while garfield was serving his country to the utmost of his ability in the field, the voters of the nineteenth district of ohio, in which he had his home, were called upon to select a man to represent them in congress. it perhaps exceeds any other portion of the state in its devotion to the cause of education and the general intelligence of its inhabitants. the people were mostly of new england origin, and in selecting a representative they wanted a man who was fitted by education, as well as fidelity, to do them credit.
their choice fell upon garfield, who was known to them at home as the head of one of their chief institutions of learning, and whose reputation had not suffered in the field. they did not even consult him, but put him in nomination, and elected him by an overwhelming majority.
it was a gratifying compliment, for in our country an election to congress is regarded as a high honor, which no one need be reluctant to accept. we have on record one of our most distinguished statesmen—john quincy adams—who, after filling the presidential chair, was content to go back to washington as a member of the house of representatives from his district in massachusetts. it was undoubtedly more in harmony with the desires and tastes of the young man—for he was still a young man—than service in the field. but he felt that that was not the question. where was he more needed? the war was not over. indeed, it seemed doubtful when it would be finished; and garfield was now in a position to serve his country well as a military commander.
when on the march to chattanooga, garfield consulted gen. rosecranz, owning that he was perplexed in attempting to decide.
rosecranz said: "the war is not yet over, nor will it be for some time to come. many questions will arise in congress which will require not only statesman-like treatment, but the advice of men having an acquaintance with military affairs. for that reason you will, i think, do as good service to the country in congress as in the field. i not only think that you can accept the position with honor, but that it is your duty to do it."
he added, and we may be sure that his advice accorded with the personal judgment of the man whom he was addressing, "be true to yourself, and you will make your mark before your country."
some months were to elapse before he would require to go to washington, for congress was not to meet till december.
he went to washington, undecided even yet whether to remain as a legislator, or to return to his old comrades in the army. he only wished to know where he could be of most service to his country, and he finally decided to lay the matter before president lincoln.
lincoln gave substantially the same advice as rosecranz: "we need men who will help us carry the necessary war measures; and, besides, we are greatly lacking in men of military experience in the house to promote legislation about the army. it is your duty, therefore, to enter congress."
when, on the 5th of december, 1863, garfield took his seat in the house of representatives, he was the youngest member of that body. the military committee was the most important committee of congress, and he was put upon that, on account of his practical experience in the field. this, of course, brought him, though a new and young member, into immediate prominence, and his familiarity with the wants of the army enabled him to be of great service.
i do not propose to detail at tiresome length the legislative achievements of gen. garfield in the new position which he was destined to fill for eighteen years. i shall only refer to such as illustrate his characteristic devotion to duty without special regard to his own interests. he never hesitated to array himself in opposition to the popular will, if he thought the people were wrong. it was not long before an occasion came up which enabled him to assert his independence.
the country needed soldiers, and had inaugurated a system of bounties which should tempt men to join the ranks of the country's defenders. it was only a partial success. some men, good and true, were led to join by the offer of a sum which made them more at ease about the comfort of their families, but many joined the service from mercenary considerations only, who seized the first opportunity to desert, and turning up in another locality, enlisted again and obtained a second bounty. these men obtained the name of bounty-jumpers, and there was a host of them. yet the measure was popular with soldiers, and congress was unanimously in favor of it. great was the amazement of his fellow-members when the young member from the nineteenth ohio district rose in his seat and earnestly opposed it. he objected that the policy was ruinous, involving immense expense, while effecting little good. he claimed that the country had a right to the service of every one of its children at such a crisis, without hire and without reward.
but one man stood with him, so unpopular was the stand he had taken; but it was not long before the bounty system broke down, and garfield's views were adopted.
later on he had another chance to show his independence. president lincoln, foreseeing that at a certain date not far ahead the time of enlistment of nearly half the army would expire, came before congress and asked for power to draft men into service. it met with great opposition. "what! force men into the field! why, we might as well live under a despotism!" exclaimed many; and the members of congress, who knew how unpopular the measure would be among their constituents, defeated it by a two-thirds vote.
it was a critical juncture. as lincoln had said in substance, all military operations would be checked. not only could not the war be pushed, but the government could not stand where it did. sherman would have to come back from atlanta, grant from the peninsula.
the voting was over, and the government was despondent. then it was that garfield rose, and moving a reconsideration, made a speech full of fire and earnestness, and the house, carried by storm, passed the bill, and president lincoln made a draft for half a million men.
garfield knew that this action would be unpopular in his district. it might defeat his re-election; but that mattered not. the president had been assailed by the same argument, and had answered, "gentlemen, it is not necessary that i should be re?lected, but it is necessary that i should put down this rebellion." with this declaration the young congressman heartily sympathized.
remonstrances did come from his district. several of his prominent supporters addressed him a letter, demanding his resignation. he wrote them that he had acted according to his views of the needs of the country; that he was sorry his judgment did not agree with theirs, but that he must follow his own. he expected to live long enough to have them all confess that he was right.
it was about this time that he made his celebrated reply to mr. alexander long, of ohio, a fellow congressman, who proposed to yield everything and to recognize the southern confederacy.
the excitement was intense. in the midst of it garfield rose and made the following speech:
"mr. chairman," he said, "i am reminded by the occurrences of this afternoon of two characters in the war of the revolution as compared with two others in the war of to-day.
"the first was lord fairfax, who dwelt near the potomac, a few miles from us. when the great contest was opened between the mother country and the colonies, lord fairfax, after a protracted struggle with his own heart, decided he must go with the mother country. he gathered his mantle about him and went over grandly and solemnly.
"there was another man, who cast in his lot with the struggling colonists, and continued with them till the war was well-nigh ended. in an hour of darkness that just preceded the glory of the morning, he hatched the treason to surrender forever all that had been gained to the enemies of his country. benedict arnold was that man!
"fairfax and arnold find their parallels of to-day.
"when this war began many good men stood hesitating and doubting what they ought to do. robert e. lee sat in his house across the river here, doubting and delaying, and going off at last almost tearfully to join the army of his state. he reminds one in some respects of lord fairfax, the stately royalist of the revolution.
"but now when tens of thousands of brave souls have gone up to god under the shadow of the flag; when thousands more, maimed and shattered in the contest, are sadly awaiting the deliverance of death; now, when three years of terrific warfare have raged over us; when our armies have pushed the rebellion back over mountains and rivers, and crowded it into narrow limits, until a wall of fire girds it; now when the uplifted hand of a majestic people is about to hurl the bolts of its conquering power upon the rebellion; now, in the quiet of this hall, hatched in the lowest depths of a similar dark treason, there rises a benedict arnold, and proposes to surrender all up, body and spirit, the nation and the flag, its genius and its honor, now and forever, to the accursed traitors to our country! and that proposition comes—god forgive and pity our beloved state—it comes from a citizen of the time-honored and loyal commonwealth of ohio!
"i implore you, brethren in this house, to believe that not many births ever gave pangs to my mother state such as she suffered when that traitor was born! i beg you not to believe that on the soil of that state another such a growth has ever deformed the face of nature, and darkened the light of god's day!"
