Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-07-28
Stanley Matthews.

The fraudulent President was greatly
indebted to Stanley Matthews for pro-
fesslOnal and for political services. He
paid this debt, as he did many other
debts, at the peoples expense, by con-
ferring upon Matthews one of the highest
honOrs and one OF the most responsible of
all public trusts.
The torgers, the perjurers, the ballot
box suffers, and the thieves who aided in
the lntamies perpetrated in Louisiana.
South Carolina and Florida were reward
ed with places in the custom houses. the
post offices, the Internal Revenue Bureau
and the departments at Washington,
where many of them are still to be found.
The big cOnspiratOrs like John Sherman,
index Noyes, Stanley Matthews, William
NJ. Evarts, and others who contributed to
carry the Great Fraud through, apprO-
prlated the chief prizes at home and
abroad to their own benefit. For four
years they represented in office the
greatest crime in American history.
Judge Swayne resigned his seat on the
Dench on January %, 1881. On the next
day Stanley Matthews was nominated for
the vacancy. The first chance was seized
by the fraudulent President to square
the account which he owed Matthews by
prostitutlng the Supreme Court to that
end.
Matthews had been conspicuous in the
Louisiana iniquity, and in the bargain
for the final count of the electoral vote
on the report of the Commission In the
Senate he was regarded as the retained
attorney of the Pacific Railroad corpora
tiOns.
These and other objections were urged
against his confirmation. He was yea
lously supported by Mr.. Wash. Mclean.
then of the Cincinnati ENQUIRER, and bv
other Democrats inspired bV VariOus
motives.
But the extraordinary influences that
were enlisted on both sides did not pre-
vail. The nomination was hung up dur
ing the remainder of the session, and
Hayes went out into Obscuritv. leaving
Matthews unpaid.
When Garfield succeeded to the Presi-
dency he had an obligation to redeem
superior to any claim Matthews had upon
him, and which he could not escape with
out incurring a dangerous risk. Toward
Matthews personally he had no friendly
feeling. The latter had defeated his aspf-
ration for the Senate, with the aid of
Hayes, when John Sherman went into
the Treasury.
Garfield really had no regard for HAYES.
When Gov. Foster recently declared i'm re-
gard to the appointment of Stanley Mat
thews, that ''when Garfield became
President he felt bound to carry out the
wishes of his predecessor" he stated
what was not true. There was no sim
herited obligation" Garfield was bound
by written contract, in his own hand
writing, to Mr.. Jay Gould; and, strange
to say, there is reason to believe that pa
per was the lever which was used at
Washington to force the appointment of
Judge Robertson as Collector of New
York.
Garfield nominated Stanley Matthews
for the vacancy made by the retirement
OF Judge Swayne, on March IS, 1881,
After the formation of the Cabinet. this
was his first most important appoint
ment. The Judiciary Committee was
then composed of Mr.. Edmunds, Mr..
COnkling, Mr.. Howe, Mr.. Christiancy. Mr..
Davis, of Illinois, Mr.. Thurman and Mr..
Mcdonald. A large majority reported
adversely to the nomination.
After long struggle, the employment
Of exceptional influences, and a resort to
trickery and deception, Matthews was
to 21 nays, little more than half the SEN
ate being present at the final vote
Mr.. Mcdonald voted for Matthews
Had he voted against this agent
of the Louisiana fraud Matthews
would have been beaten. So much
interest had been excited on the sub
iect at the White House that the commits
sion for Matthews had already been en-
crossed before he was confirmed. To
avoid the possibility of accidents it was
signed on that very day, Mr.. Gould got
his Judge according to contract. and
Matthews sits on the bench to obey the
orders of the men who put the soiled er-
mine on his back,