The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-02-18
THE GHOST OF LAFAYETTE
A Voice from the Wires Against
Churchly Assertions.
Revival of an Old Know Moth
ing Controversy.
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:-

| To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:-
lie gustbus est disputsndum.
IL Is the choice OF strange time while the remains
OF the late Archbishop Spalding were lying In state
In Baltimore ana the solemn ceremonial and impos.
ing pageant were there being enacted. for your Bal
tiinore correspondent to make a personal attack
upon me In his account OF the ceremonies. He may
have supposed was dead and would not see his
Misrepresentation, not recognizing that your jour-
nal Is before me every morning. assure him / am
still alive, and although beyond four score, have
yet vigor enough to repel any attacks from that
quarter. In your Journal OF the 18th February your
correspondent thus discOurses speaking OF the
late Archbishop's literary !abors;-
His love for history to the dignity of passion
any contest which nscesed TO I prseeden
In mind was erased Els 81 3.
be w n the stable buwsTk Of the
Morse oS Of a ar gave feeling Of the
which they directed About time the aKnow
hs a s The bss ssS paS
that the liberties country II ever cverthrown would
The archbishop al that time Bishop Louisville. ay de-
20 hs &
he had heard Lafayette make use Of the eIprsasio dts
and the books and papers the patriot tina.
ms discounted opponent. His manner partook Of the
gion whence he came.
II was surely strange time to make such an at
tack upon me, to bring me forward prominently ~
name as a sort OF trophy TO grace the tomb Of the
deceased, slam victim Of the ''rude f0rce' and
wonderful skill in controversy OF the late Arch
bishop; but the time chosen and manner are mat
ters OF taste on which have nothing to say. But
to denOunce me 'disc0m1ted opponent" as
compelled to retract," under the crude force' Of
the Arcnpishop's blows, &C., is little more than
am willing tamely TO submit to. The victory In the
controversy is claimed for the Archbishop; before
waged In the western papers some eighteen years
ago, the palm of victory Is due. Your correspond
en- IN Tue exercise OF MS TASTE mas cn0sen t ne @
OF my reply. beg brief space In your columns to
correct his msstalements.
THE ORIGIN OF THE CONTROVERSY.
In the heated political controversies OF the times
OF 1854 and 1855, me motto or saying attributed to
ever destroyed 1t win be by Catholic priests"
was producing u disastrous effect in the view OF
some parties at the West on the elections at those
dates, especially among the Roman Catholics.
Hence 1t was deemed vital necessity to devise some
mode Of destroying the influence or that solemn
warning OF Lafayette; and now, gentle reader, pre-
pare yourself for the manner In which this damage
ing motto was to be disposed Of An article appeared
the Cincinnati Enquirer In 1854 under the title Of
''Dlsgraceiui Forgery which went the rounds Of
that the motto IN question was adug out by some
vilanOus wretch from letter OF General Lafayette
man @ we fes s
made to say tnat the iears expressed
OF Lafayette 10 this gentlemen IN New York Is short
and Is as follows. General Lafayette Is made to
Say:-"I cannot but admire your noble sentiments
Of devotion and attachment to your country and It's
institutions. But l must be permitted to assure
seem to entertain, that If the liberty OF the United
States is destroyed 1t will be by ROmlsh PRIESTS
ever An intlmate acquaintance OF more than half
q century with the prominent and influential priests
America, warrants me in assuring you that you
need entertain no apprehension OF danger to your
sooner this pretended letter OF Lafayette read
by me than ! was thoroughly convinced that 1t was
almost every line. 1 therefore called upon the
writer through P0ughkeepsie paper to give to the
Zen by Lafayette. lie replied under the nom de plume
OF "Old Line" leave out OF the quotation from
as S wS sac erms as tae
tom INFAMOUS and sell convicted ialslfiers"
ia sa;s, cme"
machinauon." &c, which he very literally applies
to those ne charges WIN digging OUT OF the ette.
priests" Mr.. ''Old Lne' says:-"In the excltement
fraud IT. the time prepared the article ior your
press the proper credit was inadvertently omitted.
rne work was obtained IRON the private library q
a French gentleman residing near this city, and ID
entitled 'Essai sur la Republique des Etats Unis
1885, II mo-, PIP. 245' being an essay on republican,
government with his correspondence, &C., which
ne @ On ms reuura ar 70 &
which, surprising them TO be indeed facts, would
without close scrutiny seem to establish the more
been really written ny Lafayette. For here is the
title in full OF work. the name OF its author. the
place OF publication, the size OF tile book, the num-
Der OF pages and the date OF publication. Surely
this enough, but further, copy ofthe book was
said be IN the library OF gentleman near Clncln
natl. Was not this sufllclent 10 convince me that
the pretended letter OF Lafayette was genuine ana
attributed to hun? Not ut all; was only the more
thoroughly convinced that Indeed ''stupendous
from the French gentleman's library to be shown to
reliable gentlemen In Cincinnati. IL was not to he
found and to sns Day after eg,eem years ,d nave
out the forgery. 1t Is not necessary at this
time to give in detail the process by which | dis
covered and pronounced the whole array OF pre-
tended facts base forgerles. No such book was
ever printed in France, no such letter from Lalay.
cite in 1929 written, from beginning to end
the whole story IS gross fabrication.
THE ORIGIN OF THE LAFAYETTE MOTTO.
The venue OF the controversy was now changed
the lists in support OF Mr. Old Lines for
gerry, the plea that he found the letter ia Protest.
ant papers, AMI therefore, he considered 1t genuine;
and as such he inserts It In his "Miscellanles."
Basing his attack on me on this nimsy foundation.
he charges me with inventing or circulating the
motto, because in 1885 edited the work OF a con-
verified Catholic priest, entitled confessions OF
Catholic Priest" on the title page OF which work n
the motto m question: expressed IN these words IN
America liberty can only be destroyed by the
In rebutting this charge OF originating the motto.
the title page OF his work by the author himself in
1885 and not by me- put also that this very motto
had been In current use for more than O year a.
least previously II being used motto OF three
different journals IN $685. ana therefore could not
have been invented by me In 1886. But this date Of
1885 Is not the earliest use OF the MOTTO L the
forged letter OF Lafayette OF 1899 supported as
genuine. Whence did the pretended author OF the
letter to Lafayette from New York, to which It IN
said Lafayette replied in 1922 OBTAIN the mottof for
he quotes 1t IN iu and IN spsfssints uer6ts IN his
letter to Lafayette, showing concusively that tine
motto current at least far as 1929. Is the
mailing to the counter OF tins charge proof Oh my
being ''dscOm6ted Opponent"'
also asserted and proved that Lafayette had used
nearly the very words OF the motto TO two Amert-
cans, whose names given, andin MS conversa-
ton with Inc had expressed the same sentiments.
knew him to he hostile to the machinatOns OF the
POpsn clergy, and quoted IRON MS published
sneeches nassapes which showed his hostility them,