The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-10-06
The Forged Letters.

The Forged Letters
The forged Blair letters continue to Occu-
ply the attention of the Democratic press
Of Virginia. but the more prominent public
speakers have ceased to refer to them. from
what we see In the papers. on course the
little curb-stOne politicians will roll them as
sweet morsels under the tongue until the
Sth OF November, but speakers who have
regulations to maintain and probable fu-
ture to look to will not expose themselves
to the criticism of such resort. The Dem
ocratic press is, doubtless, moved to con-
tinued reference to them in self-1efence.-
They know that unless they can delude the
people into belief Of their genllineless,
the reaction will be fearful. 1t is this
which they are seeking to guard against.
But it has set in already, and the influence
will be forcibly manifested at the ballot
box in November next.
Had the whole matter been approached
in the spirit that characterized the remarks
of Hon. j. Randolph Tucker. at Fncastle,
several weeks ago, a positive advantage
might have resulted to the party he repre-
sents. In abiding to the letters he said
Mr.. Blair had denied their authorship .and
that was enough for him. Here spoke the
true gentleman. He preferred to believe
Mr.. Bair's solemn affirmation that he new
er wrote them titan the unsupported asser-
ton of Wilson that he had But instead of
this manly and magnanimous treatment of
the matter, we find that gentlemen OF high
personal character affirm that, in their
opinion, the letters were in Blair's hand
writing. They do not think for moment
how easily it is for clever pensman and
a bad man to initiate the handwriting of
most any one, and how it is possible for
him to do so, if he has motive in so do
ing. Nor do they think how easy it is for
clever men to be deceived by them. Hon.
Abram Hewitt. Democrat Congressman
at the time from New York. declared in
public speech, that he believed Gen. Gar.
field had written the Morey Chinese letter
that he was familiar with Gen. Gar
fields handwriting, and had compared
the Morey letter with letters from Gen
Garfield in his possession and he had
no hesitation in saying the Morey let
ter was genuine. There were grammat
ical and photographed blunders in The
Morey letter, and it was known that Gen.
Garfield was flushed scholar. Yet party
feeling was so intense as to mislead such
man as Mr.. Hewitt. We all know now that
the Morey letter was wicked and clumsy
forgery; and we all know that the Demo-
Gratis carried three States by it and never
expressed any centrition for the detestable
robbery.
1t is known that Mr.. Blair is good schOl-
ar; lawyer of large practice and extern
sive correspondence, and the presumption is
that he would never commit the plumbers
in spelling that occur in the Wilson letters.
IL is known that he was a prominent and
representative man in the Re-adjuster par
ty, and was anxious to secure Republican
votes. He would hardly have written to u
presumed Republican, denouncing in the
COol oCSU tCi uo GiC NOOiAS SLlCHSLu "a taldt
party. In fact the letters were fierce at
tack upon both the Democratic and Re-
publican parties and make out Mr.. Blair a
fool, if not an IDIOT, in riting so as to insult
both.
Mr.. Blair has in the most solemn manner
denounced the letters as forgeries. Gentle
men Of the highest standing and of long
business acquaintance with him have pos
itively affirmed that they are forgeries.-
Bank officers, at whose counters Mr.. Blair's
banking business had been long transacted.
state that they would not have cashed his
check upon such signatures as the Wilson
letters had attached to them. Clerks of
Courts intimate with his writing say that
they do not believe the letters are in his
hand. Judges of Courts. lawyers, mer-
chants and farmers unite in similar testi-
mony. What other a1rayment of testi-
mOny could an honest. manly public, ask to
sustain Mr.. Blair's impressive oath that he
never wrote them?
And what is the evidence to confront
this strong and convincing attestation OF
the forgery of the letters? Nothing but
the opinion OF Observation-Disclosures of
high character. we admit-that the hand
writing is Mr.. Blar's ! No one yet has at
firmed that Blair did write the letters. TO
do so would be serious business. and this
they know. Notwithstanding this is the ex-
act state of the case, the Democratic papers
continue to flame the letters, and the worth
less and foolish certificates of gentlemen to their
supposed genuineness, before the people in the
hope of deceiving them and gaining few
votes This amounts to criminal wrong,
and will be SO received and passed upon by
the fair-minded and honest voters of the
State. Down beneath the surface-below the
prejudices and passions, deep down in the
consciousness, there is a sense of right and
justice with the people, and when that is
touched and stirred, the deeeits and devices of
partizans and demagogues will not amount to
much. Fortunately for Mr.. Blair, the forge
ries were presented to the public in time for
their exposure, and for the popular mind to
understand them as such. They were unlike
the Morey letter in this respect, but doubtless
were inspired by the knowledge of the tempo
rary effect of that great crime. That was
sprung upon the country and sent broadcast
over the land by telegraph only few days
before the election, so that an exposure of the
devilish plot. would not follow it in time to
counteract its effect at the polls. New Jer-
sey, Nevada and California were thus rolled
over to the Democratic column, and many
votes controlled by it in New York and Con-
necticut. But it did not succeed in its object
and the Democratic party did not attain to
power through this monstrous crime, but
would gladly have accepted it had it been sue
cessful, and then no doubt helped to prosecute
the criminals through whose depravity they
would have been successful, in order to show
their horror of such despicable agencies in
elections!
The use that is now being made of these
forged Wilson letters, after the most convincing