The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-12-16
RnItttra1.
THE MOREY LETTER.
Mr.. HeWitt'S Statement OF the Case Which Oc-
cAsiOned Judge DaVis's EtrA-Judiclnl Attack.

N-As VI ShAO VC
cASiOned Judge DRvis'S Etra-JudIclnI Attack.
From the N, Y. Nation, Dec. 2, 1sSO.I
When Judge Davis was forced to re-
tract the false statement upon which he
had founded an extra judicial attack up
on my private character, his partisan
animus was demonstrated and his power
to irjure me was destroyed. There could
no longer be any issue between him and
me, but the controversy was transferred
tn the bar, whose traditions he had out.
ragged, and to the press as the guardians
of the public, whose rights he had vio-
lated.
But while am thus relieved from the
necessity Of replying to his personal
structures on my course in reference to
the "Morey letter." l am perfectly aware
that his abuse of judicial privilege forms
no justification whatever for any mis-.
takes or errors of judgment which 1 may
have committed during the progress of
this unfortunate affair, and I AN fully
persuaded that some further explana-
ton is needed from me in order that my
motives and action may be properly un'
derstood and the just measure of my re-.
sponsibility be estimated. l shall limit
this explanation to two points, in refer.
enCe to which it seems TO me have
been misa pprehended.
1t was assumed by Judge Davis that
my conduct was open to Censure because
Of the friendship" which is alleged to
have existed between General Garfield
and myself. Even on the supposition
that there was warm friendship be.
tween US, am at loss to conceive how
the expression Of my belief in the su.
thenticity Of the signature attached to
the "Morey letter" in any way violated
it's obligations. The sentiments ex-
pressed in the letter are not dishonora.
BILE, but, although open to dispute, are
held by the doctrinaires in political econ.
omy to be incontrovertible. They teach
that the right to buy in the cheapest
and to sell in the dearest market is as
applicable to labor and capital as it is to
commodities. General Garfield has been
careful student of political economy,
and the expression Of these familiar
views seemed to be the most natural
thing in the world for man who pro
fessed to accept theoretical principles as
the guide to legislative action. Sa far as
had knowledge of his opinions, and
especially as tested by his votes, sup.
posed that the letter expressed his real
sentiments, so that it never occurred to
me that my opinion as to the signature
did him the slightest personal injustice,
and If had been next friend l should
not have acted otherwise than l did
But, as a matter of fact, we were not
and never had been friends" in any
proper sense of the term. We met for
the first time at the opening of the For
ty.fourth Congress. 1 soon learned to
admire his intellectual ability, his won
derful force in debate, his unrivalled
power Of statement, and especially on
financial questions, where, as a rule, our
views were in accord. This admiration
1 frequently expressed, but there was, in
fact, an lnsuperable bar to the formation
of any friendship between us from the
outset, and this bar never was, nor by
any possibility could ever have been,
removed. For four years we were near
neighbors; we both kept house, and my
mode of life was such as to bring to my
table for social intercourse the promi,
nent men of both parties. General Gar
field never crossed my threshold, nor
did l ever enter his door. If we had
been friends such state Of lhings would
have been impossible.
But although we were not friends we
were not enemies. As l have stated
elsewhere and now repeat, our relations
were always pleasant, but they were the
pleasant relations Of political opponents
and not Of personal friendship. This
statement is onl y made because it is
necessary for my justification, and no
doabt it will be confirmed by General
Garfield. If any further evidence, how.
ever, be needed on this point, let your
readers refer to my speech m tue Con-
gressional Record of February "a, 1879,
by which it will be seen that even if tie
tie of friendship had ever existed it
must have then been sundered and
good reason will appear why was not
prepared to accept as conclusive the
mere verbal denial of General Garfield.
when his sworn testimony on previous
memorable occasion had failed to satisfy
his own party associates, his neighbors
and the very newspapers who have re.
heCted most severely upon me for my
want of confidence in his unsupported
assertion.
Judge Davis does, indeed, in violation
of ali propriety, refer to the contents of
the letters which produced for compar.
ison only in order to prove the signature
of General Garfield, as the evidence of
friendship between us. If Judge Davis
had known the circumstances under
which presented to General Garfield
trivial gift which led to this correspond
ence he would scarcely have made this
fanciful excursion into the regions of
mistaken phraseology !" bat cannot
better demonstrate the absurdity of the
conclusion that it was any evidence of
friendship than by the offer now make
to Judge Davis of similar gift of the
masculine gender, the acceptance of
which. az all hraadara of nnrariakared |