The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-07-13
FACTS OF HISTORY.
How the Republicans Carried tho
Last Presidential Election.

A correspondent writes to the
Chicago Ecening Journal as follows:
Some of the hitherto unpublished
facts OF history are these In the
fall OF 1850 the country was startled
by the announcement that the Fusion
ticket had been elected in Maine.
Almost universal Decentralization
took hold upon the Republican
party. A stampede was threatened,
odds upon Hancock's election were
offered and grew larger day by day.
General Garfield naturally sought
some means for checking the panic.
All eyes turned toward Ohio and
Indiana, and every one agreed that
the loss of these states in the Octo-
ber election meant the certain defeat
of the party in November. AS they
had every reason to expect, the
national Republican committee
found that the disaster TO Maine
played havoc with their finances.
The capitalists and great mon
eyed corporations of the country
have but one plank in their political
platform, viz, resolution to always
support the winning side. When the
fortunes of the Democracy began to
rise and the Republicans to fall, con-
tributions to Governor JEWELS
committee grew scarce, and serious
Inconvenience for the lack of funds
was threatened. 1t was General
Garfield who hit upon the plan that
saved the party. After making a
contract with Levi p. Morton to
give him a cabinet Office or foreign
mission if the house of Morton,
Bliss a. Co. would start the subscrip-
ton with something handsome; he
called on Whitelaw Reid and ar
ranged a scheme for securing help
mates of Wall street. Upon the stat
ute books was law passed
by the forty-sixth congress
in 1873. 1t was popularity
called the Thurman bill, and It
provided for the establishment of a
sinking fund by the Pacific railway,
for the purpose Of extinguishing
their indebtedness to the govern
ment. This act was contested by the
corporations, and the decision ofthe
supreme court was regared by them
with great concern. Fortunately
for General Garfield's plan, he az a
member of the lower house, had OPP
posed the bill, had attacked its con-
stituiionality, and had stepped into
corridor while the vote was being
taken, so that his name did not ap-
pear upon the roll. 1t was very easy,
therefore, for him to commission
Whitelaw Reid to say to Mr.. Gould
that If purse could be raised to help
the party IN Ohio and Indians, he
would cheerfully, when elected pres
ident, appoint to the vacancy on the
supreme bench judge who would
votethe Thurman act demonstrations
al. Such aproposition did not involve
any sacrifice of principles on bis
part. Mr.. Gould was content
enough to make the trade,
but he had had so much
trouble with politicians that he had
come to the conclusion to always
demand that such matters be put in
writing, not that he doubted that
General Garfield was gentleman of
honor, and would faithfully keep his
word, but there were so many mis-
understandings in his life. If he
would just jot 1t down In q little
memorandum it might be better
than letter. He (Mr. Gould) was
perfectly willing to make Whitelaw
Reid custodian of the letter. He
didn't care about that so General
Garfield wrote the letter, Wbitelaw
Reid put il in his vault, Mr.. Gould
raised the purse and Ohio and In
diana were saved. 1t has been said
that the sum was $350,000, and that
Secretary Dorsey pocketed all but
$4,000, but that is probably false.
Nine days after the Inauguration
President Garfield made good his
promise by sending the name of JUS
tice Stanley Matthews to the senate