Southern shield., 1850-08-03
ON PARTY LYING.

The following essay on the SuOJect ol Party Lying, containing many admirable sentiments, we'll expressed, has been found among the old papers of the Rev. Lee Massey, of Fairfax, (Va) a minister of the Episcopal Church in that county before the Revolution. It may not be inappropriate as lecture, even at this day, and among this generation.
 We commend it to the especial perusal of certain persons, few in number we hope, who we understand have been busy in pro- pagating what they consider party lies, in order to tarnsh the reputation of some of their most valuable citizens, now before the people of this county as candidates for office Read, ye slanderers, the words of one who lived during the times preceding our Revolution, and apply the rebuke to your own hearts Then ask yourselves whether you can find any justification for the injury which you have (behind the backs of men,) sought to inflict upon your fellowmen and fellow-citizens. If you have any honorlett, you will after the perusal ofthe following seek the victims of your islanders, and repair the wrong you have done them. Don't wait until after the election; if you do, the sting
 
 balance of your lives:
 "As virtue is the perfection and happi- ness of the will, there are many authors who have shown wherein the malignty of he consists, and set forth, in proper col ors, the heinousness of the offence. shall here consider one particular kind of this crlme, which has not been so much spoken to; mean that abominable practice of Par ty Lying. This vice is so very predomi- nant among some al present that a man is thought ot no principles who does not prop agate a certain system of lies. The coffee houses are supported by them; the press is ton is 80 infected with them, that party lie is grown a much more fashionable en- tertanment than lively catch or an agree able story. The truth of it is, half the great takers of the nation would be struck dumb were this fountain of discourse dried up. There is, however, one advantage re- sultlng from this detestable practice; the very appearances of truth are so little re- garded, that lies are at present discharged m the air, and begin to hurt nobody. When we hear party story from stranger, we consider whether he is a Whig or Tory that relates it, and immediately conclude that they are words of course, in which the honest gentleman designs to recommend his zeal, without any concern for his yer acty. A man is looked upon as bereft of common sense that gives credit to the re- lations of party writers or party lies: nav. his own friends shake their heads at him. and consider him in no other light than as ofiicious fool, or well meaning idiot. When it was formerly the fashion to hus- band lie, and trump it up in some extra ordinary emergency, it generally did exe- cution, and was not little serviceable to the factions that made use of it. But, at present, every man is. upon his guard. The artifce has been too often repeated to take effect.
 "l have frequently wondered 10 see men of probity, who would scorn to utter falsehood for their own particular advan- tage, give so readily into lie, when it is become the voice of their faction, notwith- standing they are thoroughly sensible of it as such. How is it possible for those who call themselves men of honor, in their per- sons, thus to become notorious liars in their party! If we look into the bottom of this matter, we may find, 1 think, three reasons for it, and at the same time discover the n- suficency of these reasons to justify so criminal practice.
 "ln the first place, men are apt to think thai the guilt of a lie, and consequently the punishment, may be much diminished, if not wholly worn out, by the multitudes of those who partake in it. Though the weight of falsehood would be too heavy for one to bear, it grows light in their ima- ginations when it is shared among many. But in this case man very much deceves himself. Guilt, when it spreads through numbers, is notso properly divided as multi l