New-York tribune., 1872-09-16
PARTY INTOLERANCE.
PERSONALITIES IN THE CAMPAIGN.

ably honest and well-behaved citizens are charged
on one side and the other with being positively dis
honest and bad. 1t is the quadrennial epidemic,
suppose; but it seems, somehow, to be worse than in
previous years. Perhaps it is because people who
have been somewhat intimate and confidential in
their relations heretofore are taking opposite sides
and telling all they know about each other. IL may
be taken, then as pretty sign of the breaking
up Of parties for which some good men are looking.
| At any rate il is very unpleasant SYMPTOM and
may congratulate ourselves when we have passed IT.
just now the air seems full Of flying missiles and
foul with rank ISLANDERS. The ordinary newspaper
reader who is interested to keep up with the current
| Of events, and wants to find in his
newspaper the story Of the worlds daily
progress with fresh and suggestive comment on the
topics that crowd to the 'front.' fnds instead Of that
great deal personal gossip and scandal about pub
lie men which, if he is man of clean thoughts does
not interest and very far from instructing him. Hc
does not care to know the story Of the private life of
every traitor" who takes the stump for Greeley or
of every "scoundrep who takes the stump for
Grant. Doubtless they are all bad enOugh let us
| hope there's something and a great deal, of good
| in all.
| cannot bring myself TO believe that Senator VIII
is the dishonest man Of the newspapers arc
| representing him to be, or that Senator Trumbull
is the disappointed, self-seeking time-seryer the Ad
minisration press insist he Isl do not think Sena-
tor Buckingham is hypocrite or Senator Schurz
| conspirator. must believe that Gen. Grant IS not
habitually ntemperate and that he sometimes tells
the truth and that Mr. Greeley is not blasphemer
and does not associate with thieves aud ufians;
but find that to believe much as this OF all
these men whom tho nation has honored, must
reject the teachings and dispute tho authority Of
some Of the liable and influential" journals which
come under my observation. / judge that there arc
crookcdnesscs in all the gentlemen; you may begin
counting on your fingers the number Of persons in
your acquaintance who have none, and never get
beyond your first thumb. Very likely Senator
Wilson, in his anxiety TO accomplish results which
seemed to him very desirable, and to be for the
cOuntrys highest good, has said and done things
which he would not have said and done except
under the stress Of what he believed TO be patriot
ism and | do not think Senator Buckingham would
have signed the Custom-house investigation report
OF have taken the stump az he seems to have done,
to defend the personal character OF President Grant,
did he not sincerely believe in the necessity Of per-
petuating the Republican party and OF giving an
unquestoning support to the nominations of the
party, however unsatisfactory they might be. Pos
sibly Senator Trumbulls hostility to the Admins
traton has been warmed somewhat by the feeling
that he has no influence with the Pre- iient, but 1T
is idle to say that that alone IS the OF his oppo
siton, or that he is not acting III tho main from
sincere and honest convictions; while the charges
against Senator Schurz may have tlis Jasis-that,
being a student, with lgh ideals Of government,
and in some measure theoIist. he is uneasy and
dhicult to please under the limitations OF human
nature and tho impcrf-ct.0n3 Of any system of
politics and government.
Trying TO look Mt these things candidly and fairly,
ara uuaJlo to discover any adequate motive tor
ha r IA ir
on either side represent them. Their interest IN
having affairs in the Government administered hon
ostly and wisely, is fully equal to mine and pre-
fer TO cling to the notion that the whole. they
la .Iostly a4d dO wIaG - ABOUT iizi-t f0s
the country Ii they see things differently from mo
and iLink ono set Of measures aud OF candidates
beltor for tie country than another, which sup
port shall be little more than uncharitable to 20
looking for base motives for this action or to over
haul their ri,1te lives for evidence that they are in
triasicaly dishonest and must be wrong
in thor political views. l hardly think
the ,lcuonstration Of tho fitness unftness Of
either candidate reQHiles that the men who sup
port them should be proved on the one hand immac-
u,a;e or on the other totally deprayed. For II We
20 n;o political campaigns in that way we shall
very so0a lose ali faith III human nature And yet,
does Dc. that seem TO be pretty much the staple OF
discussion inst nowl cannot account for it, ex-
cept that people are Oyer-ecOnOmical Of thought
and study aud Investigation, and say the things
that come easiest to say. II an excited person
says to me- Gen. Grant drinks to excess find it
much easier TO retort Horace Greeley swears to
excess tlan to disprove lis assertion convince
I'm hat tlJe aTe proi'dudr questions in the can
vlss tEln the personal hdhi.s Of the candidates.
Neither charge may be tlue, blt both have been
bruited and they offset each other, and men babbe
at each other about them at street corners and in
the newspapers until Tie whole Presidential con-
test seems tn lngc, not upon oitLc.'s fitness, but
upon tho others uniitness. Arc there no deeper
things than This in ,le canyass'
DO not 3ly that some OF those things proper
elements IN the discussion. Personal character is
something 10 be considered ia the choice of Chief
Executive and habits and associations make char
acter Rut before we handy charges without proofs,
suppose 10 consider for a moment that both these
candidates have heretofore sustained good reputa-
tiOns aud to considerable extent possessed the
idence of the good men-if indee !, there are any
good men-of the country. This We. id hardly have
been so, had either been notOrously bad We can
afford, then, to take much upon trust, since We
cannot all satisfy ourselves by the evidence OF our
senses as to their habits and associations. We shall
exercise cooler and juster judgments if we drop
all that sort of gabble and undertake, FAR as We
| can to set over against each other the principles
these two parties and candidates represent If there
is any principle at stake in this contest we may per-
haps discuss it without anger, and with something
like candor even though we differ ever so widely We
| lose our tempers inevitably soon as we begin TO
discuss the merits or dement's of the men, 30
! eyen-tempered man rs our own Governor sad tho
other night, in a speech In your city, which II was
NV good fortune to read in a campaign document
| before il WAS delivered that his "auger had been