The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-12-25

being dead and gone, cannot refute
ISLANDERS uttered against one who may have
been the best friend Of the departed. In
stances Of this mode Of attack on public men
abound in both ancient and modern history,
andwe now find our republic an apt imitator of
older nations. meaner method of injuring
public man could not be devised, since. if it can
be shown that he has taken from the dead one
particle Of the reputation to which the latter
is entitled, the act recoils on himself and dims
the brightest laurels that lie may have won.
1t is not anusua! to put IL The mouths Of
dying men words which they never uttered,
yet which may easily pass current for their
real sentiments, since few people of reputation
will stoop to defend themselves from asper-
sions which they deem too contemplate to
notice. They prefer depending on the good
sense Of the public to give the libels the
quietus they deserve. Besides, there arc
generally present SEINE true-hearted persons
at the deathbed of prominent man who will
not allow his character to be stained by senti-
ments foreign to his nature, yet falsely i'm
puted to him, when he is no longer In exist
ence to contradict them. -. "a
There were tive men In the navy-Farragut
and Porter-who fought side by side during
the rebellion, and did their utmost to sup
press conspiracy that, If successful, would
have consigned their country to destruction.
Both succeeded in all that they undertook,
received their country's approval and the
highest honor she could bestow. Neither
had cause to feel jealous Of the other,
from the moment Of their first association in
the path Of duty until the day Of the gallant old
Admirals decease, which was felt by the
army, navy and the whole country as one
common sorrow. 1t must, however, have
been observed, with shame and regret by our
people, how certain newspapers have zealously
labored to show that Admiral Porter has
all along been the enemy Of Admiral Farragut,
some of them even going so far as to say
that the latter was prosecuted to the grave.
If any evidence of such persecution exist
why has it not been given to the public Why
are assertions made without a particle Of evil
dence to substantiate them, when, indeed, day
after day since the elimination Of this ras-
cally plot, proofs have been forthcoming that
Porter, not Farragut was the victim of persecu-
ton, if we may thus designate one who boldly
defles his slanderers and will fight them to the
death3 These charges are not brought by
Farragut's friends, but by his and Porters
enemies; for no friend would take such step
to dim the reputation Of the gallant dead.
That would look too much as though he envied
the reputation of the living.
1t must be confessed that our navy has
fallen upon evil days; since it is well known
that these fierce attacks on the senior officer
proceed from class of subalterns who are I'M
willing that the Admiral or any one else should
differ with them in opinion on certain points,
or throw his weight into the scale to prevent
the navy from falling into anarchy and con-
fusion. While Admiral Farragut was living,
he was annoyed beyond measure by the nu-
merous applications made to him by these
dissatisfied n-combatants to commit him
self in writing in support of their wild preten-
sions The Admiral persistently refused to
countenance their schemes, and at length his
signature was forged to document-an act
that caused him to 60 to Washington and
expose the whole matter. Every effort was
made at this time and subsequently to create
bad feeling between two officers who could
have none but the best wishes fer each
other; for as they conferred together freely
on all matters at issue, and agreed on
almost every point, they never, during their
lives, held any but the most amicable relations.
But when Farragut died. and sorrowing
nation was lamenting the loss of the brave old
Admiral, whose simplicity of character and
heroic actions endeared him to all, the
treacherous ghouls, ever on the alert, thought
they saw an opportunity to strike a fatal blow
at Admiral Porter. They published conf
Dental letter, written six years ago, which was
to array him against the President, supposing
that when he had read that letter Grant would
not have the magnanimity to send the Ad-
mirals name to the Senate for confirmation.
They failed in this scheme. Then there we're
others who put words in the mouth of the
dying Farragut. These electrified the House
of Representatives, but did not shake the faith
of the Senate, that great conservative body
which stands as the bulwark of our liberties
and our safeguard against any hasty action on
the part Of the more impulsive House, most
of whose members did not realize what they
were doing when they followed the leadership
of Butler.
This whole affair presents sad picture Of
political Generalization, and serves to show
how useless 1t is in this country for man to
attain high honors, when the most ribald
characters have influence enough to pull him
down. The people are disguised with such
trickery, and it will yet recol on those
who have endeavored to injure the Admiral.
The latter has from the first treated the
attacks made upon him with that dignity which