[Letter] 1866 February 8, Washington D.C. [to] Capt. H.M. Cisl / J[ames]. A[rthur]. Garfield.

The letter is written on lined paper on House of Representatives/ Committee on Ways and Means letterhead. See also Garfield's official White House biography (http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/jg20.html) and a guide to research collections of his papers (http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=G000063), as well as another letter from Garfield in the collection.

Garfield responds to Cisl's letter and assures him, "I do not think there is any great probability that the bill to which you refer will pass the two Houses of Congress." There is a worry of being financially swamped, and though Garfield hopes that a time may come when the bill may pass, he does not think it will be this winter. Before assuming the office of 20th President of the United States (March 1881-September 1881), Garfield served in Ohio's state senate, fought in the Civil War, was elected to Congress where he chaired Congressional Committees including Military Affairs and Appropriations. Garfield served as President from March 4, 1881, until his death on September 19, 1881, resulting from an assassin's attack in July in Washington.