This cover was probably addressed to the Springfield Transcript newspaper of Springfield, Ohio. The Library of Congress says this democratic newspaper was published from 1867 to 1888.
The nondescript cover contained two enclosures. One was an advertising piece on heavy paper and the other was a folded piece on newsprint. The advertising piece came from S. J. Roberts & Co., Herald Job Rooms, Cleveland, Ohio, and is dated September 26, 1881. The item measures 7 by 11 inches and advertised the sale of a "memento," a printed copy of the last letter President Garfield wrote. The author is suggesting that publications such as the Springfield Transcript could purchase the mementos in bulk and distribute them to readers "as a premium or supplement."
The "memento" being advertised also happened to be President Garfield's last letter to his mother in Hiram, Ohio, about 30 miles southeast of Cleveland. The letter was penned a few weeks after the president had been shot by an assassin on July 2, 1881, and this advertising promotion was dated a week after the president's death.
The second item, when fully unfolded, is 9˝ by 12 inches. The inside portion that I didn't scan shows a full size facsimile of a January 23, 1880, handwritten personal letter from Representative Garfield on House of Representatives stationery. This was a few months before he would become the Republican candidate for president and then win the election. Rep. Garfield's letter was addressed to H. L. Morey, Employers' Union, Lynn, Massachusetts. The heading above the letter reads, "Garfield's Infamous Letter Advocating the Increased Immigration of Chinese Cheap Labor." The letter was apparently published by the New York Truth newspaper on October 22, 1880, just a few days before the election. That letter is also presented in small type on the front page of this piece. The text on the back page states, "No workingman who possesses a vestige of self respect can vote for the author of such a declaration."
James A. Garfield was born and raised in Ohio. He served as a Republican in the House of Representatives from 1862 to 1880. He took the president's oath of office on March 4, 1881. He was shot July 2, 1881, and died September 19, 1881.
I have no idea how Dad obtained this cover and contents. He lived in Randolph County, Indiana, about 60 miles west-northwest of Springfield, Ohio. The only thing these two items seem to have in common is President Garfield, but I don't understand why the newsprint piece would have been included with the advertising piece. The personal letter from 1880 regarding the president's position on the Chinese labor issue probably became moot with his death. Plus, the letter to the editor of the New York Truth newspaper (back side of the newsprint piece) refers to the letter's addressee as the "late H. L. Morey."
Interesting history, but I don't understand why S. J. Roberts & Co. would send the Chinese laborers political piece along with their advertising.
Posted 07/06/2019 7:20 pm
