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.
The Late Archbishop Spalding and
the Living Prof. Morse.
Revival of an Old Know Moth
ing Controversy.
70 THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:-

IL Is the choice or strange time, while the remains
OF the late Archbishop Spalding were lying state
IN Baltimore, ana the solemn ceremonial and imp0s-
ing pageant there being enacted, for your Bal
! tlmore 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 Lore for history to the dignity of passion.
which necessitaed references to preccdents
81
w es the he .H H. sn Of s
Sss force o @ %e In sSsa ys sss Of as
which they directed about the time that the "Know
TO the
The Archbishop, at that time Bishop Louisville aaty
Being compeed to the ss litigation sa that
PLAYED much intimate knowledge of French history
ana the books and papers OF the great French than
ms dsc0mhted opponent. His manner parook OF the
gon whence he came.
1t 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. a slain victim of the crude force' and
bishop; but the time chosen and manner are mat
ters Of taste ON which have nothing to say. But
to den0unce me as 'discOm1ted opponent as
compelled to retract," under the crude force'' OF
the Arcnoishop's blows, &C., is little more than
am willing tamely TO submit to. The victory In the
controversy Is claimed for the Archbshop; before
have done Will show to whom In this controversy,
waged IN the western papers some eighteen years
enI In the exercise or his has chosen the tame
OF ms attack; nave therefore no choice III tne tmo
OF my reply. beg brief space In your columns to
correct his msstatements.
THE ORIGIN OF THE CONTROVERSY.
In the heated political controversies OF the times
OF 1864 ana 1855, the motto saying attributed
Lafayette that III the liberties Of the United States
was producing u disastrous eject In the view OF
some parties at the West on the elections at those
Hence it was deemed vital necessity to devise some
mode OF destroying the influence or that sOlemn
pare yourself for the manner in which this damas-
ing motto was to be disposed or An article appeared
DsgraceIui Forgery which Went the rounds S Of
the newspaper press, and IN which IL was stated
Sa e On e wes Gs @ oy
written In 1929 (please note the dateI TO gentle
man In New York In which NC letter the General u
the New York gentleman from perusing that
motto were groundless. The pretended letter
OF Lafayette 10 this gentlemen IN New York short
and Is as follows. General Lafayette Is MADE to
say:-"I cannot but admire your noble sentiments
Institutions. But l must be permitted to assure
you that the fears, which In your patriotic zeal
States Is destroyed 1t will be by ROmsh priests
certainly without any shadow or foundation WHAT
ever. An intimate acquaintance OF more than half
century with the prominent and influential priests
and members Of that. Church. both IN Europe and
need entertain no apprehension OF danger to your
republican institutions from that quarter" Nc
sooner was this pretended letter OF Lafayette
by me than was thoroughly convinced that 1t was
s,t base forgery. Forgery was stamped upon It IN
writer through Poughkeepse paper to give to the
public the evidence that sucn letter was ever writ
Ten by Lafayette. lie replied under the nom De plume
Of cold Line" I leave out Of the quotation from
Old Line" his passionate phraseology. interlarded
tion" ''infamous and selfconvicted ralslners."
.damnlng exposure "damnable CRIME '.damn.
machination," &C., whicn he very literally applies
TO those ne charges with digging out" OF the lette.
the United states destroyed 1t Will be by Catnols
priests" MIR. "Od Line" says:-"In the exctement
fraud 1T the time prepared the article Tor your
press, the proper credit was Inadvertently omitted.
a French gentleman residing near this city, and is
entitled 'Essai sur la Republique des Etats Unis
1885, IL mo-, PIP. 245,' being essay on republican,
government, with his correspondence &C., which
Now here IS "a startling array Of proiessed facts
which, supposing them TO be indeed facts, would
sd cna that letter SaS
been really written ny Lafayette. For here Is the
tltie IN tuil OF work tne name Oh us author the
Der OF pages and the date OF publication. Surely
this was enough but further copy OF the book was
natl. Was not this SUFFICIENT 10 convince me that
the pretended letter OF Lafayette was genuine ana
that ne had repudlaed the sentiment OF the motto
attributed to hmg Not at all; was only rne more
thoroughly convnced that indeed .stupendous
from the French genteman's library to be shown to
reliable gentlemen In Cincinnati. IL was not to be
elapsed. has been seen. determined to ferret
out the forgery. 1t Is not necessary at this
covered and pronounced the whole array OF pre-
tended iacts base forgerles NO such book was
cite in 1929 was ever written from beginning end
the whole story Is gross fabrication.
THE ORIGIN OF THE LAFAYETTE MOTTO.
The venue OF the controversy was now changed
to Louisville the residence Of Bishop spalding,
gerry the plea that he found the letter in Protest.
ant papers, AMI, therefore, ne considered 1t genuine
Basing his attack on me this fllmsy foundation.
he charges me with inventing or circulating the
verified Catholic priest entitled, confessions Of
Catholic Priest" on the title page OF which work n
"AmerIca liberty can only be destroyed by tue
POplsh clergy''-Lafayette.
showed not only That the motto was inserted IN
the title page OF his work by the author himself In
had been in current use for more than year ' al
least previously IL being used as the motto OF three
have been invented by me in 1886 But this E ate Of
1885 Is not the earliest use OF the motto, L the
forged letter Oh Lafayette OF 1929 IL supported as
genuine. Whence did the pretended author OF the
letter to Lafayette from New York, to which 1t In
said Lafayette replied in 1922 OBTAIN the motor for
no quotes It In iull and In spsssns Uer6fs IN his
letter to Lafayette, showing conclusivcly that the
motto was current at least far 1922 Is the
mailing 10 the counter OF tins charge proof OF my
being q 'discOmhted opponents"
also asserted and proved that Lafayette had used
nearly the very words OF the motto TO two Amert-
cans, whose names are given, and In MS CONVERSE
ton with me had expressed the same sentiments,
knew him TO be hostile to the machinauOns OF the
Poptsn clergy, and ! quoted IRON his published
speeches passages which showed his hostility to them,
III words by lar more scathing than anything con.
tanned In the motto. VIII cite from many exam
pies which quoted but one only at present in
proof OF what Iaverred. IN his speech in the Cham
bcrs september 1881, he says:-"Ben0ld the success
with which we abolished the system Of r0bberyu On