The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-03-23
N G Johnson
TRUTH TRIUMPHANT.

1t is said that the publication of
the Garfield letters regarding Gen.
eral Rosecrans, has created great
sensation at Washington. The
point at issue touched, was raised
by Eulogist Blaine regarding the
services of Rosecrans as commander
of the Army of the Cumberland,
when General Garfield became chiet
of staff. Eulogist Blaine gave the
matter to the public, and then the
letter was produced and published,
1t being addressed to Salmon
P. Chase. Blaine had
stated that General Garfield
found the command poorly disci-
plined aud disrupted by the petty
jealousies and rivalries of the diff
ferent corps commanders, but that he
sat about the duty of healing these
differences, and accomplished the
difficult task. Fast upon this de-
claration, General Rosecrans, the
commander of the army in ques-
ton, aud at the time referred to, de-
MED Mr.. Blaine's statement, and
demanded his authority for
his assumption and declara-
tion. To this Eulogist Blaine
has made no reply, but this letter,
purporting to have been written by
Gen. Garfield in 1868, was pub
lished, and in it all that was
claimed by Blaine, and even
more, is clearly set forth.
The charge at once made by a great
many Republicans was that the let
ter was a fraud, and that it had been
produced simply to strengthen Mr..
Blaine in his assertions, but, al
though this shows the estimation in
which Blaine is held for veracity, it
appears now that the letter is genu-
inc, and that General Garfield really
did write what has been published.
A writer in the Washington Star,
signing himself Justice" and un-
derstood to be Chauncy l. Filley, has
this to say on the subject:
l read with great interest the Gar
field-Chase letter in your paper to-
day. / will take an oath it Is gen.
uine, for l saw the original in Mr..
Chase's house in 1867, when he re-
sided on the corner of Sixth and L.
streets. What became of it and
how it turns up now L do no not
know. To one who knew Garfield
well this letter is no surprise. He
was a treacherOus, a cOwardly, u
hypocritical man, selfish in the ex-
treme and not caring what hap
pened, so it did not happen to him
self. General Rosecrans was and is
worth to this country thousand
Garfields. When the fighting that
Garfield was craving for came on,
he took good care 10 keep out of
danger. 1t is true, as the New
York Tribune published some time
ago, that at Chickamauga he was
behind a tree, but it is not
true that white dove lit
in the tree above him, for
THERE ARE NO WHITE DOVES
in that part of the world, and never
have been. There are few dOmes-
tic pigeons, but they are not in the
habit of lighting in trees or coming
near the roar of battle. 1t is high
time, for the sake of our national
common sense, the truth of history
and justice, alike to the living and
the dead, that all this gush over
Garfield should end. Millions of
better and greater men have lived
and died. The writer of this article
was a delegate to the Chicago con-
yention, and at no time there voted
for Garfield. 1 sat within few feet
of him, and spoke to him just after
his nomination. He was whimper-
ing tike spanked baby, and water
was in his eyes. He was nothing but
a professional office-seeker and pro-
tessional politician. A failure as
preacher and lawyer, he learned
to string words together as a child
does beads, and that was his stock
in trade. No one can point to an
original thought he ever uttered.
He betrayed John Sherman at Chi
cago as treacherously as Brutus did
Cesar,
OR JUDAS DID CHRIST.
While making his speech nomi-
mating Sherman, clear voice from
the gallery called out: "Nominate
Garfield" have it upon the au-
thority of one who became after
ward a member of Garfield's cabinet
that the voice was that of hired
claquer from McVicker's theater,
stationed there for the purpose, to
carry out scheme the Garfield ring
had concocted long before the con-
vention met. No one wants to do
injustice TO dead men, but they are
worth no more than living ones, and
living or dead, the reputation of a
brave, patriotic and useful soldier
like General Rosecrans should not
suffer in the eyes or thoughts of our
people, by the words OF such a man
as Garfield, who knew nothing of
the science of war, and who was
such q jack-at-all-trades he knew