opinion sought in
every community in the United States.

My letter book at this time became a curious mixture of business
and politics, so that I was early compelled to ask two of my personal
friends to take an office, which I furnished them in the Corcoran
building in Washington, to answer such letters as grew out of the
contest, and as a place where conferences could be held by persons
interested in my nomination. In this way I severed all connection
between my duties in the treasury and the necessary correspondence
caused by my being named as a candidate for President. I was at
once charged in the newspaper and even by personal letters, with
all sorts of misdemeanors, of which I was not guilty, but which I
felt it a humiliation to reply to or even to notice. Among the
first was a statement that in some way or other I was under the
influence of the Catholic church, and was giving Catholics an undue
share of appointments. My answer is here inserted, not as important,
but as a specimen of many such communications upon various subjects:

"March 1, 1880.
"My Dear Sir:--Your note of the 20th is received.

"I appreciate your kindness and frankness and will be equally frank
with you.

"There is not one shadow of ground for the suspicion stated by you.
I was born, bred, educated and ingrained as a Protestant and never
had any affinity, directly or indirectly, with the Catholic church,
but share the common feelings and prejudices of Protestants against
the special dogmas and rites of that church. Still I believe the
Catholics have as good a right to their opinions, their mode of
worship, and religious belief as we have, and I would not weaken
or impair the full freedom of religious belief, or make any contest
against them on account of it for all the offices in Christendom.
I have no sympathy whatever with the narrow dogmatic hate and
prejudice of Mr. Cowles on this subject, though no doubt much of
this is caused by the unfortunate fact that his daughter has become
a Catholic, and I am charitable enough to take this into consideration
when thinking of him. Mrs. General Sherman, it is true, is a
Catholic. She was born so and will remain so. She is a good
Catholic, however, in good wishes and good works, but has also too
much of the dogmatism and intolerance of a sectarian for my ideas.
She neither claims to have nor has any sort of influence over me.

"It is a mean business to get up such a prejudice against m