The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-07-27
THE NEWMAN !. LETTER.
A Letter on the Subject from the Rev,
| W. A. Chambers.

Iowa Cry, July 10, 1871.
Editor of the State Regisjer!-lh
glancing over your issue Of the 10th
inst. my eye CHANGED to fall upon a
brief extract from the Nashua Post,
in which the editor of that paper
seeks to give the public the benefit
of his personal knowledge" Of the
"Ne,cmdn letter." about which there
has been much and 80 silly ado of
late, by parties opposed to the return
of Hon. James Harlan to United
States Sehats.
Now have no political axe to
grind, nor am | conscious of any
particular. partlality for Mr.. Harlan,
but having myself some "personai
knowledge" Of the character and
contents Of said "letter," l deem it
my duty to vindicate tho writer
whom | know, by the way, to be one
OF the very highest typos of the
Christian geItleman-against the as
saults of preludicod politicians Who
are disposed to construe personal
desire for the reelection Of Mr.. II.
incidentally expressed in private
letter to q clerical friend, into politi-
cal meddling. Having CHANGED to
be in company with the "Presiding
Elder" to whom Mr. Felt refers ut the
time of his receipt of DR.. Newman's
letter, | was favored with Its perusal
second to himsef.
was also present with the Elder
and Mr.. Felt when the former pro.
duced the letter In evidence and H.
lustratioh OF the high esteem in
which Mr. Harlan was held at Wash.
ington, and especially in the Senate.
MIR. F.s evident hostility to Mr.. H.
caused me then to question the wis
dom Of Submitting to him a private,
confidential letter, even of the charac
ter of that, and his subsequent COURSE
has shown how we'll my doubts were
sustained. Mr.. Felt soon imagined
that he discovered what | am sure
no unprecedented mind, even of his
keen discernment, could have dis
covered, "a marked difference be-
tween the text of the epistIe and the
signature" This he believed indi-
Gated that the text had been written
by one hand, and the signature by
another. Nothing however was said
at the time, | feel sure, about "ele.
giant script, different colored ink,
&C., but Mr.. F. intima.ed the proba.
bility that the letter might have
been written at Mr. Harlan's instance
by some one employed by him, and
signed by DR.. Newman. l took the
liberty to reply that | failed to. see
the dissimllarity that be suggested
that the signature was written in a
holder hand than the body of the
letter-an almost universal fact in
ter-writing-but thai this was the
only dissimilarity that could dis.
cover. In this the "Elder" agreed
with me and conversation ended.
Mr.. Felt's intimation that that
letter was printed N elegant script,
and yet that it was quite differen,
from the ono published in the Du
buque Herald, Davenport Gazette
&C., thus showing the necessity for q
new sitting of elegant script" type
for zach, is too palpabIy absurd te
call for reply.
Now desire to say upon my per
sonal knowledge of the letter il
question, derived from two or three
attentive perusals, that there wa,
not in all it contained the sliq.ites
evidence of desire in the writer t.
manipulate, CIR TO induce any one
else to manipulate, the Methodist,
in Iowa into the support of Mr.. Har
Ian; and, moreover, that it bore NJ
evidence OF having been written a
the instance of Mr.. Harlan, or any
other second party, or by any othel
hand than the one that penned thu
signature; and that while it express
cd u decided personal preference fo
Hr. Harlan over Mr.. Allison, it con
tanned no unkind word, nor dispar
aging allusion to Mr.. A. <
In conclusion, allow me to say tina
my acquaintance with the character
OF the sixteen Thousand voters with
in the pale OF Iowa Methodism, in
clines me to the opinion that they
will neither be lured by the letters 0
even the most respectable divines
nor cajoled by the clap-trap Of de
signing demagogues in the perform
ance OF their political duties.
! Finally, it may be wise for thu
enemies OF MIR. Harlan to bear il
mind, that ii after u decade of cabi
net and senatorial service, they Cal
bring against him no stronger OBJ
Jectlons than are based upon th,
Newman letter" even with It's mos
Utotent misconsructions, the fact is /;
euiogy upon his political integrity
worthy to be coveted.
VIM. A. CHAMBERS.