The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1882-05-17
THE MOREY MYSTERY.
An Interview With Garfield Hitherto
Unpublished.
The Writer OF the Suppressed In
terview Appointed to q Gov
ernment Clerkship.
The Reason Garfield Always Refused to
Make a Spscisc Denial of
Authenticity.
Rort Huron CMich.) Commercial

MT. WIN, III. Little, one OF the ofhcer3 OF
/ the Scripps Association of Newspapers,
which publishes afternoon newspapers in
Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, st. Louis and
TCincinnati, was visiting his home, in S..
Clair, last week. He tells a strange story
about the Norey letter, which, as all news
paper readers will remember, was sprung
upon the country just before the Presiden-
ual election. 1t committed Mr.. Garfield
positively, over his own signature. in favor
of cheap Chinese labor, and created great
excitement throughout the country in con-
sequence. A paper in New York called
Truth published q fas smile of the letter,
and all of Ga1feld's friends made haste to
pronounce il a forgery. The supposed for
ger was arrested and it was generally under
stood by the country finally that the letter
was indeed a bold fraud although it was
never so declared by Mr.. Garfield over his
own signature.
Mr.. Little, in conversation at the time of
his visit, threw good deal OF light upon the
incidents relating to the damaging letter
that transpIred at Garfield's home. Through
out the campaign Mr.. Little was manager of
the Cleveland Penny Press, one of the
Scripps newspapers, and paper made spe-
cialty of news from Garfield's home at Men
or. The paper kept reporters there contin-
ually, and every available scrap of news was
picked up aud forwarded
When the Morey letter came out Mr.. Lit
tie promptly telegraphed to Mr.. Garfield
asking for positive denial of its genuine
ness. Instead of sendingit Mr.. Garfield tel
egraphed a desire for an interview. Mr.
Little sent reporter, who was by Mr.. Gar
field requested 30 publish a denial OF the
genuineness of the letter, but to a request
hat Mr.. Garfield would write letter 10 that
effect, Mr.. Garfield refused to aeeede.
The next day Stanley Matthews and one
or two other prominent friends of Mr.. Gar
field passed through Cleveland on the way
TO Mentor. Mr.. Little, being certain that
| their mission related to the Morey letter. Sc
lected one of his reporters who was I'M
known at the Garfield mansion. and told
him to follow those gentlemen there, and,
without revealing his identity as a reporter,
to discover, if possible, the incidents of their
visit
Inc reporter, in pursuit of this object, en-
| tered Garfield's parlor not long after the Wis
| iting statesmen. 1t is proper TO explain that
| the house was open to the public almost
without restriction. People came and went
with as little ceremony as they would go
| into one OF our city Offices during business
hours.
The gentlemen were basily engaged, as
was expected, discussing the Morey letter.
Stanley Matthews urged Mr.. Garfield to
| write a letter positively denying it. Mr..
Garfield declined, and gave his reasons
| frankly.
| He said, in substance, that he was not in
position to deny it positively. He had
come in, he said, the morning the letter
purpOrted TO have been written, after being
several days from home. and just after his
election to the Senatorship. He found a
large number of letters re Iuiring bis atten-
ton, aud assisted by his Seere AIRY, proceeded
| to reply to them. The work was done as
rapidly as they could do it. The Secretary's
writing, Mr.. Garfield said. was so much like
his own that he could scarcely tell them
apart Therefore it might be possible that
| had either written or dictated the famous
letter. At any rate, he was not sure enough
| that lie had not ~ venture upon the posi-
| tive personal denial that his friends sought
to have him make.
There was a great deal more than this in
the interview, and the reporter had it all
/ down in his mind, when Mr.. Garfield turned
and saw the stranger present.
| Walking up to him he asked his name
and business, which the reporter promptly
made known.
| Mr.. Garfield then gave him to understand
| that what he had heard was a strictly private
conversation, not TO be published under any
| circumstances. A fter good deal of discus
sion the reporter left and, returning to
Cleveland, laid the report before Mr.. Little,
but at the same time said he did not wish to
have it published.
Have you given any promise thatit shall
| not be publishedY' asked Mr.. Little.
The reporter said there had been no direct
promise TO that effect, but that after what
had been said he did not feel like publish
| ing the article
SBut." said Mr.. Little, "you were sent
there under pay from this paper to get the
report just as you did get it. 1t belongs to
the paper and not to you."
The reporter still insisted that it could not
be published, and, taking the manuscript
| he had written. put it in his pocket. Mr..
Little, from memOry-having read it over
four or five times-wrote ii out in the Be-
porter's presence and expressed his inten-
| ton to print liz.
Then the reporter said that if he did he
himself would print denial of the whole
| transaction. Mr. Little saw that this would
leave the paper in an awkward Fix, but he
went on and telegraphed to Garfield that he
had the statement of the reporter, and that,
as it was a matter of great public interest,
he proposed to publish it. he asked Mr..
Garfield to make any statement he chose in
regard to it. To this telegram Mr.. Garfield
made no reply, but shortly after promi-
nent citizen of Cleveland came in. to whom
| Mr.. Garfield had evidently telegraphed
in relation to the matter He protested
| against its publication, and as the reporter
continued resolute in the position he bad
taken, all Mr. Little could do was to dis
charge him FROM the employ of the paper
nd refrain from publishing the article
From the fact that neither for newspaper
reporters nor in response TO the solicitations
of his intimate political friends. would Mr..
Garfield formally deny she Norey letter, Mr..
L. tie f.e'- cry much inclined to believe
tuat he wrO IN Tie hasty manner that Gar
/ field himself admitted that il may have been
! written.
/ While there was nothing personally dis
honorable in Mr.. ssartield's holding the
opinions on the Chinese subject expressed
by the letter, they would have greatly dam
aged his cause if they had gone andenied al
the time. The truth now can not either dis
honor his memory or have political
effect. After election, of course, the
excitement died away, but the people were
well convinced that the letter was forgery.
That this conviction sprung rom the efforts
of Mr.. Garfeid's friends than from his own
act is something that the public have a right
to know. 1t is particularly important to the
persons who were accuse of the alleged for.
gerry that the inner history OF the affair be
understood. and il is wonder that they
have not taken steps long ago to bring it u
light for their own vindication.
1t is a significant fact that the author OF
the suppressed report was appointed to I
Government Clerkship not long after Mr.
Garfield took his seat as President, and va
in way 10 obtain something a good dea
better il Mr.. Guiteau had not stepped il
with his shot that was heard around tn