The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-07-05
Democratic Policy.

Justification for its act in making public
Garfeld's confidential letter of July 81,
1868. Mr.. Schuckers, in his letter to Mr..
Oberly, excuses his action in giving the
letter of July "a and other letters to the
public on the ground that "Garfield's
memory is q political factor of some inn
portance." .@
The purpose, then, of this ransacking
of private letters is to destroy Garfeld's
memory as political factor. This was
evident from the first, but this frank con-
fession makes it clear that Democratic
success in the next Presidential cam
paign is not expected II people cling TO
the memory of Garfield as they do now.
It does not suit the Democratic pur-
pose to have Garfield retain the place in
history and in the affections of the
people that the world has accorded to
him. Realizing that many Democrats,
as wen as nearly all Republicans, hold
Garfield In tender remembrance, Mr..
Charles A. Dana, Mr.. j. w. Schuckers
and Mr.. John II. Oberly, all Democrats,
set about undermining Garfeld's hold
on the people.
To do this, Mr.. Schuckers furnishes
for publication letters written by Gener-
al Garfield to Secretary Chase, January
IA, February 10, April II, May 5, May
9, July "a and September %, 1868. In
the first letter General Garfield said he
chose the field in Tennessee for active
service because he believed there was
more life and work in the West, and
that the chief hope of the country rested
| in the Western armies. That was not
discreditable to the General as fight
ing man or patriot
In the second letter Garfield explains
that he gives up the command of di-
vision to become Rosecrans' chief OF
staff, and declares that having seen the
| interior of Rosecrans' nature, he be-
| lieves that he is sound to the bone on
| the great questions of the war. This
| will not strike the admirers of Rose
Grams or the friends of Garfield as being
very damaging.
In the third letter (of April 12), writ
ten before the opening of the Tullaho-
ma campaign, Garfield informed Mr..
Chase that the army was in splendid
condition and nearly ready for work.
| with rations on hand to last until Sep
tember. He further explained that he
and Rosecrans had discussed the negro
question. and congratulated MIR. Chase
on the brilliant aud solid success Of his
financial measures. This was not q very
bad letter.
In the letter of May 5, Garfield ex-
pressed his hearty approval of Chase's S
letters on the emancipation question,
declared that Rosecrans was greatly
pleased with Chase's letter to Garfield.
and fully concurred in the Secretary s
letters to the Union League on the
negro question. As to army affairs,
Garfield wrote that he had been anxious
to impress on Rosecrans the truth that
"our true objective point of operations
is the rebel army, and not any particu-
lar position or territory. Nothing but
hard blows that will break their armies
and pulverize them can destroy the
Confederacy. / am, therefore, for
striking, striking, and striking again
until we do break them" This letter
was strongly Republican. As Mr..
Chase, in the letters referred to, recon-
mended the organization of National
Emancipation Commission, the arming
of the negroes, and the making OF
Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas
free States, it will readily be seen that
the hearty approval Of Garfield and
Rosecrans was offensive to Democrats.
As Garfield, in outlining war policy,
repeated or amplified one of Grant s
maxims, he struck sensitive Democrats
another blow. For this the people have
forgiven him
In the letter of May 9, Garfield wrote
Streight's expedition, and that 1--WE are
holding everything in suspense here un-
til we have solid ground to go on" All
these letters, it must be remembered,
were written before the forward move
ment ON Tullahoma began. They are
all loyal to Rosecrans, and in sympathy
with his plans. The object of theiI
publication, apparently, is to show that
Garfield wrote openly in one way, and
in another in secret, as in his confiden-
tial letter of July "a. In fact, Mr..
Schuckers seems to lay great stress on
the point that Garfield in the letter oi
May 9 speaks of holding everything in
suspense, and in his letter of July "a Of
urging Rosecrans at the same date to 6
forward movement.
Let us look into this. In his letter o.
July "a, Garfield said: 81 couldnot just
ly say we were in any proper condition
TO advance till the early days of May:
But when about the middle of May the
rebels began quietly to draw away
forces to aid Pemberton, he pleaded fol
advance, and he continued to urge al
advance from that time until June "a
when the army moved forward on Tul-
lahoma and swept the rebels out O
Middle Tennessee without the loss of ,
hundred men. This, Garfield claimed
yindicated the wisdom of his argument
in favor of advance. But when in nint
days the rebels had been driven iron
Middle Tennessee, Garfield urged tina
the forward movement be continued
II was not, and it was against this :" ia
tai delay'' that Garfield complained o
In his letter of July 27.
Nothing is clearer than that Garfielt
sympathized with Rosecrans in hi
thoroughness of preparation. But IL
his letter of April IA he said the arm.
was nearly ready, and in the letter o
May that they were waiting in sus
pense until they had solid ground to g
on. But after the forward movemen
had begun nothing is clearer than tina
Garfield, both in letters to Rosecran
and others. official and private. urged
continuance of the movement until tn
enemy was struck and overwhelmed
This was to his credit.
The sum and substance of this las
Democratic assault on Garfield Is In
cluded in the effort to make it appea
that he was insincere in that he wrot
one way in open letters and another wa
. under the seal of confidence, and tina
he was disloyal and false-hearted, Il
: that while he pretended to be the frien'
of Rosecrans he was writing letter t
displace him. Both charges fall to tn
ground, because there is not line Q
evidence in all the letters to supper
either, and MIR. Shuckers must be NOR
than ordinarily stupid if he really be
ueves thereis-
But whether he does or not is not i'm
portant The significant point in a
this business is that war on the memor
of Garfield "as political factor is {
> be feature of the new Democratic po
10y. Let the people remember this an
/. act Chicago Inter Ocean