The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-11-24
Gh4GatelEia
Food for the InQuiTing Mad.

II IS one we lear that he viii never "
able TO pnderstand. It's, that we very
frequently crlticlSe our party friends AZ
unreservedly as we do our party foes
The Register does not see how such thing
can be. 1t knows but ono rule whereby
to guide Its Judgements Of men and
things, viz, to commend everything and
everybody that Is called Democratic and
denounce (censure Is too mildD everything
aud everybody called Republican. II
proceeds on the assumption that one is
necessarily all right and the other all
wrong. And as 1t would esteem 1t fatal
heresy Tor a Democratic paper to censure
a Democrat or Democratic measure,
under any circumstances, 80 nothing
astonishes 1t so much as to see
q Republican paper rreproVing tho
mistakes or rebuking the misdeeds OF It's
friends To presume that political friends
could possibly do wrong or that friendly
newspaper should dare rebuke them, is
something entirely outside Of its political
philosophy, Thata public journal should
pursue any course from q principl Q Of
purpose not utterly mercenary-that an
editor should seek TO deal truthiully and
candidly by his readers lOr thesake Of the
truth and for the sake Of the right he may
help promote te-that he should deal IN,
sparingly with Shams and corruption
wherever he finds them, from better mo-
tives than spitefulness or revenge-these
are things that apparently have never sug.
gested themselves to tho consciousness Of
our neighbor. This being true, 1t Is diff.
cult to explain to him Just what we mean
by what we do.
We may say, however, that with all def
erence for his different method, while our
sympathies are as warmly partlSanIIon
one side as bis are on the other, we feel
constrained 10 run the INTELILGRNCER
ON what we conceive 10 be broader
gauge. We try candidly to Judge men
and measures on their merits. We seek
to discriminate and to commend fairly
what Is in itself good, and condemn what
is in itself bad, according to our judg'
ment Of ~ whether 1t flies the colors Of
Republicanism or Democracy. We do
not believe, and so far as our observation
goes have not found, that oil the virtue,
personal or political, Is in one party and
all the vlllainy in the other. Mems party
affiliations depend on thousand things
beside their moral qualities, and arc In
deed seldom determined by clear con-
ceptions Of public questions. There must,
therefore, be honest men in all par.
ties, as in the present estate Of
human nature there are rogues In all.
But as ratsalways swarm to the full grans'
ries, no party can be long in tho majority
till II Is IN danger Of being overrun and
eaten up by political vermln. The Re.
publican party has not been wholly able
to escape this natural result 1t is party
that embodies the best intelligence and
conscience Of the country. II has done a
noble work, and has yet long lease be-
fore II In which 10 continue It's bonei.
cent mission II II can only keep down the
elements Of greed and corruption that seek
to fasten on II as they do on all parties In
the possession Of power. We believe
the worst enemies ofthe Republican party
are In It's own ranks, or rather wearing It's
colors. They are men whose sole purpose
is plumber, and their name Is legion. II
the treasury Is not to be deVOured by them
and our party overthrown for their sins,
we must wage q ceaseleaS warfare on
these men wherever we find them In high
places or low. It7is in this! aspect Of
the case that even the welfare Of our party
requires us to WELD q free lance against
knaves and shams in the gulse Of pretend.
cd friends as well as against our open and
recognized foes. Indeed, with the Democ-
racy in the last stages Of debility, our
danger is from the former rather than the
latter. The Republican editor who in
these times resolutely shuts his eyes to the
mlsdeeds Of his friends and insists that
the King can do no wrong, not only fails
in his duty to the public but he Is not
true friend to his party.
1t Is entertaining such views as these,
that in Our modest sphere we endeavor 10
commend what Is good in Our party and
to condemn what Is bad !, asit is given Us
to Judge between them. That we often
offend where we oriticise, Is one Of the
unpleasant necessities Of the situation, and
that we should always escape errors u
judgment is not 10 be hoped for. glg1l
Perhaps the ReOtsttr may get q faint
glimmer of our purpose and position, II
we say, in word, that whom we love we
chasten; and that the correction Is admin
istefed in order that tth6ofIenders may dc
better in the future, Doyou comprehend
PmNoB Alexis, Of Russia, Is the Third
son Of the Emperor Alexander H., and