Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1872-09-26
- From the New York Evening L os,
A CAMPAIGN OFLIES.

Ifthere be either wisdom or power in per.
sonal abuse, that fact will become established
beyond all further question by the Presiden
tial campaign of this Summer. 1t will becou,
established because, first, it was never NOR,
completely relied upon as an effective weap
on; and, second, because it has been almos
exclusively used by one side, and refraine,
from BY the other. If, therefore, this way o
appealing to the public mind is the most eff
fectualin reaching and convincing it, thai
will be made the more apparent by the con.
tfAst between the two parties and the success
Of either. w hatever may be said on the
score Of truth or good manners, as to the
paaicy Of unscrupulous and unmitigated per-
sonal abuse-if really be an expedient pol
icy, that will be shown in the triumph of the
0fseley party. 1t has been held hitherto that
anything 10 fair in love or in war; perhaps,
q! weeks hence, we may add politics as an
otner exception to the rules of ordinary NOR
amy, or efse conclude that here, also. honesty
10 the best policy.
earl hardly fail 70 be obvious to every
pooy mat MIR. Greeley's friends are relying
upon the personal abuse and detraction of all
election. Perhaps it should be said, in de.
fence OF this method ofpolitical warfare, that
Mr.. Grseley's partizans had no Alternative, for.
~ they had nothing in his favor, the only
pain that was left open to them was to resort
10 the abuse of the other side. In that path
they have walked and labored with the zeal of
martyrs aud the energy Of pioneers, and if
tney DO not achieve triumphant success the
fault will not be theirs.
Ahis feature OF the campaign is the more
remarkable because the candidate of the Gree.
icy party is peculiarly open to this personal
attack. Mr.. Black, of Pennsylvania, though
ne sfterward accepted Mr.. Greeley as his
canoioate, said, at the opening of the cam
pafgn, iaore unfit man for the Presidency
conld not be found either in this world or the
two that come after it. We doubt if this
struck anybody as an extravagant statemen,
OF the case. There is not in the whole coun.
try any man nearly so notorious as Mr.. Gree.
icy, and he is notorious, not for such excel
lencies and virtues as he may have, bnt fol-
ms peeuliarities, eccentricities and absurd
ties. All these are remarkably tempting tc
snimadversion and rdicule, and yet the for
besrance, almost tenderness, with which he
has been treated by his opponents is a,
marked as his characteristics. 1t has been
assumed that these were SO well known, thai
was only necessary to point out to the com.
mon sensesof the country how manifesty dis.
aslrous II would be to put man SO unfortu-
nsaeiy distinguished into any place of trust
OK power.
How marked the contrast has been on the
other side il is hardly necessary to point out
Inc campaign on their part is remarkable
cn,ehy lor being like the Trojan hero, Sin.
eAnsustlbie IN falsiiood.' The Tribune's per
sistenp aonesion to a disgraceful forgery OF
Ns own We nave exposed within the last tive
or three days; the World is pursuing tn,
same course in regard to MIR. Dana. Of Bos
ton, while u cannot pretend to doubt III,
evidence that its fitst statement in regard I,
that gentlema0 has not the least foundation
the Tribunes of Chicago, has brought n,
again Q story Of a present of land to Presi
dent Grant by Mr.. Jones for consideration
which very story that very Tribune locke
into ayesf or two ago, and found to be ute.
ly without foundation; and all these paper.
and all the other Greeley papers Of the cour
try have accepted as true, and continue to pull
lish Is true, statement, resting on purely ,
payte ana secosd1iiahd testimony, in regard
adise0 bas pslRy bribe said to have been ei,
en- TO Messrs. Wilson, Colfax, Boutwell,
Blaiss, Dawes, Elliot and others, most {
whom would be picked out by anybody VIII
knows anything of our public men as pecu
liarly above corruption, and every one @
whom has pronounced the story to be abso
lutely faise.
And those age only samples OF the totally un
scrupnlous way in which the campaign ha
been carried on by pspersaand speakers OIL
that side. The aisregard Of truth and decen
cy, on the part Of some Of these journals
has been absolutely heroic, when we consid