The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1880-06-23

Z
studied the whole range of financial
questions with the assiduity of his
college days, so that he is looked
upon to-day as one of the ablest OF
our National financiers. He stood
by his party, and his party stood by
him, re-electing him successively TO
the Thirty-ninth, Fortieth, Forty
first. Fortv-second, Forty-third, For
ty-fourth, Forty-fifth and Forty-sixth
Congresses. During these several
terms he has served as the Chairman
of the Committee ON Military At
fairs, of the Committee on Banking
and Currency, and of the Appropria-
tions Committee. This last Chair
manship he held until 1915, when
the Democrats came into power
Two years later, when James G.
Blaine went 10 the Senate, General
Garfield became by common consent
the Republican leader in the House
a position which he has maintained
ever since. In January last he was
elected to the Senate to fill the seat
of Allen G.. Thurman, who retires on
the fourth of next March. He re-
ceived the unanimous vote of the
Republican caucus for this position,
an honor never conferred before on
any man by any party in the State
of Ohio
In appearance. General Garfield is
very commanding and impressive.
He stands 6 feet high, and is broad
shouldered and strongly built His
head is unusually large, and his
forehead remarkably high. He
wears hght-brown hair and beard,
and has light blue eyes, prominent
nose and full cheeks. He usually
wears a slouch hat, and always
dresses plainly. He is temperate in
all things except brain work, and is
devoted to his wife and children, OF
whom he has five living, two having
died in infancy. The two older boys,
Harry and James, are attending
school in New Hampshire, while the
two younger, Irwin and Abram, live
with their parents. His only daugh-
ter, Mary, is handsome, rosy-cheek-
ed girl of about twelve. His mother
is still living, and forms one of his
family General Garfield has a
house in Washington, where he
spends his winters, and farm in
Mentor, Lake county, Ohio, where
he spends all his time when not en-
gagged at the capital. His farm COM
prises 125 acres of land. which is
highly cultivated, and here the Gen
eral finds q recreation of which he
never tires, in directing the field
work and making Improvements in
the buildings, fences, and orchards.
He has never forgotten the lessons
learned when he made his living by
farming, and he is as genial and
hearty Il friend to the farmers who
surround him as to the magnates
who court his society in Washington.
He sprang from the people, and he is
emphatically one of the people.
CINC ,NNATI, June S.-The state
ment Is made in certain quarters that
General Garfield's record ON the tar
iff question viii injure him in the
campaign Certain charges of this
nature which We're circulated at the
time of his nomination for United
States Senator were met by him in
the following, written to a member
of the Ohio Senate:
WASHINGTON, ID. c.,
December -, 1879.
DEAR SIR: Yours OF the 18th inst,
inelosing a slip from the Columbus
Dispatch, is received. The writer of
that article is either stupidity ignor-
ant or q willful falsifier. / have vo-
ted for every Republican Tariff bill
which has passed the House since l
have been a member of it. | have
made at least four elaborate speeches
on the tariff since | have been in
Congress, besides numerous short
speeches in debates. Ny first full
speech on the subject was in 1866,
the second in 1870, and the third
and fourth in 1873. | have been
recognized for several years past as
the leader of the Republican party
on this subject, and every Republic
an member of the House knows my
position, and, as | believe, approves
lit. In 1868, | made a speech in fa-
vor OF the resumption of specie pay
ments, in which ! discussed elabOr-
ately the doctrines of money, and
the obligation of the nation to pay
its debt. The Secretary of the Treas
ury sent some copies of that speech
to our Minister in London, believing
that it would strengthen our credit
abroad. John Bright received q
copy, and was so pleased with it
that he had me elected an honorary
member of the "Cobden Club" L
had never before heard of this club,
and up to that time Charles Summer
was the only member of Congress
who had ever been thus compliments
ed. Some years after that, | learned
that the Golden Club believed in
free trade, as nearly all Englishmen
do, but, OF course, | was in no way
responsible for the belief. This mat
ter had been repeatedly explained in
the iron districts, and it is fully un-
derstood by our leading iron men.
| represent one of the heaviest iron
districts in Ohio, and in Mahoning
county, where the largest mills and
furnaces are situated, | ran ahead of
the State and county ticket last year,
and have the support of almost ev-
cry intelligent manufacturer of the
district. | write this freely, that you
may understand how entirely with
out foundation the article is in the
Dispatch.
Very truly, yours,
j. \. GARFIELD,
GENERAL CHESTER a. ARTHUR.
General Chester A. Arthur was
born in Franklin County, VT, Oct.
>, 1890. He is the oldest of family
of two sons and five daughters. His
father was the Rev. William Arthur,
a Baptist clergyman, who emigrated
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