The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-10-21

be counted in by fraud. He admitted
that he was-said so. Then, when he
went into office, that great reform in
the civil service which Gen. Grant had been un-
about, and he accomplished it right of. He
issued his executive order No. l. and he re-
quired every Federal offlceholder to abstain
from politics. He prohibited any such thing as
assessments for political purposes upon the
poor, hard-worked, and poorly-paid clerks in
Washington. How did he carry it out? How
did he perform? He hardly got into his Office
with this cry that he would not take anything
that came by fraud, when he sent few of the
statesmen OF this country to Louisiana, and
they computed that curious arithretical problem
by which Packard, who had ], 900 more votes than
Hayes electors, was defeated, while Hayes was
elected Then, in order to further perfect the
reform in the civil service, to make it pure in
all its details and branches as it was at the
fountain-head, he appointed to office every one,
almost, from the engineer down to the lowest
handicraftsman in that villainy by which he
was put in, and he charged upon the people Of
this country for the payment of their salaries m
expense, as was shown by one Of the Senators
in Congress, of over $236,OOO year. He did
not hesitate to nominate these men for judicial
positions.
Next, for grand specimen of results, he re-
moved Mr.. Arthur from the Office Of Collector
of the Port of New York. He said that he re-
moved him in order that that Office might be
honestly administered, but Mr.. Sherman said,
so it is reported, when asked at Cincinnati the
other night to explain that, that he was not
removed for dishonesty, but for incompetency:
and 30 Mr.. Sherman stood there on that
platform advocating Mr.. Hayes civil-service
reform by contending that the man who was
not competent to be Collector of the Port of
New York was fit to be Vice President of
the United States. And fnally-and now am
making pitiful appeal for bleeding human
ity-look at those poor clerks in Washington,
Ot,a hf1fv \, fvrO
assessments, so that only day or two ago
when they came for their monthly pay, they
could not rel Jice together over the news from
Maine because they had to pay for it. And,
when their pocket-books arc fairly stamped, they
are now informed that their bleeding carcasses
are to be stretched again upon tho altar of their
country in order to carry Indiana This is civil
service reform 1t is. simply hypocrisy. 1t ID
the language of the gods In preaching about
Government affairs but it is carrying into
practice what that follow called "the other
chap" would do.
Well, now for Mr.. GARFIELD word or two. 1
have already said that he is a man of unques-
tionable and conspicuous ability. There Is no
need to say that-everybody knows it. Mr..
Garfield is unquestionably man of great brains
the more he has, sometimes, the worse for
him. He has manifested, however, this great de-
feet of character He has shown that with oil
his knowledge, with all his intelligence, with all
his clear perceptions and splendid enunciatlons
right course as against his party, or great
temptation he has manifested want of sta
bility and firmness Of character, and of all tho
elements that are necessary to make man great
and safe in the Presidential chair, that is the
first, in my judgment, or at least, II it be not
the first, it is that which can not be dispensed
with under any circumstances. We want
man in the Presidential chair who can
stand up as jackson did, against his own party.
And the first great evidence of that weakness
<,F roa orfa hoa ,or,ifa fnh
now been laid perfectly bare by the searching
criticism of Mr.. Hendricks upon Mr.. Gar6eld's
own evidence 1t was manifested in his action
in repect to the Electoral Commission, and
the frauds by which that commission was made
necessary to preserve the peace OF this country.
He went to New Orleans and there he dabbled
with those witnesses. Now, what he did, as
has been established, in an inner room.
No person observed him but himself and those
with whom he dealt but one of those wit
nesses, whose testimony he admits he extracted
and multiplied, as you might say, by his in
| genious lnterrogatores, has come forward
! since 10 swear that every word she testified to
| was false. Whether it was or not who
| acter as that must have been known
| to somebody when they introduced
her as a proper person to tell the story about
| the manner in which the votes were cast i'll the
| parish of West Feliciana. 1t is but an ilustra-
| tion. All the witnesses that concerned that
| district of country were guided, and their tes-
timony extracted by Mr. Garfield. He had his
hands in it as a lawyer, if lawyer could possi-
bly, have anything to do with such dirty bust
ness as that. and after he had participated in it
In that way, he went upon the court that was to
| try the case. Now, undertake to say that If a
| LAWYER anywhere in the Northern or Southern
| States, any member OF that honorable profess
sion, should first be party to a suit, or be en-
gagged for one Of the parties to a suit, should
examine the witnesses, prepare their interroga-
tories, consult in regard to the manner of pre-
| senting the case, and afterward as a Judge sit
| upon the bench to try that case, he could and
would be impeached AMI punished.
But Mr.. Hendricks showed another thing He
showed that Mr.. Garfield, from his place in the
House of Representatives, when debating the
| Electoral Commission bill, argued that the bill
would require the Electoral Commission to &c
back of the seal of the State and inquire how the
vote was cast; who was honestly elected where
| the fraud was, and what the right and wrong OF
| Itwas. He arguedth that, and the Democrats, who
thought he spoke like a statesman, took him al
his word. They believed him. He went uponthe
| commission and said: ave can not hear word
States rights prevent it ;; and under that plea oi
States rights the vote of Florida, which had beer
certified by the three Tilden electors who met
| on the proper day and performed their func
| tons in proper manner, who were certified tt
be Tlden electors by the Legislature of the
State and by q decision Of the Supreme Court
were all turned out, because at the same time
| three men who were not elected had false
certificate given them, and acted as de-fdctt
electors, and therefore represented the State
That was the manner in which he adjudged the
great cause of the American people before thai
tribunal. 1t illustrated, it seems to me, his ac
ton all the way through illustrated the propo
sition which have made-that he is too veal
to resist the dictates of his party.
Then look at it in another aspect. You hav,
seen that he took the back pay and kept i
some weeks, until the storm arose, when ht
30 ,foir-
to say, like a burglar when policeman pursue
him. He droppedi it before the storm of publi
Indignation. Now was it right to take it
Didn't he know whether it was or not? Was
the bill and supported it And, if it was right
why had he not the courage to say so and fac
the music, defending it? If it was wrong
what taught him that it was wrong after h
had 1t in his pocket, and not before?
Now with reference to that other matter, tn
paving contract, let me say just word to illus
fee of $4,000. For what? He spoke-that
all that he claims to have done, 1 be
| lieve, except to have examined into the merit
of the pavement-he spoke to Mr.. Shepherd o
the street, or Mr.. Shepherd says he spoke o
the street with him, the only time he met hin
Well, he secured the adoption of that pave
ment, and, according to the justice which wa
due between him and his employers, he earne
the fee. But why did he secure it
Mr.. Shepherd was the controlling ma
in Washington on that subject. HI
office gave him the control He require
immense appropriations to carry out the in
provements which were being made in the cit
of Washington. He wanted to be solid wit
the Chairman of the Committee on Approprl
tions, and it was natural that he should yield
ready obedience to n very slight wish from tn,
source. But isn't that to take money for of
cial influence? Do any of us lawyers earn fe'
of IS, 600 in that manner? If it is legitimat
and right, and proper, L should like to be intr
duced to the class of clients who pay such fet
for SO little services.
So in respect to that other matter abol
which so much has been said-and do nj
propose to weary you by repetition of Il
common arguments-the Credit Mobilier. Il
either accepted a curious loan or he agreed
take the stock. Now, in either case-and yo
dc,r,,t ,l,i..l, II 10 a1tnd hesitati i'm.