Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1880-06-23

level as these charges would place it, l
do not address him. address those
who are willing to believe that it is
possible for q man to serve the public
without personal dishonor. have en-
deavored in this review to point out the
means by which tine managers of cor
porstion wearing garb of honorable
industry have robbed and defrauded
great national enterprise, and attempt
ed by cunning and deception, for selfish
ends, to enlist ii its interests those who
would have been the first to crush the
attempt had their objects been known"
JUDGE BLACKS LETTER.
After this review, 1t seems like piling
Pelion on Ossa to present any more evi-
dence, but Judge Black is too impor-
tant 4 witness from the Democratic
ranks to be overlooked. The Judges
vindictive partisanship and the ease
with which he eau traverse a crooked
path TO besmear political opponent
are so vel! known, that when he volun-
ta-ily puts his opinion in writing that
so conspicuous a political opponent as
Gen. Garfield is innocent Of an infa-
nous charge, that opinion must be re-
ceived without qualification by Demo-
Gratis as well as Republicans. 1t ap-
pears from the evidence taken by the
Congressional investigating committee
in 1872 that it was not until the winter
of ,869-70 that Gen. Garfield received
an iutimation Of the real nature of the
connection between the Credit Mobilier
aud the Pacific railroad company. In
the course of private conversation
with Judge Black, finding that be was
familiar with the enterprise, General
Garfield told him of the offer made him
Judge Black then expressed the opinion
that the managers of the Credit Mo-
bilier were attempting to defraud the
Pacific railroad company, and informed
him that Mr. Ames was pretending to
have sold stock to members of Con-
gress for the purpose of influencing
their action in any legislation that
might arise on the subject. The fol-
lowing letter was subsequently, written
by Judge Black to Hon. James g.
Blaine:
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. Is, lS73.--My
Dear Sir: From the beginning of the
investigation concerning Mr. fines use
of the Creda .No5,iier. / believed that
Gsnrat Garfield tras free from all
gu1Hy connection pdh that business
This opinion ,ras founded not merely on
my confidence in ms integrity, but on
some SPECIAL knouiedge Of his case. l
may have told you all about it in con-
versation, but desire now to repeat ii
by way of reminder.
assert unhesitatingly that, what
ever Gen Garfield may have Gone OF
forborue to do, he acted 10 profound
ignorance of the nature and character
OF the thing which Mr.. Ames was pro-
posing to sell He had not the slight
est suspicion that be was to be taken
into ring organized for the purpose OF
defra1ding the public, ror did he know
that the stock was in any manner con-
nected with anything which came, or
could come, Within the legislative iuris-
dic,ion Of Congress. The case agans,
him lacks the scieRter which alone con-
stitutes guilt. In the winter of 1869
20 ! told General Garfield Of the fact
that bis name was on Ames' list; that
Ames charged hin with being one oi
his distributes explained to him the
character, origin aud objects of the
Credit Mobilier pointed out the con
nection it had with Congressional legis
latior, and showed him how impossible
1t was for a member of Congress tc
hold stock in IL without bringing his
private interests in conflict with hi:
public duty. That all this was to hin
a perfectly new revelation l am as sure
as | can be of such fact, or of any
fact which is capable of being proved
only by moral circumstances He ;old
me then the whole story of Trains
offer to him and Ames' subsequent So
licitation aud his own action IN the
premises, much as be deta Is 1t to toe
committee. do net undertake to re-
produce the conversation, bat the effect
of il all was to convince ME thoroughly
that when be listened to Ames be va:
perfectly unconscious of anything evil.
| watched carefully every word that
fell from him on this point, and did not
regard his narrative of the transaction
IN other respects with much interest,
because in uiy view everything else was
Insignificant. | did not care whethe,
he bad made bargain technically bind
ing or not his integrity depended upon
the question whether he acted with his
eyes open II be had known the true
character of the proposition made tC
him he would not have endured it,
much less embrace it.
Now, couple this with Mr.. Ames'
admission that he gave no explanation
whatever of the matter to Gen. Car
field, then reflect that not a particle oi
proof exists to show that be learne ]
any thing about it previous to his con-
versatiOn with me, and l think ycu will
say that it is altogether unjust to put
him on the list of those who knowingly
and willfully joined the fraudulent ss
sociation in question.
J. S. BLACK.
Hon. }. G. Blaine, Speaker of the
House of Representatives.
In looking up General Garfield's