Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-02-24
Garfeld's Oath.

A. Garfield, the President-elect of the
United States, will take the following
oath, to wit: 81 do solemnly swear
that | will faithfully execute the office
of President of the United States and
will TO the best Of my ability preserve,
protect and defend the Constitution of
the United States" An oath is n
solemn affirmation made with an ap.
peal to God for the truth of what is
affirmed. If Garfield i, to be judged
/ by the manner in which he has vio-
lated oaths heretofore taken by him
when sworn into office, no sane man
will expect him to observe the solemn
obligations of this one. Eight differ
cnt times did he swear that he would
not only protect and defend the Con.
stitution of the United States, but that
he would bear true allegiance TO the
same that he took the obligation
freely, without any mental reservation
or purpose Of evasion, aud that he
would faithfully discharge the dutic,
of the Office ON which he was about to
enter-"So help me God To recount
how he supported in Congress every
measure to plumber and oppress the
people of the South to deprive them
Of the writ Of habcas corpus; to pack
juries and thus deprive the citizens Of
n fair and impartial trial to use the
military and naval forces Of the
United States to control elections to
permit citizens TO be torn from their
homes by irresponsible marshals and
tried in United States Court. for re-
fusing to eat, sleep or ride with a
negro to permit Federal partisan
officers to be appointed to interfere
with State elections, and to iutimidatc.
pcrsecute and control duly qualified
electors of the State, all Of which is
either prohibited or guaranteed by the
Constitution, is to demonstrate how
often this man has committed perjury.
This is only a tithe Of the false
swearing that james A. Garfield did.
Hinsdale, in his life of Garfield. pages
1873, says that on the Nth Of Janu.
uary, 1873, J. a. Garfield, a member
Of the House of Representatives from
the State Of Ohio, having been duly
sworn, made the following statement
81 never owned, received, or agreed to
receive any stock OF the Credit Mo-
bilier or of the Union Pacific Railroad.
nor any dividends or profits arising
from either Of them" The same book.
page l73, quotes as follows from the
report of the committee that had heard
all the testimony on both sides, as fol.
lows February Is, 1873, "The facts
"in regard to Mr.. Garfield, as found
"by the committee, are that he agreed
with Mr.. Ames to take ten shares of
Credit Moblier stock, but did not
"pay for the same. Mr.. Ames re-
"ceived the eighty per cent. dividend
"in bonds and soldethem for ninety
"seven per cent, and also received the
"sixty per cent cash dividend, which,
together with the price of the stock
"and interest, left balance of 1929.
"This was paid over to Mr.. Garfield
"by a check on the Sergeant-at-Arms,
"and Mr.. Garfield then understood
"his sum ,Oas he balance Of diridends
"afcr paying for The stock" Even
this is not all. Garfield was one Of
the visiting statesmen TO Louisiana, in
1876. There, he confederated with the
returning board which had been char.
acterized by Mr.. Wheeler as a "dis.
grace to civilization" In an inner
room in the custom house he was in
collusion with Eliza Pinkston and
Amy Mitchell, prostitute negro wench.
es, preparing affidavits and making
testimony to overturn the will of the
people of Louisiana as expressed at
the election then recently held. He
came to Washington, and when through
the contamination of the Louisiana
fraud the grave apprehensions of civil
war led to the proposal Of the Elec-
foral Commission Garfield on,,oaed 1,