Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1880-06-23
THAT CREDIT MOBILIER.
GENERAL GARFIELD INDICATED b
JUDGE JEREMIAH S. BLACK.

GENERAL GARFIELD INDICATED BY
JUDGE JEREMIAH S. BLACK.
In an elaborate review by the Phil
adeIphia Press of the 18th inst, of the
alleged connection of Gen. Garfield
with the Credit Mobilier Company,
the following passage and letter are
found The letter being from Hon.
Jeremiah S. Black, one of the leading
Democrats of the country, we presume
will be conclusive with all fair minded
Democrats, as we'll as all others, that
the. charge against Gen. Garfield is
wholly without foundation
THE REAL CHARACTER DEVELOPED.
From the witness in the case it
seems that it was not until the winter
of 1869 10 that Gen. Garfield received
an intimation of the real nature of the
connection between the Credit Mobi-
lier and the Pacific Railroad Company.
In the course of a private conversation
with the Hon jeremiah S. Black Of
this State, finding that he was familiar
with the enterprise, Gen. Garfield told
him of the offer made him. Judge
Black then expressed the opinion that
the managers of the Credit Mobiller
were attempting to defraud the Pacific
Railroad Company, and informed him
that Mr.. Ames was pretending to have
sold stock to members of Congress for
the purpose of influencing their action
in any legislation that might arise on
the subject. Gen. Garfeld's action at
that time is best explained in the fol-
lowing letter from Judge Black to the
Hon. James G. Blaine, then Speaker of
the House, which of itself should be
thorough vindieation, if any was
| needed. of Gen. Garfield:
LETTER Or JUDGE BLACK.
PHILADELPHIA, February 15. 1873.
Hoa. j. G.. Blaiae, Speaker of the House Of Rep
resentdtiges.
| Ny DEAF SIR: From The beginning Of the m
| rGssfcdtfyn c0QceTRiag JIr. Amcs' use Of the
| credit Hobitier, I beliered that Gen. Garfield
,oss free from all gsaty connection lciH that
business ThiRcDinioa 5CdS tVssadet moi DereiS an
my confidence in his Integrity b,0 or some spec
| iT k,owlelge Of his case may have told you
| all about 1t IN conVefSau0n out ueslFe NOW u
repeat it by way OF reminder.
| | assert unhesitatngly that, whatever Gen.
| Garfield nay have done or forborne to DO, he
acted in profound Ignorance Of the nature and
| character of the thing which Mr.. Ames was pro-
posing to sell. He had not the slightest suspc-
| ion that he was to be taken into ring organ
| lied for the purpose of detraTding the public,
nor did he know that the stock was in any man.
| ner connected with anything which came, or
could come, within the legislative jurisdiction
| of Congress The case against him lacks the
sciesater which alone constitutes guilt
In the winter of 1S69-70 told QoG, Garfield
| of the fact that his name was on Ames list F..
that Ames charged him with being one of his
| distributes; explained to him the character,
origin and objects of the Credit Mobilier; point
| ed out the connection it had with Congressional
| legislation, and showed him how impossible it
was for member of Congress to hold stock in
! it without bringing his private interests in con-
| fiet With his ngblic duty. That all this was to
| him perfectly new revelation ! anl as sure as
| | can be of such fact, or of any fact which Is
| capable of being proved only by moral clrcun-
| stances. He told me then the whole story of
| Trains Offer to him and Ames' subsequent So
| iicitation and his own action in the premises,
| much as he details it to the committee. do net
| undertake to reproduce the conversation, but
the effect of j, al! s-as to e3pyince me thorough
! ly that when he listened to Ames lac gls per-
fectly unconscious of any thing evil. watched
| carefully every word that fell from hlm on TINS
point and did not regard his narrative of the
transaction in other respects with much inter-
! est because in my view everything else was
| insianifca.t did not care whether he had
made ba gain technical. binding qr not /; his
integrity depended upon the question whether
he acted with his eyes open. If he had known
| the true character of the proposition made to
him he would not have endured it, much less
embraced it.
Now, couple this with Mr.. Ames' admission
thai he gave no explanation whatever Of the
matter to Gen. aarbeld, ti.en sefeet that not a
particle of proof exists to show that he learned
anything about it previous to his conversation
| with me- and L think you will say that it is al
together unjust to put him on the list of those
who knowingly and wllfully joined the fraud
ulent association i'll question.
| = RI AC,k