In October of 1880 – the month before the presidential election – the newspaper New York Truth published a letter allegedly written by Republican candidate James Garfield about concerns over Chinese immigrants stealing jobs from American workers. The “Chinese problem” wasn’t really a problem, Garfield allegedly wrote, supposedly claiming that there was nothing wrong with businesses hiring labor “where they can get it the cheapest.“ The letter infuriated workers concerned about the influx of foreign labor into the country. A subsequent investigation proved the letter a fake (the journalist who fabricated the correspondence was later arrested for fraud), but the incident cost Garfield a victory in California, although he ultimately captured the presidency.
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