The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-12-04

I
put down II, the date of his marriage, IN such
manner the unit of the II was under the |
of the 10. Under this he put 2, the date OF
his election, so that the . was Immediately un.
| der the lethand figure of the II. Arranged
in this way, the figures foot up 399, thus
Born. ,............,,..NoV ~
Married. .......,......,.,,., NOV. II
Elected President. ........ .......Nov.
| Result. ....... OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 329
That Gen. Garfield was guilty in the credit
mobiler affair, a transaction peculiarly repre-
scented by the figures 800, is as susceptible of
demonstration as the fact of his existence.
That he did accept ten shares of the stock of
Cakes Ames and receive 1920 as dividends on
that stock was as clearly proved as any fact
can he established by human evidence; and
that he perjured himself by denying that he
had ever owned such stock or received a pen
ny as dividend or profit from il in any form Is
also beyond shadow of doubt
These cardinal facts being settled, it was al
ways regarded as rather creditable to Garfield
than otherwise, that, when he found exposure
to be inevitable, he showed the utmost pertur
baton of mind and the intensest anxiety to es
cape the political ruin which he no doubt then
honestly mourned as certain consequence of
this his first lapse from virtue. In his agony
he went for advice to Judge Black, an astute
lawyer of vast experience and friend in
whose fidelity he had unlimited confidence
Judge Black gave him the counsel of lawyer
and friend. He urged him to admit the fact
Of the transaction, which IN his intercourse
with trusted friends Gen. Garfield never
thought of denying, and to put his defence on
the most advantageous ground-the plea that
a corrupt motive was wanting. This was a.
lduyers advice. At the same time Gen. Gar
field had another fast personal friend-Don
Piatt-who we may suppose, not being law
yer, looked at his case from an emotional rath.
er than intellectual point of view. What ad.
vice Don gave him we are not informed, but
in recent very singular letter he addresses to-
Gen. Garfield he bears full testimony to his
distressed state Of mind, and reminds him of
fied's) life, life itself seemed SO horrible that
an escape from 1t was to you a temptation"
In plain English his conscious guilt, newt
able exposure, and no escape from an open
confession save by swearing falsely in the
name of God, presented such narrowing al.
Tentative that he seriously contemplated sui
eide as preferable way of escape
From that point of deep and "hopeful con
the phraseology of Mr.. Garfeld's
chosen religious sect-his speedy and entire
surrender to the "evil one" as disclosed by his
subsequent career in an exceedingly melan.
choly and painful record. He secuted the adj
vice of his friend Judge Black and took the
dreadful oath, blackenlng his soul with per,
jury. How his whole moral stamina was
broken up by this act was shown when the De
Golyer investigation confronted him, Never
was the hardening and utterly dcmoralizlngI
effect Of one great SIN more painfully shown
than by the nonchaancc with which Garfield
could forswear himself when called upon this
second time to take the stand and defend his
reputation and make another desperate strug
gle for political existence.
But the hardening process IN Mr.. Garfeld's
case has gone still further. He has not only
got over all his mental agony and contritlon
he has not only passed beyond even the feel
ing of shame for his moral degradation, but
he can glory in ii ave confess" says the St
Louis Republican, referring to the above Incl
dent at gainesville, nothing from the Chlca
go convention until now has surprised us as
much as this incident; nothing Mr.. Garfield
has ever done, or been accused of dong, has
given us such an unfavorabe opinion of the
man. A sneak thief who had stolen
$500 and escaped punishment through a legal
loop.hoIe might regard these figures with
a public man convicted by his own party of
perjury concerning a transaction pecuniarly
by $500 feels himself SO thorough
ly indicated by presidential election that he
is able to regard these figures with pride, and
actually write them down In the presence of
ladies and gentleman--well,w what can be said
of him?
1--WE can and will say this That if Mr.
Garfield Is as shameless IN the executive chair
as he showed himself to be in the Lake Erie
Female Seminary the country will have no
very great cause to rejoice over the defeat of
the third term"
The Rev. Stephen II. Tying of New York,
noted as a leader in the slow church" section
the Episcopal church, edited his congrega
ton last Sunday by discourse on Miracles
in which they were not little surprised to
find him expressing full faith in the miracu.
lous cures claimed to be nerformed at LOurdesl