The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-11-25
AnoPEnLErrER.
From Donn Piatt TO James A. Car


speciarto the Cipcinnati Commercial.
WASHINGTON. D. c., Noy. IA
Dom Pistt in ts-day's Capital. pub
fishes an open letter addressed to the
Hon. James A. Garfield, which, owing
to the friendly relations known to ex-
ist between these two gentlemen, has
produced decided sensation and has
been the theme of conversation in the
hotel lobbies TO The letter ia
quite lengthy. The following are brief
"MY DEAR GENERAL-Now that
this senseless political row is over, and
you are the President-elect, venture,
before you are buried in that mansion,
through the thick walls and plate glass
of which no word ever reaches the in
cumbent, to write you few words in
the same intimate and friendly spirit
that marked our intercourse when
both occupied q cheap boarding house !;
when carried. my fortunes on the
slender nib of my pen as a newspaper
correspondent, and you sought TO sup
port your family on the meagre pay
of Congressman. l go back to the
time when you gladly accepted my aid
and sympathy in your troubles, and
my heartfelt congratulations in your
trlumphs, and yours. ! feel more
anxiety about you my friend, now
that you are fortunate, than in the
darkest hour of your life when life
itself seemed SO horrible that an es-
! cape from it was 3 temptation. You
have passed from the hands of friends
into the keeping of enemies, to play
the part of Chief Executive for four
years"
He tells General Garfield that he is
not only no politician, bun he is hated
by the politicians, and that history
never will put on record such an in
fanny as that upon which he was electe d
I'VE have among US certain persons
who are bent on changing the form OF
1 our present Government. They seek
to make the Presidency a life tenure,
aud under the name of q stronger
Government escape the return OF
power to the people. You know the
man W ho is to serve their purpose i'm
the 'treasonable scheme. They bank
upon bis military record and supposed
popularity" 40 - ~ .i:''.ip - .
Mr.. Pistt warns Mr.. Garfield against
the politicians, who, are determined,
as he has indicated, to change the form
of the Government, and hopes that he
will have nothing 10 do with them, ex-
eept looking to- iubreak their power.
He uses the following language.which
has attracted more attention than any
other part Of the letter: ,..';...l,,
extracts therefrom ~,
| at was your committee that inves.
IIgsfed that National shame called
Black Friday wherein Fisk, Gould
and Grant sought througha use Of the
National Treasury to enrich them.
! selves at tho expense Of thousands OF
/ honest men, 1t is not my purpose to
recall the details Of that infamy. The
chief criminal was tracked to the very
threshold Of the Executive Mansion,
and your committee passed resolu-
iion calling upon the President to ap-
pear before the committee and defend
himself from the damning proof that
made hiE the chief conspirator, The
night OF the day that the resolution
was passed you called with it upon
the President. 1t was after midnight
before you left the White House,
amazed and sick at heart, and at your
| suggestion that very day the resolu-
ton was revoked. need not say
that you and know why that reso-
luton was SO suddenly abandoned.
The fact that under the circumstances
1t was revoked, tells the whole story.
The very Democrats of the committee
shrank from the threatened exposure" +"
The letter closes as follows:
But you are not great man. You
read in your library of heroic achieve
ments. Your soul swells over the
poetic expressions. You are full of
thought and impulse, and all ends in q
support of men you desp Sc aud par
ty with which you have nothing in
common"