Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1871-07-14


in the right direction. / know per-
sonally that he stands high with the
administration, and has influence
with the President, and is held in
high esteem by his fellow Senators.
His speech on San Domingo has Civ
en- him an elevation few Senators en-.
Joy. Hoping that you will in all
suitable ways interest yourself for
Mr.. Harlan, 1 am truly yours,
J. p. NEWMAN
Having been claimed that this was
q Autograph letter. Mr.. Harlan
says:
A month since, and before leaving
Washington City, at the close of the
recent Executive Session of the Sem
ate, received communication from
friend at Des Moines, Iowa, stating
that certain friends of gentleman
named as q candidate for the United
States Senate, were greatly agitated
about supposed Autograph letter,
purporting to have been written by
the Rev. DIR. Newman, favoring my
reelection, and that they were offer
ing one thousand dollars for an au-
thentic copy, etc. Happening to
meet the Doctor, handed him this
letter to read. After its perusal, he
requested me to state to my friend.
that he (Newman) "had sent no such
Autograph letter to Iowa, or else
where on that subject, and that no
one had done so for him, or in his,
name, so far as he knew and believed
that he had written no private
or confidential letter for which any
one but himself was responsible, that
he claimed to be free born citizen
of the United States, having the
right in common with all other citi-
IONS, to entertain and express his
opinions of public men and public
measures"
Mr.. Harlan further says:
1t is difficult to divine the purpose
of the production of this supposed
letter, and its simultaneous publica-
ton all over the country, with
the accompanying sensational
discussion-especially by the Du-
buque papers. Why should the
authenticity of such letter be de-
MED and asserted, pro and con, by
these self-constituted champions? Is
there anything in it, which any one
might not say of another to a mutual
friend, if he supposed this statement
to be true? Why, on the one hand,
inform the public with so much cir
cumstance and assumed surprise,
that the writer is chaplain of the
Metropolitan Methodist Episcopal
Church." and assert with apparent
establishment, that sit is understood
that all the Presiding Elders in the
three Conferences of the State who
could he trusted as reliable Harlan |
men, or who were not avOwedly OPP |
posed to him, were favored with O
copy ?p And, why should the other
champion, with such complacent in-
dignation, assert that it must be q
fabrication or forgery. as if genu.
inc letter of the kind would be clear
| ly infamous-unless intended by
both champions as An appeal to the
sectarian prejudice of all other re-
| ligious denominations.
Is it not the cropping out i'm the
English press of what was commence
ed in the German press last winter ?
In the early part of January just
past, Der Den1okrdt of your city,
published articles inspired from
| Washington City, as it stated, i'm
pregnated with the same views,
which I perceive have from time to
time, been continued and reproduced
in other papers of the State, printed
in the German tongue. These arti-
Giles on good authority from Wash
ington," accuse me of various de-
signs, tricks and schemes, totally I'M
ounded-fabricated by somebody out
of whole cloth, which if true would
have merited the severest censure.-
In one of these dated January 18th,
under the caption IA word to our
Colleagues of the Republican Press"
the writer informed them that Mr..
Allison was, as far as the writer
could learn, "a favorite candidate i'm
all liberal circles of the Republicans.
To this appeal another German re-
spends on the 10th of the same
month, in these words: "As for
candidates until now, are only nam.
ed Allison, Harlan, Merrill, and
Howell. The first named is our man
and the sooner the liberal element
will be united upon him, the more
frank and successful the agitation
will be carried OH for him.
What appears to me most strange,
is the invidious character of this
species of opposition. 1t has been
kept up by a certain class of journ-
ais and of politicians. ever since my
first appearance in public life. Other
public men i'm Iowa, without church
affiliations or of other denominations
have not been so badgered. No one
would have known from the political
discussions of the day. that out of
the five Republican Governors of
Iowa, Grimes was a Unitarian in
sentiment; Lowe and Stone Presley
terians; Kirkwood, without any ex-
pressed religious attachments; and
Merrill, Congregationalist. Or, that
cut of the twenty-five Republican
members of Congress, including Sen
ators and representatives, with
whom have served since entered
the Senate, Messrs. Curtis, Vande-
yer, Hubbard, Smyth, Howell and
Donnan, were, as / am told, Presby-
terians, .Grinnell, Loughridge and
Palmer Congregationalists; Kassen,
Dodge and Cotton, Episcopalians
Grimes and McCrary, Unitarians;
and that, of the remaining number,
two are Methodists, two UNIVERSAL
lists, and six Ito mel not known to be
attached to any religious society. |
ask again, in what respect are my re.
ligious views and affiliations excep-
tional, tkat l and my fellow church
members should be so specificallyand
persistently psraded in each political
campaign where my name happens
to appear. 1t cannot be merely be-
cause my religious associates some-
times bear with me as speaker in
their assemblies for one at least of
my Congressional colleagues, has
been i'm orders and served as a 'set.
tied Pastor" over a Congregational
Church, and have never enjoyed
such distinction. 1t cannot be be-
because | have ever faltered i'm my
support of Republicans principles, or
of the nominees of the party.
Mr.. Harlan closes his letter with
these statemanlike utterances, which
should call forth the frank endorses
ment of his enemies as well as his
friends, whatever may be said of the
wisdom of going into print to defend
his position. He says: ".
"And now, let me say a fiual word
on this subject, to the people of Iowa
who may read this letter. have
never asked, expected or desired sup.
port for any official station, on oc-
count of religious considerations. I
have never, at any time, adopted
means, either direct or indirect, to
secure church influence for such
purpose. Ana although I am frank
to confess that esteem the right to
speak for Iowa on the floor Of the
American Senate at this period in
the worlds history, the greatest hon.
or with which n citizen can be
clothed, yet, unless cheerfully con-