Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1876-11-16
rFHE Personal. ASPECT or a Po-
EETEOAL CONTEST.


The political contest that has just closed
propefly and necessarily involved critl-
cism of personal character and conduct.
This is always deprecated at the beginning
of "a campaign, but is unavoidable. NOR
ought it to be avoided. IF there was ever
a time in our history when the nemIna-
ton of men by 4 great party 20 great ON
ces was held to prove that Hhey We're De-
yond reproach, that time is passed. What
Is flesirsa bic Is not that. candidates should
not be criticised, but that they should be
found hlameless. w hen, therefore, an
orator sor an editor says that he viii dis
c5lss oIily principles and party, he does
hilt hall the work. The country has
right to know what kind of men it is ask
70 elect to high position; and the
lrzs sled ge that public inquisit1on VIII be
made, that the strongest light will be
throws uponsevery part of candidate s
career anll conduct, leads every man who
aspires to high place to take heed that he
says and does nothing which VIII not
bear scrutiny. Of course there Will be
monstrous falsehoods and misrepresepta-
tious and calumnies. But that is no reason
for declining to seek and. to know the
truth. The fertile Invention of caiumny
could find nothing with which to stain the
name of Governor Hayes; and that of it
self, the consciousness that the effort was
constantly making,- and making in vain,
was strong title to the confidence OF his
country men.
The careful scrutiny of candidates has
this further advantage, that iB reveals
their view of vital and fundamental ques-
tions. This is of paramount Importance
in the present situation of this country.
If in the late contest the only question
discussed had been that which Mr.. Iilden
| chose to say was the only question of the
| canvass, we should simply have fought
upon the very spot which the enemy had
Kselected. Under existing seircumStapc ces,
a very much more important question
than reform is that of the nature of the
| government. Now it was strict inquiry
into the personal views of candidates
! which taught the country that Mr.. Iilden
holds preciselythe same view of the ma
ture of the Union and the power of the
| government that Jefferson Davis held.
| The rebellion was merely an effort to en-
! force his views. It was, therefore, sheer
! folly to insist that the only pertinent ques-
/ ton was whether Mr.. Tilden would be
likely to reform the system of civil APP
| pointments. The attempt to drown the
! discussion and exposure of his views of
the powers and rights of the States and of
the Union in a cry of bloody shirt was
a device as old as demagoguery. Issues
in a national election are nOt made by
candidates and Conventions. They are
made by the facts of the national situa-
J.
views and character and career of Mr..
Tlden disclosed the fact that he held the
extreme doctrine of State sovereignty =,
/ while his conduct in regard to the war, to
! Tweed, and to imitation showed that he
was always mastered by the power of his
/ party.
1t is certainly not necessary to believe
/ every 'charge'' made against candidate,
but it is necessary to undefstaud that all
i "charges" are not tinfounded because
some may be false. Moreover, the real
facts in many lives which are ostensibly
correct would be surprising. There is a
conventional respectability which is ac-
cepted as sufficient proof of fair dealing
for ordinary civility and intercourse. Bui
if persons of such standing are suddenly
i summoned to be representatives, the
proper and inevitable inquiry into ante
cedents will often result in "charges'
which are none the less true because they
are wholly Incompatible with previous
, respectability. There Is nothing more
| legitimate than rigid scrutiny of the pub
: licand private life of every man to whom
the care of tlle most vItaFinterests is to bl
instrusted. If such scrutiny is supposed
: to be malicious mud-throwing, it is be
cause its nature and object are wholly
nIisapprehended.-H Weekly.