The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1880-10-05

ouy nOKe tu1u ne WOul0 ebGU horse OF
shesp. But when the managers of his
party demanded his aid in great swim
die he could not refuse. Under that con
ditlon he went down to Louisiana and
there found It absolutely certain that the
Tilden electors had been duly appoint.
ed " at . legal and full poll, 90 peaceably
conducted that there was not even 3
squabble about it in the whole State
And the appointment 30 made was attest,
ed by and recorded upon the certificates
and the oaths Of election officers adverse
to the appointees in all their feelings and
wishes. There was no earthly excuse for
denying this; no contradiction of it could
be honest To count the State for HAYES
was thing that could be done only by
impudent and unmitigated fraud. For a
time hoped that General Garfeld's share
In that great crime had consisted In pas
sive acquiescence, and / am surprised by
the proofs recently brought forward Of
hls active assistance in its perpetration.
his Judgment Ms o menabef of fha eIec-
toral commission was q thing to be ex-
pected, for he must long before that have
convinced himself that fraud was as
good a way rs any other of electing a
President. In political game he did not
think that anybody had moral sense
enough to abstain from throwing a die
which he himself had loaded to win the
stake.
This liability to be rushed into evil
courses by his party associates has brought
upon him much odium which he does not
deserve in the transactions of the Credit
Mobilier. The stock distributed by Oakes
Ames was intended to influence the legis-
lation of Congress corruptly. He and
the company who put it into his hands
meant business, and that business was
bribery. Undoubtedly those members
who took it knowing the nature of the
thing were great criminals and wholly un-
worthy to retain their seats But Gen
eral Garfield though he certainly agreed
to take the stock and did actually take
dividends upon it, had no suspicion of it's
connection with the Union Pacific Rail-
road or of the conflict which its posses
sion might create between his private in
terests and his public duty. He was as
guiltless as the child unborn of any dis
honest meaning about the whole business.
believe this not merely because he told
me SO, but because it is probable in itself
and corroborated by many circumstances.
If he had stuck to it he would have been
credited by all men as implicitly as he
was by me. Fearing that his political
friends might influence him to depart
from 1t, wrote beseeching him to stand
fast upon the defense he had made to me.
That he did not take this advice is the
bitterest regret of his life. But "the
party " would not let him take it. The
accusation struck at the highest heads in
the House and Senate. They had but one
answer, and that was positive denial of
the fact that any stock had ever been
taken by them, and on that line they ex-
pected MIR. Ames to swear them through.
General Garfield, for the benefit of others
iHS and to chi his qxp 2Sgeg greet Mss II sk
failed them and they were all convicted.
After the report of the committee wrote
to Mr.. Blaine the letter which has been
extensively published and which was an
effort to put General Garfield back upon
the true ground which he never ought to
have abandoned. But it was too late
regret sincerely that General Garfield
is a candidate, or that he should he placed
in any position which calls for criticism
on his conduct as a public man. But
have said nothing that will be new to
him, for in many forms, at many times,
in sundry ways, publicly and privately,
have given this same construction to his
acts and exhorted him to come out from
the evil and corrupt fellowship which
drags him down while it pretends to ele-
vate him.
/ hope that on all the issues the friends
of liberty and justice and law and honest
government will make themselves heard
by the nation so clearly that at the next
election the popular condemnation of
the anti-constitutional faction will be
overwhelming In the meantime, let us
watch as well as pray that the country be
not swindled again.
Faithfully and hopefully yours,
]. S. BLACK.
The Hon. Augustus Schell, chairman and
members of committee.