The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-09-30
WhItewashing q Corrupt Candidate.

heated Presidential canvass is no new
thing in American politics; but never
before i'll our history has great party
put forward candidate for President
smirched with personal and official cor
ruption in anything like the same degree
as Mr. Garfield. Is; IL surprising that
honest and respectable Republicans all
over the Union nre every day nben.
doning such nominee to cast their
votes and influence for the peerless Han
cock, whose reputation is without a stain 2
Who ever heard before ofa candidate for
the Presidency of this great country whose
record required an elaborate vindication
from some of his party friends at home
that he was an honest man? Here is the
certificate of character which the Stawart
bosses of his district have Just given to
Mr. Garfield through the press
"Cle7eland, Ohio, September 9.-Thc
Republican County Central Committee
OF the counties composing the Nineteenth
Ohio District have issued column and
half address to the Republicans of the
United States, for the purpose of remov-
ing impressions which may have been
produced Us it says by determined efforts
to 'misrepresent and falsify the history of
Garfield's relations to the Republicans
of this District"
The impression intended to be convey
cd is that the determined effort 10 mis-.
represent and falsify" emanate from the
Democracy and it is noteworthy that
all the Republican organs. and orators
adopt the Same line of argument, and en-
deavor to convince the people that the
assault upon Garfield's reputation nre al
together the work of his political oppo-
nents. To correct this industriously
propagated error, we present very small
portion Of the immense amount of docu-
mcntary evidence ut our disposal. First,
as to "Garfield's relations to the Repub.
licans Of this (his) district" at Re-
publican Convention, held at Warren. in
that district, September z, 1876, the fol-
lowing resolution was adopted:
I'VE futher arraign and charge him
(Garfield) with corrupt bribery in selling
his official influence rs Chairman of the
Committee on Appropriations. for 5000,
to the De Golycr Pavement Ring, to aid
them in securing contract from the
board of public work of the District Of
Columbia selling his influence to aid
such Ring in imposing upon the people
of said district pavement which is al
most worthless, at price three times its
costs, as sworn to by one of the contrac.
tors; selling his influence 10 aid saiG
Ring III procuring contract, to procure
which it corruptly paid $97 900 for in
huence;' selling his influence in q matter
that involved noquestior # law, upon the
shallow pretext that h. was acting as
lawyer; selling his inf f.'"nce in matter
30 palpable and clear rs to be SO found
and declared by an impartial and com.
petent court upon an issue solemnly
tried"
So it would seem that "the determined
efforts to misrepresent and falsify" re-
ceived vigorous lift in Convention of
his own Republican constituents. Two
years before. however-July 80, 1874
the New York Independent, Republican
religious newspaper, printed the follow
ing;
ton of the District of Columbia frauds
show that Mr.. Garfield received $4,000
for his aid in getting through pavicx
contract accepted by the District Govern
mcnt. A MIR. Parsons, n notorious Job
Der, made an argument for the paving
company, and thea got Mr.. Garfield to
make further argument and to use his
personal influence in its favor. OF course
MIR. Garfield's argument was successful.
How could it be otherwise? He waa
chairman of the committee on nppropri.
ations. Every cent Of money voted to-
the District had to come through him.
Shepherd could not refuse anything he
asked, and Mr.. Garfield knew it when
he asked and received for his services n
fee which would have been grossly ex-
travagant but for his official position"
AS an appropriate closing up Of the
DeGolyer part of the case, we give an
extract from letter written MAY 30,
1922 to the pavement firm by their
Washington agent George r. Chitten.
den:
''The influence of Mr.. Garfield has
been secured by yesterday. last night, and
to-day's labors. He holds the purse
strings of the United States; is chairman
OF the committee Oh appropriations, and
the strongest man i'll Congress. can
hardly realize that wo have Gen. Garfield
with us. 1t is rare success and very
gratifying, as all the appropriations Of
the Disti ct must come through him."
Az to tho Credit Mobilier matter, the
following is from an editorial in the New
York Tribune of February 10, 1878:
James A. Garfield, Of Ohio, had ten
shares I; never paid dollar received
1929, which, after the Investigation began,
he was anxious TO have considered as n
loan fro Mr.. Oakes Amcs to himself.
"Wel., the wickedness of all OF it is
that these men betrayed the trust of the
people, deceived their constituents, and
by evasions and falsehoods confessed the
transaction to be disgraceful."
From the same paper of Fcbrua, %,
1873:
"The men who received it (the Credit
Mobilier stock) were not fools or blind.
They kneET the tenor Of the transactions;
could moi ireip knowing TINT this giifns-
for it hardly had the thin disguise of an
investment-was for an object and with
purpose. The testimony need not be
recapitulated to convince the reader gu
that head II is fresh in the memory of
the people, and that impression of il is
distinct and clear. flames WIS guilty so
were all the rest'
From the New York Tine, .; February
10, 1878:
"Messfs. Kelly aud Garfield present n
most distressing figure. Their participa-
tion in the Credit Mobilier affair is com.
plicated by the most unfortunate. contra
dictions of testimony"
From the same paper of February 20,
1873:
"The character of the Credit Mobilier
was no secret. The source of its. profits
was-yery we'll known at the time Con-
gressmen boughtit. Though Oakes Ames
may have succeeded in concealing his