The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1880-06-18


Rosecrans for approval, save one. The one he
did not write was the fatal order to Gen. Wood
which was so WOrded as not to correctly convey
the meaning of the commanding General and
which caused the destruction of the right wing
of the army.
ELECTED TO CONGRESS.
The Congressional district in which Garfield
lived was the one long made famous by Joshua
r. Giddings. The old anti-slavery champion
grew careless of the arts of politics toward the
end OF his career, and came to look upon
nomination and reelection as a matter of
course. His over-conidence was taken advan-
tage of in 1858 by an ambitious lawyer named
Hutchl1s to carry a convention against him.
The friends of Giddings never forgave
Hutchlns, and casts abou for means
of defeating him. The old man him
self was comfortably quartered in his
Consulate at Montreal, and did not care
to make fight to get back to Congress. So his
supporters made use of the popularity of Gen.
Garfield and nominated him while he was in the
field without asking his consent. That was in
1862. When he heard Of the nomination. Gar
field reflected that it would be fifteen months
before the Congress would meet to which he
would be elected, and believing as did every
one else, that the war could not possibly last
year longer, concluded to accept. have
often heard him express regret that he did not
help fight the war through, and say that he
never would have left The army to go to Con-
gress had he foreseen that the struggle would
continue beyond the year 1863. He contin-
ued his military service up to the time Con-
gress met.
On entering Congress, in December 1863.
Gen. Garfield was placed upon the Committee
on Military Affairs with Schenck and Farms
worth, who were also fresh from the field. He
took an active part in the debates of the House.
and won recognition which few new members
succeed in gaining. He was not popular among
his fellow-members during his first term They
thought him something of a pedant because
he sometimes showed his scholarship in his
speeches, and they were jealous of his promi-
nence. His solid attainments and able social
qualities enabled him to overcome this preiu-
dice during his second term, and he became
on terms of close friendship with the best men
in both houses. His committee service during
his second term was ON the Ways and Means
which was quite to his taste, for it gave him
an opportunity to prosecute the studies in
finance and political economy which he had
always felt a fondness for. He was q hard
worker and great reader in those days. going
home with his arms full of books from the
Congressional Library and sitting up late nights
to read them. It was then that he laid the
foundations of the convictions on the subject
of national finance which he has since held
to firmly amid all the storms of political api-
tatlon. He was renOminated in 1864, without
opposition, but in 1866 Mr.. Hutchins, whom he
had supplanted, made an effort to defeat him.
Hutchlns canvassed the district thorouehlv.
but. the convention nominated Garfield by
reclamation. He has had no opposition since
in his own party. In 1872 the Liberals and
Democrats united to beat him but his majority
was larger,than ever. In 1874 the Greenbackers
and Democrats combined and put up a popular
soldier against him, but they made no impress
sion on the result. The Ashtabula district, as
it is generally called is the most faithful to its
representatives of any IN the North. It has
had but four members in half a century.
W. HIS WORK IN CONGRESS. @
In the Fortieth Congress Gen. Garfield was
Chairman of the Committee ON Military Affairs,
In the Forty-frst he was given the Chairman
ship OF Banking and Currency, which he liked
much better, because it was in the line of his
financial studies. His next promotion was to
the Craftsmanship of the Appropriations Com
mittee, which he held until the Democrats came
into power in the House in 1876 His chief
work on that committee was a steady and judi
clous reduction of the expenses of the Govern
ment. In all the political struggles in Congress-
ne has borne leading part, his clear, vigorous.
and moderate style of argument making him
one of the most effective debaters in either
house.
When James G.. Blaine went to the Senate in
1877 the mantle of Republican leadership in the
House was by common consent placed upon
Garfield, and he has worn it ever since. In
January last Gen. Garfield was elected to the
Senate to the seat which will be vacated by
Allan G.. Thurman on the 4th of March. 1881.
He received the unanimous vote of the Repub-
hcan caucus, all honor never before given to any
man of any party in the State of Ohio Since his
election he has been the recipient of many
complimentary manifestations in Washington
and Ohio.
GARFIELD AS LEADER.
AS leader IN the House he is more cautious
and less dashing than Blaine, and his judicial
turn Of mind makes him too prone to look
Tor two sides of question for him to be an eff
hclent PARTISAN When the issue fairly touches
his convictions, however, he becomes thorough
ly aroused and strikes tremendous blows.
Bialnes tactics were to continually harass the
enemy by sharp-shooting surprises and picket
firing. Garfield waits for an opportunity to
deliver pitched BATTLE and his Generalship is
shown to best advantage when the fight is a
TAR one and waged on grounds where each
party thinks itself strongest. Then his solid |
shotof argument are exceedingly effective. On
the stump Garfield is one of the very best ora
tors In the Republican party. He has a good |
voice, an air OF evident sincerity, great clear
ness and vigOr of statement and Wav of knit /
ting his arguments together SO as to make a
speech deepen its impression on the mind of
the nearer until the climax is reached.
OF his industry and studious habits a great i
deal might be said, but a single illustration
Will have to suffice here. Once during the bust
est part of avery busy session at Washington
l found him in his library, behind a big barri-
cade of books. This was no unusual sight. b11t !
when glanced at the volumes i saw that they
were all different editions of Horace, or books |
relating to that poet. !" I find am overworked,
and need recreation, said the General. sNow'
my theory is that the best way to rest the mind
is not to let it lie idle, but to put it at something
quite outside of the ordinary line of it's employ
ment. So | am resting by learning all the Con
gress1onal Library can show about Horace and
the various editions and translations of his
POEMS"
GARFIELD AT HOME.
Gen. Garfield is the possessor of two homes,
and his family migrates twice year. Some ten
years ago, finding how unsatisfactory life was
10 hotels and boarding houses, he bought lot of
ground on the corner of Thirteenth and streets
in Washington and, with money borrowed of a
friend, built plain, substantial three-story
house. wing was extended afterward to make
room for the fast-growing library The money
was repaid in time, end was probably saved in
great part from what would otherwise have gone /
to landlords. The children grew up in nIeas-