Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1860-10-06
The Record.

We wonder if the gazette will cndea.
vor to shirk the responsibility of falsify-
ing the record in regard to the Home
stead Measure, as it did in reference 10
Mr.. Douglas speech at Harrisburg on
the Tariff. 1t then published as the
sentiments of Mr.. Douglas what it must
have known were never uttered BY him.
And when We proved the falsehood. i,
then,by statement equally untrue, tried
to throw the responsibility upon other
parties. The Gazette had the audacity
to say that "a friessd of Mr.. Douplas''
put words into his mouth, which if he
had uttered would have contradicted
his whole public life on the subject Of
the Tariff. The Gazette knew. that j,
was falsehood manufactured by the
Republican managers in Pennsy lvanis,
or II 1t did not know it, it was the duty
Of the Gazette honestly and candidly
to admit that it had been deceived and
mislead, and to retract its vile attack up
on Judge Douglas made upon the
strength ofthis Photographic report
There would have been something fair,
Just, and generous in such course.
But when we proved by an extract
from the speech that Judge Douglas
never uttered the sentiments attributed
to him by the false and fraudulent Tel
cgraphic report" what was the reply of
the Gazette That the report acas off,
cioNy sent to tile Issociated Press bu a
friend Of Douglas and copied By nearly
eoery Democratic paper an tie West"
Now we ask in all candor what ground,
what authority, had the Gazette, for
making the above statement, in excuse
ofits dastardly fraud upon Judge Doug
las?
Is not the excuse more inexcus able,
aud more censurable falsehood than the
publication Of tho "report." The ire
port was not prepared by the Gazette,
and 1t was only guilty of altering an
untruth in publishing It, but in the ex-
cusc it was guilty OF coming a false
hood. No friend of Judge Douglas,
either in Pennsylvania or anywhere,
ever officially or otherwise, sent the
report to the Associated Press. And
the report was not "copied into nearly
every Democratic paper in the West. :"
Whenever TIE Gazette confines itself
in its political articles strictly to we'll au-
thenticated facts, and whenever it fairly
and honestly meets the political ques-
tons of the day, it need have no fear of
our using any language which may be
offensive on account of its strength.
But while the Gazette continues the
course which it has taken thus far in
this campaign-while it continues to
make, at least, reckless charges against
Mr.. Douglas, and while it undertakes by
publishing '.Jalse record" to substanti-
ate its charges, we must-we are COM
PEELED to call such conduct by its right
name.
We have charged and we have proved
that the record published by the Gazette
and purport:ng to be the record of Mr.
Douglas on the Homestead measure at
the last session of Congress is not COR
rect-ss not true. Is that not falsifying
the public records of the county! 1t
may be that our contemporary objects to
our calling it ,cilful Justification of the
record. We do remember that the Ga
zette Gays that this "record'' was "made
up by cotemQorary.' But if the CO.
zette would avoid the charge of wilful-
ness, ought it not to have examined and
compared the "record" before it pub
lished it as true.
1t may have been only careless and
negligent, but the Gazette full we'll
knows that negligence may be so gross
as to amount to fraud and crime. If the
Gazette makes statement which we
know, and which any person of ordina-
ry intelligence ought to know to be un-
true, we can but believe that the state
ment was made wilfully, or was made
with such gross carelessess as to amount
to wilfulness. That the record as pub
lished by the Gazette is false, and that it
might by turning to the Congressional
Globe have seen its talsehood, is q fact
which cannot be controverted. But we
would respectfully suggest to the Ca
zette before it complains Of harsh Ian
guage, that it should be careful how it
calls us political swindlers" accuses US
OF "dastardly fraud" and INDUCES so
freely in such exceedingly agreeable
and courteous language.
a CALrFORNIA GHosr SToRY.-The
San francisco Alta California, records
the following
several weeks ago married lady.