Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-10-05
The Man Garfield.

Happening To SIT within one seat OF him
for four years in the house, |, with others
perhaps, bad a better opportunity TO see
him in all his moods than those more re-
moved. In action he was giant; off duty
he was n great, noble boy. He never
knew what austerily of manner or cere-
monious dignity meant. After one of his
greatest efforts in the house, such as will
live in history, he would turn to me or
any one else, and say, "Well old boy, how
was thatP' Every man was his confident
and friend, so lar as the interchange of
good feeling was concerned. He once told
me how he prepared his speeches; that
first he filed himself with the subject,
massing all the facts and principles in.
volved. so far as he could; then he took
pen and paper and wrote down the salient
points IN what he regarded their logical
order Then he scanned these critically
and fixed them in his memory. "And
them said he, II leave the paper in my
room and trust to the emergency He
told me that when he spoke at the sere.
made in New York a year ago he was SO
pressed by callers that the only opportunity
| he had for preparing was to lock the door
and walk three times around the table
when he was called out to the balcony to
begin. All the world knows what that
speech was. He was wrapped up in his
family. His two boys would come up to
the house just before adjournment and
loiter about his desk with their books in
their hands. After the house adjourned
other members would 90 in cars or car.
riages, or walk down the avenue in groups.
But Garfield, with boy on each side of
him, would walk down Capital hlll, as we
would say in the country, "cross lots" all
three chatting together on exual terms.
He said to me one day during the canvass,
while the tears came TO his eyes, II have
done no more coming up from poverty
than hundreds of thousands of others, but
am thankful that have been able TO
keep my family by my side and educate
anybody could differ with impunity. |
have said repeatedly that were Garfield
alive and fully recovered, and dozen of
his intimate friends were to go to him and
advise that Guiteau be let off, he would
say, "Yes, let him 60" The man positive
ly knew no malice. And for such man
to be shot and tortured like II dog and by
II dog! He was extremely sensitive.
have seen him come into the house in the
morning when some guerrella of the press
had stabbed him deeper in the feelings
than Guiteau's bullet did in the body, and
when he looked pallid from suffering and
the evident loss of sleep; but he would
utter no murmur, and in some short time
his great exuberance of spirits would sur
mount ii all, and he would be boy again.
He never went to lunch without a troop oi
friends with him. He loved to talk AT
table, and there is no gush in saying he
talked ike a god socially and intellectually
Some OF his off hand expressions were like
"a burst of inspiration Like all truly great
men, he did not seem to realize his great
ness. And, us have said, he would talk
us cordially and confidentially with child
as with monarch. And l only refer tc
his conversations with me because you ash
me 10, and because | think his off-hanC
conversations with any one reveal his rea
traits best. Coming on the train from
Washington after his nomination he said
"Only think of this, am yet Il young man
if elected and | serve my term shall still
be young man. Then what am goins
to dop There seems to be no place il
America for an ex.presdent!" And ther
came in what thought the extreme sim
plicity and real nobility of the man
why" said he, Il had no thought o
being nominated. | had bought me some
new books and was getting ready for the
senate" | laughed at the idea OF his buy
ing books, like boy going to college, ant
remembered that during his congressional
career he had furnished material for few
books himself And then with that pecu-
liar roll of the body and slap on the shoul
der with the left hand which all will
recognize, he said, "Why! do you know
that up TO 1916 never saw congression
al globe nor knew what one was" Ant
he then explained how he stumbled on tc
one in the hands of an opponent in his frs
public anti-slavery debate. A friend re
marked the other day that Garfield would
get an enthusiastic in digging a six.foot
ditch with his own hands as when making
a speech in congress. Such was my obser
VatiOn,