Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-08-22
.'One'' more 'SCheer in Solemn
SlenCe.1

In our hasty remarks, yesterday morn
ing, in reference to the bitter personal
attack of Stephen ]. Meany, we omitted
two things that, perhaps, ought to be
stated; one in justice to Ourself and the
other, to Mr.. Meany.
First. In our article of Monday morn
ing, we did not go outside of the field Of
fair comment and criticism. Mr.. Meany
and his hearers know it. The only
trouble with the article was that it was
a full, perfect and unanswerable reply
to Mr.. Meany's speech, and he and his
advisers, here, did not dare let it go forth
without an attempt to parry its effect.
In a criticism or comment on a speech,
or book even, it is not personal, scan
dalous, scurrilous," ETC., ETC., to charac-
terize it as ''egotistical, rambling, incO-
herent, illogical and without any partic-
ular point" The gentleman knows it.
Every one knows it. This was not the
trouble. ''The wounded bird flutters, y
and it was thought the force of our an
swer and argument might be broken by
Il really scurrilous, scandalous, personal
attack on us. Perhaps they can meet
truth and argument with personal attack.
Perhaps calling us ''liar," "a misera-
BILE reporter who cannot report, or &C
cusing us of manufacturing "a lie from
the beginning to the end, a lie, the re-
suit of deep laid malev0lence" may an
swer his and their purpose and prove
that black is white. He knows and his
hearers know that the line of his argu-
ment, if it can be dignifed with the
designation of cline of argument" Sat
urday evening, was, substantially, as we
stated it. What if it shows him to be
grossly ignorant, etc. ? That is his per-
sonal attack on Meany, not ours. He
made the speech, we replied to it; and
if it makes him and his cause appear
ridiculous, that is the weakness of Meany
and the cause he supports. If. we had
desired to be personal, we could have
given extract after extract, from the
New York World, Tribune and Herald
in reference to Mr.. Meany, but we had
no such desire. We at least, know
enough to know that personality and
scurrility is not argument. He com
menced personalities and scurrilities,
and if it is any pleasure for him to in
dulge therein, as we apprehend it is
from his attack on us, Monday evening,
and his attack ON others, at other times,
of which we have newspaper records,
let him continue therein. We shall not
vary from our course, one jot or little,
by reason thereof. Thus much, in jus
tice to ourself.
Now in justice to Mr.. Meany it is
proper to state, that after he had closed
his personal attack, he recjted or de.
claimed several reasons why he could
not support Gen. Grant We do not
propose to repeat them here. 1t is not
necessary. We presume the same rea,
sons, in the same identical language can
be obtained from the chairman of the
Liberal Republican State Committee,
among the campaign documents sent him
for distribution. We have seen then
before, and only make this explanation
that it may not be inferred that Mr.
Meany occupied his entire hour anc
twenty minutes, Monday evening, IL
his personal attack on us. But little
more than half of his time was so oc
cupieh the remainder being taken VI
with the defamation aforesaid, and {;
repetition of a part of his Saturday even
ings appeal to voters of foreign birth.