Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-07-03
In POliIlc6.

inencc in that Western reserve countr!
and his first prominent identity with poll
| tics was in 1859, when he was chosen t.
the Ohio State Senate from the district
comprising Portage and Summit counties.
At the breaking out of the rebellion he
entered the army as colonel OF the Forty
second regiment of Ohio volunteers. and
was speedily prom oted to the rank OF
bri.aiier general In the fal! Of 1862 he
was nominated by the Republicans of the
Nineteenth congressional district and hi,
election followed without much opposition.
He entered Congress in december. 1853,
and served during each succeeding Con
~ipss as the representative Of the sane
district In 1874 the exposures Of the
Credit Mobilcr examination created such
revolution of sentiment against
him that hs received the renOm
ination only after a close contest,
and at the election his vote fell several
thousand behind the strength Of his party.
In 1876 and 1873 he was re elected though
he ran somewhat behind his party.
The Presidential Campaign.
When the Republicans had chance to
elect United States Senator in place o!
John Sherman, called into the cabinet, Mr..
allicld Was conspicuous candidate.
Hayes urged him to give Stanley Mat
thews clear track, and he took the lea
dership OF the minority in the House. When
the long term came to BE- filled by Re-
publican, to succeed Thurman. Matthew's
was scarcely considered and Garfield was
the choice of his party for that place.
Mean while, however, events which are
fresh in the recollection of our readers had
SO shaped themselves as to give him the
nomination for president and secure his
election. Owing to this he never took his
scat in the Senate :ynl Sherman again Sc
cured it.
The memorable Chicago convention re-
suited IN his denomination after stub
born contest between Grant, Blaine and
Shcman. Garfield Was there, at the head
Of the Ohio delegates and leader of the
Sherman forces. 1t soon became appar-
ent that Sherman could not win and that
Garfield, fortuitously OF by design, was a
popular man in the convention. After
nearly a weeks struggle and II stubborn
fight by Grants 3OG, led by COnkling,
the Blaine men broke for Garfield-for
whom W. A. NJ. Grier, of Pennsyl-
vania, had been steadily voting. On
the 34th ballot when Garfield saw
signs of his nomination, he arose anu said,
81 challenge the correctness of the an
ncllncement that contains votes for me.
No man has the right, without the con-
sent of the person voted for, to have his
name announced and voted for in this
convention Such consent l have not
giyen.'' The chairman interrupted and
said the gentleman was not stating QucS
ton of order. and he directed the clerk to
proceed with the next ballot. The first
signs Of the rout OF the Blaine column
were visible in the thirty fifth ballot, when
Garfield received so votes, nearly all OF
them from Blaine. On the thirty-sixth
ballot the wrand rush came, and when the
vote was counted Garfield WAS found to
have received 800 votes.
The campaign which followed will long
be remembered by this generation for its
activity and bitterness. Mr.. Garfield $
Credit Mobi!icr record, and his frequent
exhibitions of Il lack of moral courage, as
q public man. were raked up with terrible
force. When Maine wavcred 1T Looked as
If he WIS beaten. Then came the consulti-
ton of his party leaders, the alleged bar
ga!n with the stalwarts, the Outpouring of
money and repcaterS, directed by Dorsey
and Arthur, into..lndiana and it was Won ;
even then he would have been beaten, but
like Influences applied to New York sup
plemented q lack of efficient Democratic
organization and the pivotal state was car
ried by the Republicans, rendering Gar
field the choice, of the cle2tora! college,
though giving him minority OF tie popu
lar vote.
His cabinet was IL surprise, though even
his opponents in his own party waited for
its purposes 10 he developed before break
inr with hi; administration. Ii had been
formed to placatc but at the same time to
checkmatc them. 1t took little time to
disclose the potency Of Mr.. Blaine i'll his
councils, and Robcrtson's nomination for
collector ut New York was the signal for
the proclamation of hoStilities, an episode
of which was the resignation of Conkling
and Platt and the sequence Of which is the
pending bitter contest in Albany, in which
Arthur has been conspicuous for his Op-
position to the administration.
Mr.. Garfield has been bus:iy attending
to his duties since the adjournment OF
Congress. Last week he was at Long
Branci, attending upon his wife, who was
recruiting her shattered health and lust
before he was shot he was getting ready
to start to Jersey city, where he was to
meet Mrs. G. coming from Long Branch,
a"d they We're going together on a two
weeks pleasure trip. Sunday they We're
to 90 to Irvington on the Hudson. She
guests of Cyrus w. Field until Monday.
At ten o'clock Monday. morning they i'll
tended to go to Williamstowa, Mass, via
Troy, n. Y, and remain ut tho former
place until Thursday leave Williamst"wn
for st. AlbanS, VT, stay unit! trliay,
going thence to bethlehem, n. II. The
remainder of the trip had not yet been de-
iinitely fixed, but it is probable that iron,
Bethlehem Mrs. Garfield would have re-
turned to Mentor, Ohio, and the Prcs!-
dent to Washington.
Socially.
In his social relations Mr. CARTEL d
seemed to be a blessed and q happy man.
His wife has been his cpngenial companion
and helpful mate at every stage of his life
and in every gradation of his public career.
Two Of their children died in infancy. Of
those left Harry and James are ready for
and expected to enter Williams college,
their father alma mater, this year; Molly
is hlnd>ome rosy checked girl Of Is !;
the youn ger boys, Irwin AMI Ab.n.n, are
bright and strong boys. Thc central
figure of his household is his venerable
mother, who yet survives, III intelligent and
energetic old lady, pastcd in the news aud
proud of her son. General Gar
field himself is six feet tall, broad
shouldcred and well built, with
light brown hair anI beard, now griz-
zlcd with gray, large light blue eyes,
large head, full checks and prominent
nose. When the writer Of this saw him a
week ago, he seemed to have aged and to
look carewOrn.
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