River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-07-22
GEN. GARFIELD'S DENIAL.
a Complete and Conclusive Ref
utation of the ISLANDERS
Against Him.
Extracts from the Congressional In
vestigation Committees Report.

On Septc mber 18th, 1874, Gen. Garfield,
in speech at Warren, Ohio took up and
answered severally all the charges ever
made against him. Here is what he said
regarding the Credit Mobilier charge:
There is large number of people in the
United States who use these words without
any adequate idea of what they NEAL
have no doubt that great many people
feel about ii very much as the fisherwoman
at Billingsgate Market felt when Sidney
Smith, the great humorist of England,
came along and began to talk with her.
She answered back in very saucy way,
and he finally began to call her mathemat-
ical Names He called her parallelograIn,
a hypothenuse, parelloopipedOn, and
other such terms, and she stood back
aghast and said she never heard such
nasty-talking man in her life-never was
abused SO before. Now, people think they
have said an enormous thing when they
say that somebody had something TO do
with the Credit Mobilier. / ask your at
tention Just for very few moments TO
what that thing is, and, in the next place,
to understand precisely what it is that
am supposed to have had TO do with it.
1t is now understood that Mr.. Cakes
Ames sought to gain the friendship of ff-
teen or twenty prominent congressman,
with the view of protecting himself and
the Pacific railroad against any investiga-
ton which might be made; but it was
necessary part of his plan not to divulge
that purpose, or in any way intimate to them
that he might draw upon them for favors.
Long before any such purpose was re-
allied, long before any pressure came up
on Mr.. Ames, most of the men who had
II
and realized or had purchased and sold out
But, in 1872, in the midst of the presi-
Dental campaign, an article was published
in the public journals charging that six
teen prominent members of congress
senators and representatives-had sold
their votes for money or stock; that they
had accepted brides. You remember that
| was running for congress in this district
at that time When that news came was
away in the rocky mountains. | came
home, and the first day after my arrival
in Washington / authorized to be publish
ed a statement concerning what l knew
about the cakes Ames business. A great
many people suppose now and say, and it
has been repeated hundreds of times in
this district and especially in this town
during the last two weeks, that Mr..
Garfield hedged and denied any know
til finally the investigation brought it out.
| repeat that Immediately on my arrival
in Washington | made abatement to the
correspondent of the Cincinnati Gazette, of
which the following is a copy:
WAsHINGToN, September 10, 1872.
Gen Garfield, who has just arrived here from
the Indian country, has to-day had the first OPP
portunty of seeing the charges connecting his
name with receiving shares Of the Credit Mobiler
from Cakes Ames. He authorizes the statement
that he never subscribed for share of the stock,
and that he never received or saw a share of it.
When the company was first formed, George
Francis Train, then active in it, came to Wash
ingtOn and exhibited a list of subscribers of lead
ing capitalists, and some members Of congress to
the stock of the company The subscription was
described as n popular one of 81 900 cash. Train
urged Gen. Garfield to subscribe on two occasions
and each time he declined. Subsequently he was
again informed that the list was nearly completed
but that chance remained for him TO subscribe
when he again declined; and to this day he has
not subscribed for or received any share Of stock
or bond of the company.
Now, ] want my audience to understand
that in the midst of that storm and tenn
pest and accusation, and only little while
before the election, stated it and left it to
go broadcast to the daily press that | did
know something about the Credit Mobe-
lier ;-that / had been inv tied to subscribe
to it; that had on two occasions discussed
the matter that | had taken it into con-
sideration, and that finally had declined
to subscribe; that | never had owned or
held a share; had never seen certificate
of the stock Now, ] am not asking you
at this moment to discuss the truth of that
statement, but only TO say that / stated it
long before there was any investigation
talked of; that | never lodged, or evaded,
or denied having any knowledge of the
subject, but at the first declared plainly
and fully what | did know about it,
When congress met, Speaker Blaine and
the rest of us whose names were concerned
in it at once, on the first morning of the
session, demanded a committee of investi-
cation to go through with the whole sub
ject from the beginning to end. | want
those gentlemen who talk about Mr.. Gar
field being got after by committees of in
vestigation to know that no investigation
into any public affair has been held in the
last three years in Washington that have
not helped to organize and bring about.
Applause.
Now, what was the investigation? You
will remember that before the investiga
ton had gone far feeling of alarm and
excitement swept over the whole country
that has hardly been paralleled in Ameri-
can history Some men whose names
were connected with the charges of the
Credit Mobilier matter, shocked at the ter
rible charge of bribery thrown at them, in
the hurry of the moment so far forgot
themselves as to give equiyocal answers as
to whether they knew anything about the
matter or not, and the impression was
made throughout, the country that the
most of them had denied that they knew
anything about it. The fact was that the
country was setting down to the belief
that the whole thing was a mere campaign
Islander, and had no foundation in fact.
Looking at the subject from this distance,
am inclined to believe that the impress
sion left upon the American mind is that
the faults of those who were charged with
buying stock was not that they did any
thing wrong in reference to the stock. but
that afterwards they prevaricated or lied
about it. Now, without discussing any
body else, / call you to witness that | stated
at once what ! knew about it, the first time
that knew that talk was going the rounds
of the newspapers. When the committee
of investigation came to make up their re-
port. there was one thing in that report to
which | personally took exceptions, and
only one. ! understand that a gentleman
occupied this room few nights ago who
undertook to make the impression upon
his audience that Mr.. Garfield was found
guilty of some improper relation with the
Credit Mohilier. Lei me read you sent
ence or two from that report. The COM
mittee says
Concerning the members to whom he
has sold, or offered to sell, the stock, the
committee says that they do not find that
Mr. Ames, in his negotiations with the
persons above named, entered into any de-
tails in the relations between the Credit
Mobilier company, or gave them any spe-
cific information as to the amount likely to
receive, further than has already been
stated viz: that in some cases he had
guaranteed profit of 10 per cent. They
do not find as to the members of the pres
ent house above named that they were
aware of the object of Mr.. Ames, or that
they had any other purpose in taking this
stock than to make probable investment.
They have not been able to find
have been affected in their official action in
consequence of interest in the Credit Mo-
bilier stock They do not find
that either of the above-named gentlemen
in contracting with Mr.. Ames had any
corrupt motive or purpose himself, or was
aware Mr. Ames had any, nor did either of
them suppose he was guilty of any impro-
priety or indeliacy, in becoming a pur
chaser of his stock" And, finally, that
the committee find nothing in the conduct
or motives of either Of these gentlemen in
taking this stock that calls for any recon-
mendation bv the committee of the house.
See Dages 3 9and 10