The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1890-02-01
FORGERY IN POLITICS.

ticulars between the Wood forgery il
Cincinnati and the Pigott forgeries il
London. The most important psrtiG
ulsr, however, in which this resem.
| blance existed was the fact, admitted
recently by Gov. Foraker, that Woo
was sent by him in quest of criminaiin.
documents, and on his finding then
was made dependent his getting HI
office of which he was in sore need
PigOtt was employed in this very way
by the young man Houston. He wa
nlred al 80 much week to 20 In searcf
OF discriminating documents What ht
was TO look for was not specified. lie
was simply to find something of some
Kind that would smash Parneil. He
went, Travelled about a good deal, and
at last turned up with the forged letters
Wood, II is true, was not sent out IN
search of any kind of document that
would damage Campbell, but In search
of particular one, and was more than
once warned that unless he found il,
he could not have the recommendation
Tor the Office of sinOke-inspector which
he was seeking. lie travelled abont II
good deal, and IN due time he turned
up with the damning subscription pa
per, which enabled Foraker 10 charge
his rival on the stump with gross cor
ruption. The case is, however, q little
worse than PigOtPs, because PigOtt'e
iorgeries only covered Parnell nd his
adhei ents, while Wood put down, along
with Campbelfs, the names of several
eminent republicans. Ii was ~ il
Pigott, besides producing letters oi
farnelPs, had also handed over letter.
oi Lord Spencer and Mr.. Gladstone.
showing that they, too, were concerned
with Parnell in schemes of assassina
tion.
The fact that the names of these em
inent republicans were on the subacrip
lion paper does not seem 10 have damp
ened the ardor OF either Gov Foraker
or his newspaper supporter, the Gin.
cinDaI Commercial Gazette, or to have
put them on the inquiry. They wer,
apparently as little deslrous OF getting
TO the bottom OF the matter as the Lon
don Times was of getting to the bottom
of the Pigott story. In both cases the
question, "Where did this paper come
fromPp was alI-iinportsnt, but il was
apparently never asked. AS soon a.
Wood telegraphed TO Foraker that the
document "was at Baltimore" and
that he was "to meet q party at Wash
ington to receive ii next Tuesday,
Foraker sent him letter of introdnc-
tion to the president, in which he called
him can Old soldier, good citizen, and
u hard W working man." with "consider-
able genius as an inventor" and we
suppose would have recommended him,
as he had promised, for smoke inspect
or IL be had not been found out. But
he does not in his explanation express
the smallest surprise at finding that
The subscription paper had the names
ut republicans of high standing on Il.
lie never thought of writing to Senator
Sherman or Mr.. Butterworth asking il
their signatures were genuine or how
they came TO be there, although he
knew Wood had considerable genius
AS al inventor" He simply gave the
paper TO the editor of the Commercial
Gazette, after having had II photograph.
ed, and took the stump himself, with
the photographed copy IN his pocket
lu both these cases q needy adveniurer
ls sent out with instructions TO find
something damaging to the private
character of political opponents; in
both he is promised something good il
he finds what il wanted; in both what
he brings back is excepted without
remark or question, and In both he has
manufactured what he could not find
The use of forgery for political pur-
poses. though by no means unknown
heretofore, has become much more
common within the last ten or fifteer
years. Its use in the torn of manutsc
iured quotations from English newspa
pers was one OF the scandals of the las
campaign, end the scandal was all th'
greater owing TO the prominence ant
business responsibility engaged In ii
The authors of the Morey letter, of th'
Pigott letters. and of the Wood sub
scription list were paltry adventurers
and the men who supply the quotation
from the English newspapers are prob
ably of the same kind. But the mel
who circulate these things and try 4
profit by them, escape all punishment
while their humble "pals" or tools ar
raiued or 20 to Jail or commit suicide
Already this year, the practice has bee
again resorted to by the Philsde, phi
Press, which, three months ago, print
ed forged quotation from the Man
chester Examiner, and when expose
simply maintained dead silence on thi
point, but kept on preaching moralit
and religion TO the uiherners, th
nugwurnps, the free traders, the civil
service reforIners, and all sorts OF be
n:ghted people.
Forgery is, next to actual frauds
counting ballots, one vi the most sci
ious crimes that can be committe
against popular suffrage. When con
lnitted for the purpose OF getting POI
session OF the smallest sum of money Q
the psltriest amount of goods, il send
the offender to the state prison 1t Is
vastly graver offense, however, whe
committed for the purpose OF chsngin
the result of an important election b
|, deceiving the voters either as TO cal
didate's character or as to his opinion
and yet 10 efficient punishment is pre-
vided tor the persons who use Ii
, tOrgeries, aud try to profit by then
while knO ing them or having goo
, reasoDs to believe them to be iorgerie
, and taking DO reasonable pains TO te
| their authenticity. Amy thorough mes
ure OF electoral reform ought to contai
, some provision providing a penalty f
. the, forger's hackers. Wood. for Il
stance, ought not 10 be driven out
decent society or sent to PRISON, viii
} Foraker suffers nothing worse than Il
lnaa 0f alartiOn