Morse followed the matter up with the patience and keenness of a detective, and proved that no such letter had ever been written by Lafayette, that it was a clumsy forgery, but that he really had made use of the sentiment quoted above, not only to Morse himself, but to others of the greatest credibility who were still living.
In the field of politics he came near playing a more active part than that of a mere looker-on and humble voter, for in the fall of 1854 he was nominated for Congress on the Democratic ticket.

It would be difficult and, perhaps, invidious to attempt to state exactly his political faith in those heated years which preceded the Civil War.

In the light of future events he and his brothers and many other prominent men of the day were on the wrong side.

He deprecated the war and did his best to prevent it.
"Sectional division" was abhorrent to him, but on the question of slavery his sympathies were rather with the South, for I find among his papers the following:-- "My creed on the subject of slavery is short.

Slavery _per se_ is not sin.