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could be profitably applied to acquiring knowledge from books. Mr. Garfield's life clearly demonstrates this statement. He acquired a habit, which may have been contracted under the influence of his mother's early example, of having a profitable book at hand for use, when his usual occupation was suspended or finished. In that way he prosecuted his legal studies; and that industry, with his natural desire to be thorough, as far as he went, gavę him a great advantage over young men of looser habits.

It is well known to attorneys how difficult it is for a young man to comprehend legal terms and expressions, without an actual contact with the practice, in the office and in the courts. It requires much more study on the part of any person to obtain an understanding of law away from the practice, while the number is very limited who would succeed in obtaining any useful understanding of it.

The success of Mr. Garfield, therefore, as we shall see, was something so unusual and astonishing that it may be regarded as the greatest intellectual achievement of his life. He understood the laws of his State and of the nation so well that, when he was admitted to the bar, he was capable of stepping from his little country home into the courts, of any grade, and trying the most difficult cases.

So improbable will this seem to attorneys, whose years of study and practice have left them none too well-furnished with legal acumen, that it would not be stated here, did not the most trustworthy of our law reports fully corroborate it.

During all this critical study of the most dry and difficult of all subjects, he neglected not his preaching, his public addresses, his private correspondence, or his family. It was all accomplished by the careful use of all his time.

His interest in political matters, however, did not lead him to take any public part in the campaigns, and his appearance in the political field was sudden and unexpected, both to the people and to him.

The story of his first political speech, and of his first nomination, have embodied themselves in the traditions of the neighborhood, and have thus been preserved for the historian.

A Democratic speaker, of considerable ability and notoriety, published a challenge for a political debate which any person in Portage county was at liberty to accept. In Ohio, they often used to engage in political disputes, with the different parties represented by speakers, in the same evening. Such was to be the proposed debate. The Republicans, who had heard Mr. Garfield speak on some minor political occasion, endeavored to persuade him to accept the challenge, and more to satisfy the urgent demands of his circle of acquaintances than for any other object, he consented to do so, and set the time, He had no such advantage of his opponent in this debate as that which he so shrewdly secured over Professor Denton, and had to rely more on the success of an independent speech, than on any hope of answering the precise arguments which his opponent might put forth. He seems to have approached that

contest with many misgivings. He could preach a sermon worthy to be published, and that on a short notice; but a political stump speech was a much more difficult matter to him. His opponent had been in many campaigns, and had all the defects and short-comings of the new Republican party by heart.

The hall was again crowded, but there was not much confidence expressed in the success of Mr. Garfield, and some of the Republicans regretted, as did Mr. Garfield, that they had not selected some one else.

But his opponent was over-confident, and consequently said some things which he was sure this. young debater could know nothing about, but which he stated in a way and with constructions to suit himself. Of course, where a disputant is allowed to manufacture his facts, and to base his arguments upon them undisturbed, he is certain of victory.

Near the close of his speech, which was able and convincing, the old politician read an extract from the Congressional Globe, giving the official report of some Abolitionist's speech, and it did put the Abolitionist in Congress, and his party, before that audience, in a very bad light. After reading the extract, with great show of indignant disapproval, the excited speaker threw the paper furiously down upon the platform near him, and within Mr. Garfield's easy reach. The latter had never before seen the official reports of congressional debates, and with a feeling

of despair he took up the paper and glanced along its columns, with no purpose but that of curiosity.

He carelessly looked down the column from which the speaker had quoted, wondering all the while how any man in Congress could make such absurd remarks, when he noticed the name of a Democrat in the column. On looking closer the name of the Republican did not appear at all in that column, and the unprincipled politician had been quoting a Demcratic speech, and claiming it to be the official report of the Republican's words. Mr. Garfield placed the paper securely in his pocket, and, when his turn came to speak, arose and addressed the audience calmly and clearly, giving his views of the heinousness of slavery and the right inherent in every man to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. When he came to his opponent's arguments, he denied in toto all the statements of the first speaker to the great astonishment of the audience. Mr. Garfield said:

"So absurd and untrue are they that I need not spend your time and mine in discussing them. I will, however, say this much, that I thank him for saving me the trouble of criticizing the speech he has read from the Congressional Globe, for its foolishness, absurdity and unpatriotic sentiments deserve unqualified condemnation. The party, too, which would support such a man for office, or would endorse such sentiments should be crushed out of existence. But the difference between the previous speaker and myself is one of fact to be determined by you. He says it was a speech made by a Republican. I claim

it was a speech made by a Democrat. Here is the same paper. Here is the name of the speaker. This is the speech. Any one doubting my word will be kind enough to come to the platform and read for himself."

There was a shout of laughter, then cheers, and the "young preacher" bore off the honors of the

occasion.

His nomination for the State Senate came about without the slightest effort on his part and against his expectations. The senatorial district in which he resided in 1859 was composed of two counties, viz: Summit and Portage. In that year by the system of rotation adopted by the party, Portage county had the right to name the candidate of the convention. A friend of Mr. Garfield's who was dissatisfied with the persons whose names were mentioned as the probable candidates, was elected a delegate. He thought of Mr. Garfield, and believed that the presentation of his name at the right time might secure success. But when the caucus met it was found that so many delegates had been pledged beforehand, that Mr. Garfield's name was not received with the acclaim his friend expected. Yet the first ballot, while there was no choice, showed that he had a strong support. The difficulty was that the politicians did not know him. His opponents also added that he was too young. The young professor was a delegate to the convention, but hardly knew what all the whispering and private discussion were about. After several ballots in which there was no choice,

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