The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1880-08-17
From the New York Sun, Aug. 5th.
GARFIELD AND THE DE COL
YER JOB.
The Facts as Established in the'Cir-
cult Court of Cook County, I1ll-
nOiS.

nOtS.
CHlcAGo. August 2.-Arriving from
st Louis on Saturday, l went to the
Clerks office OF the Circuit Court for
the purpose OF examining the records
and papers in the celeb sled Chitlenden,
DeGulyer & Co contract suit, and be-
lievlng that the numerous readers of
your excellent paper would like to know
the facts as disclosed bv the evidence,
| give them as they appear from the
papers and records in the case. The
style of the case is Geo. R. Chiitenden
[agt Robert Mcclellan ct al, No u,
tISl. Circuit Court, Cook County, I'll.
On the 10Th day of June. 1854, Emory
A Storrs filed declara,i N IN writing
In said court. asking for 800, ,000 against
DE Golyer & Co., as Chitlenden's share
OF the profits arising out Of the contract
which De GoIver & Co., had with the
Board of Public Works of the city of
Washington. De GoIyer & Co. employ
ed ex Senator Doolittle as their attorney.
Doolittle filed an answer in the case,
setting up as defense: Ist That the
contract was void upon its face. I'd
That the contract was void as against
public policy, because of the IS 900
paid James A. Garfield, a member of
Congress, for his influence as a Con-
Feressman in getting the Board of Public
Works at Washington to give De GIL
yer & Co the contract. On the 10th of
June, 1875, an order was made by the
Court upon Storrs 10 reply or demur to
the answer. Storrs deinurred; full hear
! ing was had upon the demurrer, and the
Judge fFatwell,sa a Republican,, after a
careful consideration of the case, over
ruled the demurrer. From this deci-
sion NO appeal was taken, and Storrs did
not reply TO the answer. Judgement
was entered up in favor of the deten-
dants, and the case, as appears from the
record, was finally dismissed on the 11th
day Of May, 1875, for want of prosecu-
ton. '-
This places Mr.. Garfield in a court
Of record in the position Of having re-.
ceived $4,000 as member OF Congress
and Chairman of the Committee of Ap-
preparations in the House OF Represen.
tatives, for his influence in securing the
D.Golyer pavement contract job.
The declaration states that the profits
to DeGolver q Co. were 100000; that
they got S3 so per square yard for the
pavement, and that it only cost them
81 SO per yard.
The answer positively AYERS that Gar
field got the IS 900 for his influence as
member Of Congress. The demurrer
admits that fact. Judge Farwell held
that that fact made the contract illegal
and void.
How. then, can Mr.. Garfield escape
the record in this casep His biography,
which he is now experimenting, may
try to explain it away, but the facts re-
main the same. .~
Emory A Storrs, who was the attor.
ney of Babcock, the whiskey ring hero,
and who is now delivering paid speeches
for Garfield, has got the papers out of
court here and carried them off or locked
them up in vault. l asked for the origi-
nal files at his Office, but his man in
charge of the Office told me he had gone
off to be absent until the 1st OF Septem-
Der, and bad given special instructions
not to open the vault. A certified copy
OF the pleadings in that case would
make a powerful campaign document
against Garfield. Storrs knows that,
and thinks he will keep them out Of the
way. but Senator Doolittle has copies
aud our Republican friends can see them
at any time by calling at his office, 154
Dearbon street, Chicago,
Ssia.' = w. H. H. RUSSELL.