The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-04-23
THE M0REY LETTER.
An Alleged Suppressed Interview
with Garfield about it.

Mr.. William II. Little, one of the
officers Of the Scripps Association
of Newspapers, which publishes
afternoon newspapers in Detroit,
Cleveland, Buffalo, st. Louis and
Cincinnati, was visiting his home in
st. Clair last week. He tells a
strange story about the Morey let
ter, which, as all newspaper readers
will remember, was sprung upon
the country just before the pres
idential election. 1t committed Mr..
Garfield positively, over his own
signature, in favor OF cheap Chinese
labor, and created great excitement
throughout the country in conse-
quence. A paper in New York called
Truth published a fac-simile of the
letter, and all Garfeld's friends made
haste to pronounce it a forgery. The
supposed forger was arrested, and it
was generally understood by the
country finally that the letter was
indeed 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 a good deal
of light upou the incidents relating
to the damaging letter that trans
pired at Garheld's home. Through
out the campaign Mr.. Little was
manager of the Cleveland Penny
Press, one of the Scripps neWspa.
pers, and that paper made speci-
atty of the news from Garfeld's
home at Mentor. The paper kept
reporters there continually, and
every available scrap of news was
picked up and forwarded.
When the Morey letter came out
Mr.. Little promptly telegraphed to
Mr.. Garfield, asking for a positive
denial Of its genuineness. Instead
of sending it Mr.. Garfield tele-
graphed desire for an interview.
Mr.. Little sent a reporter, who was
by Mr.. Gafireld requested to publish
a denial of the genuineness of the
letter, but to request that Mr..
Garfield would write letter to that
effect, Mr.. Garfield refused to ae-
cede.
A COUNCIL AT MENTOR.
The next day Stanley Matthews
and one or two other prominent
friends of Mr.. Garfield passed
through Cleveland on the way to
Mentor. Mr.. Little, being certain
that their mission related to the
Morey letter, selected one of his re-
porterS, who was unknown 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,
The reporter, in pursuit of this
object, entered Garfield's parlOr not
long after the visiting statesmen. 1t
is proper to explain that the house
was open to the public almost with |
out 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 busily en- |
gagged, as was expected, discussing |
the Morey letter. Stanley Matthews |
urged Mr.. Garfield to write letter
positively denying it. Mr.. Garfield |
declined, and gave his reasons
frankly.
He said, in substance, that he was |
not in a position to deny it posi- |
lively. He had come in, he said, |
the morning the letter was pur-
ported to have been written, and
after being several days from home, |
aud Just after his election to the |
senatOrship. He found large num-
Der Of letters requiring his attention |
and, assisted by his secretary, pro-
ceedcd 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 pos
Sible that in the hurry and excite |
ment Of the time he had either |
written or dictated tue famous let
ter. At any rate, he was not sure |
that he had not, to venture |
upon a positive denial that his |
friends sought to have him make.
There was great deal more than |
this in the interview, and the re-
porter 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 re-
porter promptly made known.
Mr.. Garfield then gave him to
that what he mad heard |
was strictly private conversation,
not to be published under any cir |
After a good deal of |
the reporter left, and, re-
to Cleveland, laid the report |
before Mr.. Little, but at the same |
time said he did not wish to have it |
published.
AN OBSTINATE REPORTER.
"Have you given any promise that |
it shall not be published?" asked |
Mr.. Little.
The reporter said there had been
no direct promise to that effect, but
after what had been said he did not
feel like publishing the article.
"But," 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, |
I'D mt fo ron -