enclosing a draft letter to James A. Garfield
26 November 1880 • Hartford, Conn. (MS: MH-H, UCCL 01856 and 10776)
Seems to me that the correct thing, as regards that mission to the Netherlands, will be to move in the matter now, & without Howells’ knowing anything about it.
Won’t you, or Higginson, or Whipple (somebody who is on good terms with all the New England literary folk,) get up a letter to Garfield which shall be an improvement on the rough draft herewith enclosed, & get Longfellow & all the rest to sign it? Then we will put it into the hands of Stedman or some other New Yorker, & so on. We can get an array of bully signatures which would not only convince the said Garfield, but come derned near amounting to a command. Mrs. Stowe wants to sign, she says.
enclosure:
Sir: Should you, when you
Sir: If you meditate a change in our representation abroad, as respects to the mission to the Netherlands, when you shall enter upon the duties of the Chief Magistracy, we the undersigned beg leave respectfully to offer for your consideration the name of Mr. William D. Howells as that of a citizen whose appointment would be give great satisfaction to the guild of letters, & without doubt to the country at large. His scholarly attainments, his literary distinction, his high character, & his experience of official life, seem to us a guaranty that his nomination would be to the post once filled by Mr. Motley would be eminently fitting.
MS, MH-H, Rogers Memorial Room and shelf mark bMS AM 1784.8 (277).
MicroPUL, reel 1.
The Henry M. Rogers and Kathleen Rogers Collection was donated in 1930.