[Rarebooks] FS: James Garfield Letter on campaigning, excuses scandal by saying he was on vacation

[Charles Agvent]

GARFIELD,  James  A.  AUTOGRAPH   LETTER  SIGNED  (ALS).
         Little  Mountain  Lake: 20 July 1874. Two pages on one  sheet
         of lightly  ruled  paper,  quarto.   Addressed  to  "My  Dear
         Captain"   and  marked   "Confidential."  Garfield  discusses
         political  campaigning,  particularly J. B. Phillips  working
         against  him as a result of Garfield not giving him a certain
         post. He  also  discusses  in very frank terms  the  DeGolyer
         Pavement  case,  in which Garfield accepted a  retaining  fee
         for services  rendered  to a company to furnish the  city  of
         Washington  with wooden-block pavement, a scandal that dogged
         his political  career: "the enemy are trying to make  capital
         out of  the  fact  that I made an arrangement in  a  pavement
         patent  case for a brother lawyer & was paid for it. I did it
         in vacation,    when  it  in  no   way  interfered  with   my
         congressional  duties.  To  all they may say in  the  way  of
         criticism,  the  best answer is that no member  of  Congress,
         Republican  or  Democrat  has criticized me for it.  No  body
         finds fault  except  those who are trying to get  my  place."
         Garfield later refined and strengthened his excuse. With a 4-
         page document  with  excerpts  about the case dated  30  July
         1874, ten  days after Garfield wrote this letter. The scandal
         did not  prevent Garfield from being re-elected to the  House
         and from  ultimately becoming President in 1880, "the last of
         the chief  executives  to  be born in  the  typical  American
         environment  of the log cabin." [DAB] He was shot by  Charles
         Guiteau  while  in  office  on 2 July  1881,  and  died  that
         September.  Minor  ink smear and discoloration.  Docketed  on
         verso. Very Good                                     $3000.00

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