Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-10-28
za1lraster fntelllge1rer.
THURSDAY EVENING. OCT. 20, 1880.
That Chinese Letter.

We publish to-day fac-simile of the
Chinese letter of Mr. Garfield, which
that gentleman pronounces to be a for
gerry, but which the original publishers,
the editors of Truth, declare to be genu-
inc. While there seemed to lie reason
able degree of uncertainty as to which
party was telling the truth We have for
borne to print the Fac-Simile of the letter !;
but being ourselves entirely unwilling to
take Mr.. Garfeld's word for anything,
from the abundant experience we have
had of its wOrthlessness in his emergen-
cies, We are induced by the evidence of
its genuineness to accept this letter as
true; knowing furthermore that if it
should in fact not be of his composition
we do him no injustice in attributing to
him the sentiments it contains, which he
now pronounces to he brutal, but which
he has under other circumstances during
his congressional service affirmed sub
stantjally.
We do not expect Republicans gener-
ally to be as ready rs we are to believe
this letter to he genuine since they
naturally have more confidence in their
candidates words, and are possessed Of
an inclination to believe them which it
would require stronger evidence to coun-
tervail than it is in human power to afford
in the plainest case. There is i'm this case,
we admit, some little room for Mr.. Gar
fold Sc nd ,fc IA al, ;c1, ). Of
having written the letter: but in our
judgment the evidence very strongly sus-
tains its genuineness.
The signature has been pronounced to
be that of Mr.. Garfield by men of dis
tinction and honor, i'm whose judgment
and fairness we have entire confidence
and who have carefully compared it with
his undoubted autograph. To us this
one item Of evidence overl,alances Mr..
Garfield's denial.
In support of this testimony we have
the opinion of Mr.. +. ii. Rauci, we'll
known here, and distinguished expert,
who gives his decided opinion, after crit
ical examination. that the letter was
written by Mr.. Garfield. Two other cN-
perts give the same testimony after SINH
lar examination.
To us, though pretending no skill in
determining handwriting, the signature
in dispute resembles very closely the ac-
knOwledged signature of Mr.. Garfield
and the tac-siailc we publish to-day will
enable those of our readers who have
ever seen Mr.. Garfield's handwriting to
Judge of the genuincliess of this speci-
men. We have Gartield's admitted au-
tOgraph at our office, ard will he glad to
show it to anyone who desires to make
the comparison for himself.
The evidence which is relied upon to
show this letter to he forgery is not
satisfactory. Taking away Mr.. Gar
fields own declaration, we have left the
statement of the postmaster ut WASH
ingtOn, whence the letter WAS mailed,
that no such stamp us the one upon it
was in us at that postoftice at the date
when this letter was mailed. This evil
dence is completely disposed of by the
production of many letters mailed at the
same time and having the same post
mark.
Again, it is objected to the letter that
the word s. companyS" is misspelled,
and it is argued that an educated gentle
man and statesman like Mr.. Garfield,
would be very unlikely to misspel!. \
very weak inference, indeed, and in this
case destroyed 10y his letters containing
worse errors Of the kind, which have
now been published. In one of them he
spells pedigree "pedidree. very dis
tinctly.
Great reliance is placed on the declara-
tiOn that 10 such man as ii. l.. Morey
lived at Lynn. 1t does seem that he was
not generally known there, rs some of
the residents Of the place declare
that they did not know him. Others,
however, remember him, and certificates
are published from John Pope Hodnett,
president Of the United Labor League of
America, and William ii. Grace, chief
central organizer, dated at their head
quarters In Brooklyn, that IL. l.. Morey
was the president Of the Employers
Union, of Lynn, and that it was an Or
ganiZatiOn of boot and shoe manufactur-
ers to import Chinese coolie labor into
Massachusetts,. 1t is said that Morey
lived outside of Lynn but that city was
his pOsto!ice address
But it seems to us that this difficulty
which has been found in identifying
Morey is evidence in favor of the genu-
ineness of this letter instead of against it.
Surely anyone who undertook to forge
this letter did ii with intent to influence
the pending election; he therefore an
ticipated that it would be disputed
and vigilantly inquired into. Would
he not then have taken the obvious
precaution to provide himself with a
recipient OF tie letter who would he
ready to come forward with his declara-
tiOn that he had taken it out Of the post
Office ? or, if he preferred to have a dead
man get it, SO that no such perjury
would he required, would Inc not have Sc
lected a well-known dead man or at least
one sufficiently well-known to the COM
munity in which lie lived to make it inn
possible for any one there to deny that |
he ever existed 1t seems to us that any
one who would undertake Il forgery of !
this kind and endanger the value Of his |