Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-06-09
e A s T e r N.
,esocrArEp PRESS DISPATCHES


A Bit OF Scandal.
rarc.oo. June THE Times Wash
;0o.ou special says an interesting bit o
h;c.orv connected with the closing day
:. the Garfield administration wasgivel
"a correspondent today. 1t appear
tho, there was a good deal of seere
.,o,bls q. the White House during tn.
a,ys of Gar6eld's illness. Chums. who
rsrs always SO near to him, monopo
lized everything in the way Of public
hns;uess and practically crowded out o,
c,bine. consideration everything relat-
,,o to the President and his family. l,
.,o,e, from high authority that Col
Rockwell, one of the chums, week OF
an before the President was removed to
pghsron, wrote out a commission for
h;rself az Quartermaster General in
ths army, and sought to got it to the
President for his signature. He show
Al. 70 Mrs. Garfield and asked her ad-
v;ce about it, saying that it would pro-
,,,blv be better to have the President at
,snd to it while he was able. At this
lime Garfield was unconscious. He re-
manned in condition of stupor and
only really appeared to have conscious
neg, as to what was going OH around.
Mn. Garfield showed the commission to
ur. Blaine, head of the Cabinet, and
asked his advice. Mr.. Blaine was very
indignant, tore up the commission, and
ss;d it was very wrong for Col. Rockwell
.obs up to any prostitution at that time.
There we're many important matters
which needed attention, if the Presl-
asnt should at any time be in a state of
mind to think of them. The chums
bitterly hated Blaine, and in every way
tbey could asserted themselves in direct
jpp affairs as against any suggestion
eysn of Blaine's. Had the President
lived. Blaine has since said, in private
conversation with number of gentle
men, he (Blaine) would have insisted
mon the dismissal of all these chums,
or be would have resigned his place in
the Cabinet. At Long Branch the
ebums could not realize that Garfield
was to die. They had been with him
and nursed him from day to day and
firmly believed when he recovered they
would have control and dictation OF af-
fairs. II was part of their plans to oust
Blaine at tho very first opportunity.
One day some one asked Blaine If he
intended to take any note of what the
chums said, openly threatening what
they were going to do. He replied:
"Bah! will have no fight with pis-
mires.' Swain and Rockwell, during
tho short period Of the Garfield Admin
istration, established foolish faction in
the dispensation Of patronage of army
appointments, promotions and what
not, largely controlled through them.
Swaim's great point on Gen. Garfield
was his financial relations with him.
Swain has acquired large fortune dur
ing the past few years by carefully saw
ing his salary, and by judicious mort
gage upon Garfield's house in this city
and also upon the farm at Mentor. Had
Garfield lived. and had these chums
been allowed to retain their hold, the
Administration would certainly have
become more notorious than Grant in
the days when tho White House was
controlled by small ring OF place men
who used the power Of the Government
for the worst Of purposes. Daggett,
weigher in tho New York custom house,
belonged to this ohum gang. he was
In New York dispensing patronage IN
the interest of the chums. He followed
the condition of the President very
closely, and through connection With the
chums was supplied with bulletins OF
the condition of the sick man. The
chums had access TO the sick room, and
they controlled all channels OF NJ
proach to the President, and gave ont
moro misinformation upon the subject
than any one else connected with the
ease. Those who followed the informa-
ton given by them lost only. One OF
the most significant incidents occurred
during the illness of the President, illus
trative of the power Of chums. 1t oc-
cured upon the day that the President
was removed from Washington to FL
beron. The Pennsylvania railroad fur
nished a special train of two cars. One
car was for the sick President and his
associates. The other car vas original
ly intended for the Presidents Cabinet.
Col. Rockwell, one Of the chums. how
ever, ordered otherwise. He took charge
Of the train, and issued orders for no
one to be admitted except upon card
from him. Two Cabinet members went
down to that train and attempted to go
to Elberon in tho car in front Of the
one assigned to the President. They
were stopped by brakeman, who said
no one could be admitted without q card
from Rockwell, and SO the Cabinet was
obliged to follow on after the chums
upon the regular train that left at 1890
o'clock. The Times gives an interesting
fact about Gen. Garfield's financial con-
dition when he lived. 1t has generally
been understood Garfield was quito a
poor man, and his resources not much
outside of his Congressional salary. Up
to the time he was elected President.
his individual estate aside from his
earnings as President was said TO reach
something in the nei2hborhood OF one
hundred thousand dollars.
Republican mimation.
CAAwroRpsvILLE (Ind } June s.-Re-
pablicans in the Eighth Congressional
District have re e-nominated VIM. Pierce.
Democratic Nemlnatten.
MONTGOMERY, (Ala.) June S.-Demo.
cratic State Convention has nominated
L. A. O'Niel for Governor.
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