Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1880-09-22
GARFIELD AND TIE iNDE-
PENDENT.

The New York Independent in its
pious politioo.religious zeal declares
that "all tho efforts of partisan Demo
Gratis, made because General Garfield
has been nominated for President, to
shake or impair bis position, are sim
ply futile. Their campaign stories
amount to simply nothing with Re
publicans. We do not believe there
are ten Republicans 10 the land whose
votes will be affected in the slightest
degree by these petty scandals" We
fear that in the above the Independent
temporarily threw ollits religious char
acter and was writing as "a partisan
Republican" Two Of these petty scan
dals are Garfeld's connection with
Credit Mobiier aud De Golyer. Ol
the former scandal the Independent SAID
in 1874: ave cannot forget that Gar
field was more deeply involved in the
sad Credit Mobilier difficulty than any
other member Of the House of Repre-
sentatives, excepting, of course, Amef
and Brooks" This was said in intro
ducing the scandal of the De Golyel
revelation which the Independent tell'
thus:
But the testimony taken in the Investigation
of the District Of Columbia frauds shows that Mr.
Garfield received 81, 600 for his aid in getting
through paving contract accepted by the Dis
triot Government And Mr.. Parsons, notorious
jobber, made an argument for the paving com.
pany, and then got Mr.. Garfield to make a fur.
| Their argument and to use his personal influence
| 10 It's favor. OF course Mr.. Garfeds argument
was successful. How could It be othcrwise2 H'
was Chairman Of the Committee on Appropria
tons. Every cent Of money voted to the District
had to come through him. Shepherd could not
afford to refuse him anything he asked and Mr.
Garfield knew II when be asked and received fol
| his services a Zee which would have been extrav-
agant bu, for his official position. For $1,000 h'
was willing to use his position as guardian Of th,
Treasury Of the Nation to make the District Gov
ernment award profitable contract, As far Al
most men can see, 50 900 was an eNtrayagau
price for any service which Mr.. Garfield could
render that did not depend on his official posi-
tion and, IL we can judge, the breaking away o
| the Williamsburg dam no more clearly indicated
the worthlessnoss Of It's construction than does
such an act as this, thus far unexplained, tn
giving way Of the moral foundations Of man
character.
When this was written in 1874 th,
official facts of Garfeld's connection
with the De Golyer scandal were fresl
before the public. The pious journ"'
ist had no motive or reason TO
down or aggravato the moral
of this picture Of representa-
the people selling his official po.
for $4,000 under the thin covering
legal fee. lie tolls the story OF Ga.
fields shame right on as it was pre-
sented in the report OF the Committe,
of Congress His mind naturally re
vcrts to Garfeld's former record, ant
it recalls the fact that be was "mor,
deeply involved in the sad Credit Mo
bilier difficulty than any other mem
bor of the House of Representative
excepting, OF course, Amesand Brooks.
In this De Golyer revelation the edito
Of the Independent secs "the givinl
away of the moral foundations Of Gar
fields character"
By n sudden and surprising turn o
political events the man who was a
deeply involved as Ames and Brook
in Credit Mobilier and the mora
foundations of whose character hat
given away IN the De Golyer transac
ton, is the candidate of o great party
for President. II is the party to whicl
the editor Of the Independent and
large portion Of its readers belong, ant
it becomes necessary that editor AM
readers alike should forget what tina
eminently religious journalist said o
Garfield six years ago. Not only is /
all taken back but partisan Demo
Gratis" are reproached for circulating
the extracts from the Independent q
"petty scandals" If such they b
how deeply responsible is the IndC
pendent for having sown the seeds 0
distrust of this good man among it
pious readers. But If Garfield did no
happen to be the candidate OF the par
ty to which that newspaper belong
now there is reason to believe that tn
former outlines which it gave of hi
character and conduct would be black
ened and deepened Its course show
how hard master party is to the re
ligious as well as the secular organ
Harrisburg Patriot