The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1883-09-22

The most amusing, If not the most
instructive, feature of the Dorsey
Barker revelations is the new light
thrown upon two important political
events: the nomination of Garfield at
Chicago and the Republican victory in
Indiana at the election in the following
October. The contemporary historians
of the great moral idea party have
"spread themselves, SO to speak, in
describing the "Providential circum-
stances which led to the defeat of
Grant and the selection Of candidate
who had never been seriously thought of
in connection with Presidential hOnors,
and who was as much surprised when
they were thrust upon him by the Con-
vention as was Cincinnatus when sum-
moned from the pillow to the dictatorship
of imperiled Rome. Who can forget, OF
remember now without burst of laugh
ter, the accounts of Galfield's behavior
on that immortal occssion?-how be
was completely overwhelmed" when
his name was mentioned: how he
vainly endeavored to decline
the coming event in favor of John Sher-
man; how he s.insisted that consent
was impossible;' how "terribly con-
fused he was, and how 1.-THE bushes
of modesty and embarrassment antled
his cheeks" when the result of the final
ballot was announced; and how he
s'tried to escape from the ovation Of
congratulation' which closed the pref
ty pieceof business. The picture drawn
by Republican pencils was SO graceful
and attractive ~ the unsophisticated
popular mind, that the artist engaged
in the preparation of the Garfield Ma
tional monument might have incorpo-
rated it in the forthcoming marble or
bronze, and so transmitted to admiring
posterity the edifying spectacle of .
Presidential nominee who did not want
to be nominated, had not the slightest
expectation of being nominated, and
could possibly have helped it. Alas for
''the truth of historyr' Alas for the
design of the artist! Remorseless Dor
sey and Baker have sat down upon both
and flastened them out forever. The
world now knows, beyond all reasonable
doubt, the real facts in the case; knows
that Garfield knew all about the plans
of his friends for springing him upon
the Convention; knows that he was
consulted in regard to the matter, and
gave his consent with the utmost
promptness and pleasure; knows that
he had no more intention of nominal
ing Sherman than of doing the same
for General jackson or Julius Caesar;
knows that all his confusion, surprise
and modesty was only a neat bit of act
- o~~1 Ia - LII So
his sleeve at the game so successfully
played. Thanks to Dorsey and Barker
-unimpeachable Republican witnesses
they are, too-one more Republican
historical humbug has been exploded.
and vanishes out of sight leaving behind
nothing save bad smell
A worse smell, however, is left by
the second exploded humbug. the Oc-
tober election in Indiana. The Repub-
lican press declared at the time, and
have been declaring ever since, that
the Republican victory was due to "a
grand uprising of the people in behalf
of Republican principles;" that it was
ga greatswork of political conversion,
"a moral tidal wave" "a special provi-
dence for the salvation of the Union
and the results of the war" The world
now knows that Garfield's bargain and
sale produced $4,000, 900 for campaign
purposes; that S400, 900 went to Indiana
sin crisp two-dollar bank notes." that
this money was used in the most I'M
scrupulous fashion, and that the result
of the election no more represented the
true sentiments of the people Of Indiana
than it did those of the people of
Dahomey. No such scandalous and
shameless transaction as this is recorded
in our political annals, the Presidential
conspiracy of 1876 always excepted; and
both are fragrant flowers in the bouquet
of Republican rascality and rottenness.
We can not help plying those honest
Republicans who voted for Garfield in
1880, believing him to be champion
from all completely with corrup-
ton as an unborn babe. How
their eyes and mouths must open in
utter amazement as they read of his
share in the Indiana performance, and
how utterly Disguised they must be at
their own innocent gullibility! For
sweet charity's sake we will say nothing
of the biographies which will have to
be revised to meet the demands of the
Dorsey Barker documents; the funeral
orstions which must undergo the same
process for the same reason; the COM
plete demolition of the idol which Re-
publican hands erected for the Repub-
lican multitude to adore. Enough to
say that biographers, orators and idol
makers have ABUNDANT cause to curse
Dorsey and Barker with the most ingen-
ious and profuse profanity, and that
If the Star-route trials have done moth
ing else they have contributed largely
to the stock of popular information
upon certain subjects heretofore envel-
oped in thick cloud of sensational ro-
nance and impudent falsehood--&.
Louis Republican.
The Dorsey SANDER.
The early telegraphic reports as to