Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1876-04-18
Political Scavengers.

contest for the next Presidency. 1t
is the great opportunity of the po-
litical scavenger, and already his
presence is scented by malodorous
scandals of every variety, rank or
weak, in exact proportion with the
apparent popularity OF the candl-
date against whom they are leveled.
Mr.. Blaine, being just now account
ed one of the most formidable men
for the Republican nomination,
comes in for the greatest share OF
detraction, personal and political.
The scevenger has raked up every
incident of his life. reaching far
back of his political career, even to
his boyhood, and publishes him as
an adulterer, after he had signally
failed to prove him a corrupt and
bribed Congressman. Something
of this had been floating about for
a long time in scavenger circles, but
honorable and decent men treated
it with silent scorn, because through
out his whole public life Mr..
Blaine's private character has been
carefully guarded and stands above
reproacb. But the scavenger is not
to be put off SO. When he can't
find anything to scandalize in the
public character of the man, he
posts himself at the back window
and peers greediiy into his bed
chamber. III all is right there. he
follows the intended victim to boy
hood and the cradle, and when
every other dirty resource fails he
attacks his ancestors or tne legiti-
macy of his birth, as did the pro-
slavery malignaats in 1886, when
Fremont dared to stand for the
Presidency on the platform of free
dom. Hardly any prominent states
man of this country since the or
ganization of the Government has
escaped the politician scavenget. He
assaiIed Washington as a monarch
ist, Jefferson as a Jacobio, Clay and
John Quincy Adams as corruption
lists, jackson as an ambitious tyrant,
Harrison as an imbeciIc, Benton rs Il
thief, Webster as an immoral drunk
ara, aud Lincoln as an ignoramus
and an "ape.' These assaults did
not come from the habitues OF the
slums. The political scavenger does
non always dwell there. He is often
what the world calls respectable
member of society; sometimes even
a minister of the gospel. The tierc-
est and meanest scandals against Mr..
Jefferson and Mr.. Lincoln came from
aristocratic and pro-slavery pulpits.
1t was always so. The bitterest and
most shameless detractors of Oliver
Cromwell, dead, were the bishops
and clergy, whose incomes and i'm;
portance, socially and politically, de-
pended on the restoration of the exc
cradle and infamous Stuart monar-
chy. The Democratic party has like
indictments to the same sort of scav-
cnger treatment of the Republican
leaders, aud, above them all now
living, Blaine and Morton.
Next 10 Lincoln, Tbaddeus Ste
vens and Governor Andrew, these
men did more than any Others in
civil life to curb and floor Demo-
cratic treason, to destroy slavery,
the pet institution of the party, and
towards such reconstruction of
government in the Confederate States
as puts it forever out of the power Of
the defeated party to reinstate them
selves or restore their old dominion
over the colored race. And they
have, indeed, cause for hatred. Never
in the annals of the human race did
a party fall from such a lofty hight
Of pride and ambition in so short Il
time to snch depth of ignominy
and helplessncss. Nothing could
ever have restored them to power in
any state that sustained the Union
cause, but the corruption of Repub-
llcan officials and that over-confi-
dence and arrogance which long
continued success begets. These
Republican faults, by driving large
numbers from the party to indepen-
oeht movements, caused the reaction
winch has at last eliminated in this
presidential campaign, with such en-
'Gouraging signs as lead the average
democratic brain to hope for victory.
WIN this hope the old arrogance Of
me party is renewed in Congress and
All over the country, with all its ac-
compartments of partisan trick in
,vestigatlon, personal abuse, political
iies, and scavenger politics generally.
We do not believe that the coun-
Try approves these tactics, nor that
they will contribute in the slightest
-oegree to the success of the party
using them, On the contrary, they
VIII disgust the average judgment of
'the people and make against the
party that is put to the use Of such
'aisreputable and desperate means.
Mr.. Benton never lost anything of
public confidence because his nulliti-
cation enemies called him a thief,
nor Mr.. CLAW because he was accused