New-York tribune., 1870-10-18
pDJJTTClT lying,

| by the course of our partisan newspapers anu
professional political orators in IN animated
campaign like the present, and especially when
| the eyigencIes of the war lead them to the at
| tack or defense of personal integrity. That
problem is to reconcile the individual good
| character OF writer's and speakers with their
| practice Of intentional misrepresentation, OF,
| not to put too fine point upon IT, OF lying.
| The controversy in New-York State politics FOR
| instance has been made to turn, in very
great measure, upon the respective merits or
| msdeeds of the two candidates for Governor.
| On our part we are proud To say that Kepup-
| licans have not asSailed the private morals OF
| Gov. Hoffman, but have confined themselves
to an examination of his public record,
and an exposure of the corrupt and dangerous
conspiracy in which that record proves him to
be cntanglcd. But how is it on the other side
| Gov. WOOdford has been charged with crimes
| of which not only Is ne certainly innocent, but
which even his accusers must know that he
never committed. Gov. Hoffman, to his credit
be il mentioned refuses to take part III TINS
species of warfare; but look at his followers.
Some Of them belong, as he does, to class OF
men who are supposed to have scruples about
bearing false witness, and uttering SANDER
and telling tales which they do not believe,
and who in their social and business relations
pass for honorable and well-bred citizens; how
shall we explain the moral degradation INTO
which they fall as soon as they become heated
with political passion? Mr. Richard OGorman,
for instance, is gentleman of most engaging
| manners and of high personal character. We
| suppose his friends look upon him as the soul
OF honor. But the other night he stated i'll a
| public speech that a certain charge against
Mr. Woodford "came from his own party pa
"pers.' Now, Mr.. 0'GOrman knew better than
this. He knew that the charge to which he
alluded had never been made by more than
one paper outside of the regular Democratic
organs and that One-The SUMS not a Re-
publican paper, disclaims the character of Re-
publican, is not acknowledged by our party,
! has always been hostile to Gen. Woodford per-
sonally, is an exceedingly bitter opponent of
the Republican Administration, and has inti-
mate relations with the Fisk and Tweed clique
which Republicans are trying to break up.
Mr. O'Gorman cannot have been ignorant Of
this. Then how shall we explain his speech2
Now take The World newspaper. We shall
not peer into the editorial sanctum to question
the characters of the gentlemen who write for
that sheet; We are willing TO assume that they
are all reputable men, who hold their heads
| high in the community, and would blush to be
caught lying. But when they take pen in
hand to discuss political issues, all sense of
responsibility to truth seems to forsake them.
The other day an old college friend Of Gov.
WOodford's published story about Wood
| ford's triumphant vindication from a certain
| charge of official misbehavOr, and the high
| compliment which he received on that Occa-
| sion from Charles OCOnOr. The World has
since declared, {" the same with intent to de-
| ceve,'o that this old friend exposed dishOn-
Orabe secrets of WOOdfOrd's career and that
the fact of Charles OCOnOr appearing in the
| case as counsel shows that the Ofense must
have been very black one Now it is inn
possible to doubt that the gentleman who
wrote such an extraordinary commentary did
it for the purpose of Obscuring the truth, and
that when he said the employment of Charles
OCOnOr argued bad cause he was consciously
that he was therefore a liar, he would no
doubt be very angry and very indignant, and
would accuse us of bad manners, though he
might find it difficult to point out the differ
ence between a Misrepresentation and lie.
gard to the Erie Bill. When that bill was first
passed, no one denounced it more effectively,
and we dare say sincerely than The World;
it was a disgrace to our statute books ; ii was
simply "indefensible;' Gov. Hoffman ought to
clear his reputation by favoring its repeal il
was the scheme of band of thieves and adj
venuers to secure themselves in the possess
sion of property which they had stolen. Now,
though a years experience has justified all
that was then said, we find The World contra
dieting its former assertions, telling us that
the bill was framed in the interest of the
stockholders, that GOV. Hoffman did well To
sign it, that Fisk and Company are iine noble
fellows, and all that. We don't suppose any
body who reads this Erie defense magnes
for a moment that it is sincere and yet very
likely it was written by some one who passes,
with all his friends and associates for man
of truth.
About another great Democratic advocate
we are still more puzzled what to say. Mayor
Han has more shrewdncss than The World and
more carnn wisdom than Mr.. OGorman. His
intimacy with Mr.. Tweed and Colonel Fisk
has taught him 50 many ways that are dark
ana tricks that are vain, that, with his previ-
ous political education, we suppose it would be
very dlihcult now to deceive him on any sub
Ject' lie certainly knows all about Erie de-
baucheries, Ring government. and similar sin
iui games, and the editor of The VOrM il wit
rSss tIat he has the whole matter vi election