Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-09-21
The Dorsey Letters to Garfield.


The Dorsey Letters to Garfield.
Mr.. Stephen w. Dorsey. the Secretary
of the National Republican Committee
and now under Indictment for theft, is
very impatient under the imputation
that his letters to Garfield were i'm
pertinent and intrusive, and that he
had no right to give him advice in any
form it might to him seem fit. He con-
scented ''to take laboring oar in
the campaign at Garfelds particular
request, who also sent his friends to
overcome Dorsey's objections. ''Our
relat ons," says Dorsey, had for many
years been OF the closest description.
in Washington, when we were in Con-
gress together. he came to my house
nearly every day, and the association
was most intimate and satisfactory. He
was constantly seeking my views. and l
wrote to General Garfield endeavor
ing to persuade him not to take
MacVeagh into his Cabinet.
Mr. Dorsey willingly and gladly"
| furnishes copies of the letters showing
the means and style which he adopted to
prevent what Dorsey deemed little less
than an outrage. He said to Garfield:
1T will be grieyous mistake; that
MacVeagh has been for a number years
a paid lobbyist of the Pennsylvania
Railroad; that he has debauched the
Legislature of Pennsylvania, and robbed
that State of millions of dollars; that
he debauched the Legislature OF Louisi-
ana to turn Packard out and have Hayes
remain in; that he is bribe-taker and
bribe-giver trying to shield his own
criminality behind the holy look of his
heavenly-turned eyes; that the only
good thing about him is his being the
son-in-law of Simon Cameron; that he
is a forager between two armies, inva-
riahly adhering to the one with the
largest commissary.'' Dorsey urges
that if Garfield wants the minority rep
resented in his Cabinet, he ought to
have the respectable minority there.
crat-the representative of the minori-
ty who almost defeated him. He be-
lieves that it would be one of the wisest
things Garfield ever did and that the
time is soon coming when President will
'.invite an eminent member of the minor
ity to seat in his Cabinet" eff were
you," says Dorsey in closing, II would
| distinguish my Administration and Gre
ate an era in politics by putting some
! leading Democrat in my Cabinet in
stead of a leading idiot. Advice is very
common and you have lots of it. Wis
dom is very rare and have none of it,
and $50" says Dorsey. humbly, ''what
L have to say leave for that kindly con-
sideration you have always extended to
my suggestions.
MIR. Dorsey evidently does not regard
| the memory of Garfield so tenderly that
he cares to defend it from the conse-
quences of Dorsey's own letters. For,
unless Dorsey ISLANDERS MacVeagh,
which we suppose he would not admit,
the letter shows that in spite of the
s.kindly consideration always given to
Dorsey's suggestions, bribe-giver and
bribe-taker, adebaucher of Legislatures
and hypocrite, corruptionist and
idiot was deliberately given seat in
Garfield Cabinet. But no one need be
misled by Dorsey's political magnanim-
ity. He is not the kind of man ever to
want 10 see the day when eminent mem
bers of the minority shall be taken into
the Cabinet of victorious Administers
ton. 1t only shows that he was so des-
perately opposed to having MacVeagh
in Garfield Cabinet, that he preferred
to see even Democrat there. Wheth-
er this profound aversion to MacVeagh
had anything to do with his fear of Star
route exposures is not absolutely GER
tain. but it looks that way. However.
Dorsey resents the profoundly contempt
uous manner in which his relations with
Garfield,are spoken Of He insists that
he was fully justified by his previous &C
quaintance with Garfield and his man
! agement of the Presidential campaign to
talk to him as he pleased. Detroit Free
| Press. 4.