The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1881-10-06
Recollections OF Garfield.

Congress, sat facing General Garfeld-as all called
hun then,-and came in almost daily contact with
him on the floor of the House and in the corridors
OF the Capitol During all that time Gen. Garfield
| bore conspicuous part in the proceedings of Con
gress and to-day in the memory of the writer, his
robust manly form, massive head and brow, earn
est manner and clean cut utterances, caused him
to hold place far above that occupied BY his as
sociates on the floor. Mr.. Blaine, tower Of
| strength in debate born leader and a command
ing figure everywhere filed the Speakers chair
with rare ability during the greater portion of this
period and then took his seatin the Senate There
were others on the floor, who for various reasons
challenged the attention of the observer in the re
porters gallery There was Ben Butler, with his
shining bald pate and sardonic visage Fernando
| Wood prim and erect, wearing military air, and
who was often hkened in appearance to Marshal
of France Martin l. Townsend, with snowy locks
and rosy face. the very personifcatlon of good ma
| tnre, but who was so peppery aud satirical IN de-
bate; Gen n p Banks, whose fine figure, and
handsome face crowned with protuse white locks,
excited the alteration of the fair sex; Alex. IL.
| Stephens. with atte nuated form and corpse like
ltdtNltS -tltSt anu lldIN plucl lUlulS anu
crowd the recollection. But who among them
all possessed the qualities and attributes possessed
by James A. Garfield aud when have stamped bis
name ia ndelible lottols upon the history Of his
country.
There was one feature of Gen Gartields Congress
sonal career which deserves special mention. He
| took part in the petty and personal chickering's
which too often reflect discredit upon the lower
House and are not altogether unknown in the Sen
ate He never flung mud When in moments Of
great excitement, the tides Of human passion dash
| ed and surEed within the walls of the Capitol his
was the voice Of reason, of admonltion and by
manner as we'll words he braycly upheld the
dignity which should characterize legislative
! body In debate he was magnanimous, and could
well afford to be Few were we'll equipped as
be tor the ,lseussion OF public questions He never
ceased to be a student from the time when, bare
footed boy, he began lis struggle II secure an ell
ucation down TO the day when the fatal bullet Of
the assassin deprived The country Of its beloved
President ten. tiartields maguanmty in debate
is strikiuely Illustrated By an anecdote which
Gently went NE rounds Of the press An important
debate was to come of in the House, and, al short
notice Democratic member was called upon to
reply to Garfield. Feeling that he would be placed
al great disadvantage he called upon Garfield and
explained matters to HIM. and the latter, with
characteristic courtesy, went over the whole line
Of His argUHtHt to the maA Who WAS to antagoElze
it Such hberallty is rare, but it was il matter Ut
course WIFI Gen. Garfield, and shown in all
his relations of life His aMiabp social qualities
were No less marked and Won for him the friend
ship Of all with whom he came in Contact When
little group of congressman III the cloak room or
upon the floor included Garfield, there sure to
be pleasant di>cn1r3a aud smiling faces; and in
d street cArs Or strd0g along the avenue going
T., or returning from the scene of his daily labors
save Nien some important public topic was upper
most ne tArlv bubbled with merry talk But
lie vas rarely without bundle Of books and pa
pers. I" Indicate the serious work IL which the
greater portion Of his hme MAS devoted
cen Garfield served from the beginning to the
end OF his Congressional career upon important
committees During his first term, beginning III
lSG3 ne was a member of the Committee on Mill
tary Affairs, which had great deal Of work de
yolyiug upon 1T, In his second term C}3th Con
| gresS) be served on the Ways and Means Commit
tee and began the studies in finance and political
economy w bich later made him Il recognized au
| thoritY on these subjects la the 10th Congress
Geh Garfield was chairman Of the Committee on
Military Affairs, and in the list, chairman OF the
Banking and Currency Committee. His next pro
motion was to the Guardianship Of the Appropria
tons Committee, which lie held until the Demo
Gratis came into power in the House in 1873 Dur
ing his two last terms. under Democratic oTganiza-
tons, lie assigned TO duty on the Ways and
Means Committee, and III 1871, when James Il.
Blaine went 70 the Senate, Glen Garfield became
the Republican leader in tine House As chairman
of the Appropriations Committee Gen Garield's
aim Vas to secure steady and judclons reduction
Of the expenses Of the government and his success
in this direction, as in others, was very marked.
The speeches with Which he introduced the annual
appropriation bills are models OF their kind and
elected the praise not ouly of our own but of the
foreign press The labor they represented was
enormous II hardly need Ne sai1 that Gen Gar
field was fully equipped at every point for defence
Of the measures coming from his Committee
1t is in the Washington correspondents line of
duty to ascertain what is done in the Committees
OF Congress- and Gen Garfield was naturally waited
upon daily in the quest of information He was
always courteous but brief in his replies for when
at the Capitol he was Il very busy man and his
| time valuable With few OF the Washing
ton journalists he was very intimate but they
were indebted to him more for suggestions and
| ideas than for what may be strictly called news
items When Gen Garfield visited Newspaper
| In, fI,a | ctr
were designated, he gravltaed to the office Of the
| Cincinnati Gazette, whose chief correspondent
Gen. Boynton, as journalist and citizen, enjoys an
| enyiable reputation, and who served CALAMITY
under Gen Thomas i'll the battle Of Chicamauga.
Here Gen. Garfield would read the exchanges with
the expedition and discernment of a trained Jour
nalist, and his comments upon their contents and
his views on the topics of the day well worth
attention Another Of General Gartcds Journal
slic friends was Mr.. L. y. Smalley, of the New
| York Tribune who certainly bears strong resem
! bance tho Late President, and possesses many of
the qualities which characterized the latter. Mr.
Smalley was clerk of the Committee on Military
Affairs while Gen. Garfield chairman. Major
! Ben Perley Pooru who for many Years has enjoy
ed the acquaintance Of everybody worth knowing
at the National Capitol, says Iii a review of the
career Of the late President
Gen Garfield ased to take pleasure in convers
ing With the told sag:els in the reporters gallery
about the leading statesmen Of the past. In his
| opinion, often expressed the men OF sound iudg
ment, Ike Washington, had made more enduring
impress upon the character and history OF our IN
| situations than the brilliant men. Hamilton, he
said master of brilliant style. clear and bold
| in conception Jefferson was profoundly imbued
with philosophic spirit but whether in camp or
in the cabinet the quality that rose above all the
other great gifts Of the period, was the comprehen
slve and unerring Judgment of Washington. He
used to express his regret that there were no
pecia training schools for craftsmanship, as for
the other great professions, and cite John Quincy
Adams as the only American youth ever trained
with special reference TO the political service Of
| this country. Entering the great field of states
| nShin Gen liartiell enlnaYOrel O unalitY him