The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-10-10

greater frenzy than the story of the
disappearance of William Morgan, in
1926. Morgan had been a member of
the Masonic order and it was said that
because he betrayed it's secrets to thu
world he had been murdered by the
Masons. Public feeling ran so high
because of this unsupported story that
an anti-Masonic political party came
into existence and actually entered the
presidential campaign of 1928 with a
candidate for the White House.
William Henry Harrison, who was
nominated for the presidency very
largely on the strength of his reputa
ton as a leader of the American armies
in the wars in the northwest, was
forced to face in his campaign for the
fought at the battle of Tippecanoe
which, his friends declared, had made
him the nations hero.
In more recent years the first of a
series of famous campaign canards was
the notorious Morey letter which was
circulated at the time of Garfield's
canvass for the presidency. The Demo-
Gratis were stung and goaded by the
merciless ridicule, heaped upon their
candidate, General Hancock, after he
made his philosophical suggestion that
the tariff was a local ISSUE" What
ever their inspiration of justification.
however, in vigor and reckless charac-
ter, their attempts upon Garfield left
little to be desired. On October %, ten
days before the election, there appear
ed one of the most malicious and base
falsehoods ever manufactured in a
campaign. 1t was Photographic copy
of the celebrated Morey lettee, which
was proved after the campaign was
over to be a forgery.
Tho Morey Letter.
Garheld's clear and elegant writing
readily lent itself to the forger's skill
and the imitation was practically per-
feet. The letter purported to she "
Garfields belief in the increased immi-
grafton of Chinese laborers for compe-
tition with American laborers, partic-
ularly in the far west. Fac SMILES were
sent broadcast over the country, es-
pecially to the Pacific coast states, toe
| late of course. for an effective answer
1t did not prevent the election OF Gar
| field, but 1t was the most effective
campaign trick and withall the most
| fraudulent which was ever perpetra-
ted upon a gullible public.
The Garfield episode was very close
| ly rivalled, however, by two episodes
in the Cleveland-Blaine campaign Of
1 1884. Here was born the famous al
| lucrative slogan-Rum, Romanism an6
! Rebellion-the slogan which capitalized
/ factional religious differences into anti
Blaine votes and figured largely in the
| tabulation of the November vote. i
4 appears lHdl MI. was just CON
| Guiding a triumphal tour of the cen,
\ trail west. Returning to New York hi
II received delegation of clergymen the
II latter part of October. The spokes
\ man of the visitors was Rev Samue
D. Burchard. When concluding hi.
| address, DR.. Burchard said: You rep
resent all the virtues. Mr.. CLEVELAND
/ represents Rum, Romanism and Re
| bellion."
| All who were watching Mr.. Blaini
at the time agreed that he was VIC
lently startled by the utterance. H
realized as quickly as his Democratic
| opponent the awful import of thos
| words which attacked, in strikin,
slogan, the Irish Catholics of the Uni
ted States. But he was powerless t
rebuke the statement, not wishing t
offend his visitors who had called t
do him honor. He endeavored to ex
plain the next day, but it was too late
Blaine himself, although a Protestant
was the son of a Catholic mother. Hi
| candidacy had heretofore attracte
/ vigorous Irish-American support, bu
I when Rum, Romanism and Rebellion
] tolled it's ringing tocsin across America