The Hawaiian gazette., 1908-11-06

c0urtesies between President Roosevelt
and William j. Bryan, the presidential
campaign Just closed would have re-
sembled the campaigns of 1880 and
1884, when the platform issues were
forgotten in a large measure and per-
fsonal attacks were of paramount inter-
est to the public. In those campaigns
sensational letters also figured, some of
them genuine and some forged. There
were also sensational incidents that
probably affected the result of the cleo
tions. Garfield, the Republican candi.
date in 1880, was obliged to abandon
the campaign issues for a time and give
his attention to defending himself
against the attacks made upon him on
account of his alleged connection with
the Credit-Mobilier scheme, the so-called
salary grab, by which the salaries of
members of Congress were increased.
and the charge that he had, while
member of Congress, accepted $4,000 to
vote in favor of bill of the Board of
Public Works in Washington to pave
the city with the DeGolyer wood pave
ment Toward the end of the campaign
he had to spend much of his time in
denying the authenticity of the famous
Morey letter, says the New York Post.
lican candidate, was forced to devote
most of his stump speeches to explana-
tions of the "Mulligan letters" He
had explained in detail, while he was
Speaker of the House of Representatives,
but he had to go all over the matter
again when he was presidential can
didate. Moreover, he met with several
unfortunate incidents in the course of
his campaign, notably the Burchard in.
cident, which, his friends have since
asserted, was responsible for the loss
of New York State and his defeat. More
letters turned up in the campaign of
1883 which attracted public attention
Among these were the Dudley "blocks-
of-fiven letter and the "Sackville-
West" letter; both undoubtedly had
some effect in the campaign of that
year. Sensational letters and incidents
have also figured in State and in city
campaigns,
The Morey letter referred to above
was intended to injure Garfield ON the
Pacific Coast. In 1880 the Chinese i'm
migration question was agitatiRg the
country. On October~21, twelve days
before the election, New York news
paper published letter purporting to
have been written by Garfield on Jan
uary % of that year to one H. l..
Morey of Lynn, Mass. The communi-
cation appeared to be a reply to a let
J ter written to General Garfield for the
purpose of obtaining his views on Chi
nese cheap labor, and was as follows:
''House of Representatives,
Washington, d. c., January %, 1880
''Dear Sir.-Yours in relation to the
Chinese problem came duly to hand.
take it that the question of employees
is only question of private and cor
porate economy. Individuals or com
panies have the right to buy labor
where they can get it the cheapest. We
have treaty with the Chinese govern
ment which should be religiously KEEP
7 until its provisions are abrogated by the
action of the general government, anG
am not prepared to say that it should
be abrogated until our great manufac
turing interests are conserved in tn,
matter of labor. Very truly yours,
"J. A. GARFIELD.
"To H. i. Morey, Employers Union
Lynn, Mass"
The letter, which was in handwritin,
something like Garteld's, was heade,
personal and confidential" and wa
Ierrodrced in newspapers Throughout
! the country. 1t produced CONSERVATION
in the Republican ranks, as it wa
feared that the letter, whether genuin
OF not, would lose General Garfield tn
electoral votes of the Pacific state:
4 where there was such a strong sent
ment against Chinese immigration tina
party allegiance was likely to be fol
gotten.
The day after the publication Of til
letter in New York, Garfield sent til
following telegram from his home
Mentor, o., to Marshall Jewell, chat
man Of the Republican national con
4 mittee: 81 will not break the rule
have adopted by making public repl
to campaign lies, but authorize yo
to denounce the so-called EMorey' lie
ter as bold forgery both in langual
and sentiment. Until its publication
never heard of the existence of tt
Employers Union of Lynn, Mass, n,
of such person as H. L. Mercy"
On October 20, when Garfield T
s ceived copy of the New York new
paper containing a photographic ia
simile of the alleged letter, he tel
graphed to Mr.. Jewell as follow
"Publish my dispatch of last eveniI
if you think best. The letter is Il
> work of some clumsy villain, who ca
not spell nor write English, nor in
tate my handwriting Every hone
and manly Democrat in America, w
is familiar with my handwriting, W
denounce the forgery at sight. Put t
case in the hands of the ablest dete
tives at once and hunt the rase
down. An investigation showed tn
no such person as H. L. Morey lived
or near Lynn, Mass, at the time t
letter was dated, and that no snch
..nnization as the Employers Uni
eye' existed in Lynn.
Garfield appeared to have come o
of this trouble with flying colors; bl
in, the opinion of some voters, he new
s answered satisfactorily tn, Credit-M
bilier and other charges which we
remarkably like the charges ne
against Senator Foraker and Govern
Haskell, They were all to the effe
that he had used his influence as
member of the House of Represent
tives to put through measures for