Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-01-23
SENATOR GARFIELD.

AT the reception given to Genera
Garfield at Columbus on the night o.
the nth, that gentleman spoke as fol
lows:
| FELLOW CITIZENS: I should be a grea
deal more than man, or great deal lesl
| than man, II were not extrt mely gratihet
| by this mark OF your kindness you have showI
me in recent days. | did not expect any sucf
meetingas this. | knew there was greet
ing awaiting me, hut did not expect SO cordial
| generous and general greeting, without dis
tinction OF party, without distinction OF In.
! terests, as have received here tonight And
| you will allow me, In moment or two, &c
speak of the memories this Chamber awakens
| Twenty years ago this last week first en-
| tered this Chamber and entered upon the du.
! ties of public life, in which | have been every
hour since that time, in some capacity OF
other. ] left this Chamber eighteen years ago
| and believe have never entered IL since
that time. But the place is familiar, though
1t was peopled not with the faces that see
before me here tonight alone, but with the
faces Of hundreds Of people that l knew here
| twenty years ago, large number OF whom
| are gone from earth.
| IL was here In this Chamber that the word
was first brought of the firing on Fort Sum-
ter. l remember distinctly gentleman from
Lancaster, the late Senator Schleigh-General
Schleigh, who died not very long ago-I re-
member distinctly as he came down this aisle
with all the look Of anxiety and agony In his
face, informing us that the guns had opened
upon Sumter. | remember that one week
after that time, on the motion of leading
Democratic Senator who occupied seat not
far from that position (pointing to the Dem
ocrattc side OF the Chamber), that we sur
rendered this Chamber to several companies
of soldiers, who had come to Columbus to
tender their services to the imperlled
Government. They slept on this carpet and
on these gOfQg and uuartprpd for two n three
nights in this Chamber while waiting for 9th
er quarters outside of the Capitol.
All the early scenes Of the war are asso-
ciated with this place in my mind. Here we're
the musterings-here were the center, the
nerve center, OF anxiety aud agony. Here over
$4,000 Ohio citizens rendered their services
in the course of three weeks to the imperiled
Nation. Here, where we had been lighting
our political battles with sharp and severe
partisanship, there disappeared almost as II
by magic, all party lines; and from both sides
OF the Chamber men went out to take their
places on the field of battle. l can see now,
as look out over the various seats where sat
men who afterward became distinguished in
the service in high rank, and nobly served
their constituency and honored themselves.
We now come to this place, while so
many are gone; but We meet here tonight
with the war SO far back in the distance that
1t is an almost half-foTgotten memory. We
meet here tonight with a nation redeemed.
We meet here tonight under the flag we
fought for. We meet with glorious, great
and growing Republic, made greater and more
glorious by the sacrifices through which the
country has passed. And coming here as do
tonight brings the two ends OF twenty years
together, with all the visions of the terrible
and glorious, the touching and cheerful, that
have occurred during that time.
L came here, fellOw-citiZens, to thank this
General Assembly for their great act of con.
1dence and compliment to me. l do not un-
dervalue the great Office that You have ten
dered to me yesterday and today but say,
without, l think, any mental reservation, that
the manner in which 1t was rendered to me is
tar higher to me, far more admirable, than
the thing ITSELF That 1t has been a voluntary
gift of the General Assembly of Ohio, without
solicitation, rendered to me because of their
confidence, is as touching and high a tribute
as one man can receive from his fellow citi-
zens, and in the name of all my friends, for
myself, give you my thanks.
recognize the Importance of the place to
which YOU have elected me; and should be
base If did not also recognize the great man
whom you have elected me to succeed. l say
for him, Ohio has had few larger minded,
broader minded men in the records of our his
tory than that of Allen g. Thurman. Ap-
plause. Differing widely from him, as l nave
done IN politics and do, | recognize him as a
man high in character and great In intellect,
and take this occasion to refer to what have
never before referred to in public-that many
years ago, in the storm of party fighting,
when the air was filed with all sorts of mis-
siles aimed at the character ard reputation OF
public men, when 1t was even for his party
interest to join the general clamOr against me
and my associates, Senator Thurman said in
public, in the campaign, on the stump-when
men are as likely to say unkind things as at
any place in the world-a most generous and
earnest word of defense and kindness for me,
which l shall never forget so long as | live
Applause. say, moreover, that the iow-
ers that bloom over the garden wall of party
politics are the sweetest and most fragrant
that bloom in the gardens of this world Tap
plausel and where we can fairly pluck them
and enjoy their fragrance, 1t is manly and de.
lightful to do so.
And now, gentlemen Of the General Assem-
bly,, without distinction of party, | recognize
this tribute and compliment made TO me to-
night. Whatever my own course may be in
the future, large share of the inspiration of
my future public life will be drawn from this
occasion and these surroundings, and shall
feel anew the sense Of obligation that feel
to the State of Ohio. Let me venture to
point single sentence In regard to that work.
During the twenty years that have been In
public life, almost eighteen of it in the
Congress Of the United States, | have tried
TO 90 one thing Whether | was mis-
taken or otherwise, 1t has been the plan of my
life to follow my conviction, at whatever per-
eOudl SObJ W sclls nave ItpTtb6ubeu, IOT
many years district In Congress whose ap-
probation | greatly desired; but though it
may seem, perhaps, little egotistical to say
1t, yet desired still more the appreciation Of
one person, and bis name was Garfield.
Laughter and applause. He is the only
man that / am compelled to sleep with
llaughterl, and eat with, and live with, and
die with; and If could not have his appro-
baton, / should have bad companionship.
Renewed laughter and applause. And in
this larger constituency which has called me
to represent them now, | can only do what
is true to my best self, applying the same
rule. And If [ should be so unfortunate as
TO lose the confidence of this larger constitu-
encY, | must do what every other fair minded
man has to do-carry bis political life in his
hand and take the consequences. But must
follow what seems to me to be the only safe
rule of my life; and with that view OF the
case, and with that much personal reference,
leave that subject.
Thanking you again, fellow citizens, mem
bers of the General Assembly, Republicans
and Democrats-all, party man as l am
thanking you both for what you have done
and for this cordial and manly greeting, bid
you good night. Long continued applause.