies Amesis describ.
ed as n "raseallv Yankee blacksmith. -
who not only organized magnificent
scheme Of plunder, but set about in a
most vllainous way to entrap guileless
members of Congress like Garfield into
partnership in his rascality.
1t is very natural that Oakes Ames'
sons, who revere the memory of their
father with flial affection, should be
stung by these post-mortem reflections
upon him into an attempt at his de-
fense which is not calculated to spare
his Republican detractors. who were
partners in his enterprise. They have
published lengthy appeal to the
American people irrespective OF party
to reconsider the popular judgment of
Oakes Ames and his Credit Mobilier
scheme, and to believe that it was q
legitimate business enterprise, which
justly brought no disgrace upon any.
body connected with it except the
panic stricken individuals who fearing
the popular clamor lied about their re.
lations to it.
In explanation and defense of their
fathers endowment of members OF
Congress with this stock, these young
men present the following reasons
which in their opinion "preclude the
possibility of a corrupt intent by
either party the transfers of the stock
were madel: /. As a sale not as a gift.
2. At the same price (par and accrued
INTEREST," which il cost himself and all
the original holders. 3. At time
when no legislation was wanted, and
with an express assurance that none
would be wanted 4. To known and
tried friends OF the enterprise, 5. To
men whose regulations were worth
more than money, 6. In sums so
small as to offer no temptation"
1t will be readily seen that the first
and second reasons are no reasons at
all, sncc the stock in question was so
rich that its dividends alone very soon
paid for it; as to the third, it is true,
no legislation was wanted, but correct
i've legislation was feared, and to avoid
this there was every inducement to
bribe members OF Congress in 1868
4 Oakes Ames himself wrote to Colonel
McComb, in regard TO the shares dis.
tributcd to Garfield and others awe
want more friends in this Congress,
and if man will look into the law
(and it is difficult to get them to do it
unless they hare interest TO do so) he
cannot help being convinced that we
should not be intericred with !" the re.
naming reasons are not very substan.
tial, and the undisputed facts brought
out in the investigation dissipate them
1t is not likely that the country can
+ be led to take such favorable view
of Ames' conduct as his family would
naturally desire but il must be ad
mitted that Garfield and his associates
who had taken the stock would have
done much better to present some such
view of their conduct than to have
quivocatcd as they did about il when
they say the tide of adverse popular
criticism set in against them. 1t was
their evasion, their perjury, their art
ful dodging and the pitiful exposure OF
IL all that ruined them. The younger
Ames say that when the litigation
with its exposure came "most Of the
Congressman TO whom Mr.. Ames had
agreed to sell shares became alarmed
Some returned their stock and got back
their money with interest some de-
clined il, and some aftert0ards denied
that hey euer agreed 10 take Il.
A political Bull Run ensued. Under
the influence Of panic brave men be
came towards, truthful men prevari
Gated, honest men acted like convicted
pick.pockets, while the meanest mer
in Congress assumed airs of pharisaica
} superiority"
I This is certainly the truth. Take
whatever view Of the Credit Mobilie
we may and of Oakes Ames' part in il
the conduct which his sons ascribe Il
his benifcaries il fits Garfield
closest Of all-was cowardly and dis
graceful. Then they became rascal
, if they had not been before and nov
, they should be the last of all to heal
new dignities upon the man whom they
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