e 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 f