Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-06-08
The Facts Coming Out.

AVSA SiHCC JOuu II. 0car mas Dcen
in the field as candidate for the
Republican nomination for Governor,
the papers in his interest have been
battling with great vigor and deter
mlnation the assertion made bv
somebody, that Mr.. Gear was once
engaged in the business of selling
liquor at wholesale. This statement
has been characterized by the Gear
papers as fragrant falsehood, con
cocted to injure Mr.. Gears chances
for the nomination, and much denun
citation has been visited on the heads
of those papers that gave it currency
So emphatically and unreservedly
have the friends of Mr.. Gear rcpudi-
ated the idea that he ever had any.
thing to do with the sale of liquor in
any shape that we concluded that
the statements to that effect were
probably untrue, and we have accord
ingly made no use of it as argument
against his nomination. Indeed we
have regarded it of little practical i'm
portance whether this particular
item of liquor selling, in the list of
Mr.. Gears disqualifications as can
didate was true or not, deeming its
disproval not likely to make him any
more acceptable to a large share of
the Republican party of the State.
But the matter takes new phase
in the following article from the
Newton Journal OF last week, in
which not only is the charge that Mr..
Gear sold liquor, reiterated, but the
further statement is made, based on
the Court record, that he was indlct-
ed, plead guilty, and fined therefor.
Here is the article from the Journal:
And now comes the Dubuque
Times, "impelled by sense of JUS
tice" to say that "Mr. Gear is not
an incorporate man, nor has he ever
been in the wholesale or retail liquor
trade. These attempts to besmirch
him are the product Of either ignor-
ance or malice-probably both"
That means us, and we take it up
to say that we have charged that
Mr.. Gear has been engaged in the
liquor. business, and when we said it
we were not malicious or ignorant
either. And we now say again, and
we can prove what we say, that
John H. Gear has been engaged in
the liquor business. And we go a
little futher, here and now, not in
malice or ignorance either, and say
that the records Of Dcs Moincs coun-
ty show that Mr. Gear has been in
dicted for selling liquor contrary to
law, AND THAT HE PLEAD GUILTY
AND PAID HIS FINE.
Confirmatory of this specific state
ment of facts, we will say that We
have ourselves, perused copy of
the record of the Des Moines conn
ty Court referred to above, and that
it bears out in every particular the
facts above stated by the Newton
Journal. We are not permitted to
doubt the genuineness of this record,
and by its light we are compelled to
come to the conclusion that the
newspaper organs of Mr.. Gear, at
least those best situated to know the
facts, have attempted to bulldoze pub
lie sentiment in his favor, by brazen-
ly denying palpable, but damaging
facts in his record. 1t is for the
sound judgment of Republicans to
determine whether the new light
thrown upon his record, and espec-
tally this revelation Of the duplicity
of his supporters will be likely to
allay the strong repugnance already
manifested toward Mr.. Gears candi-
dacy by very large element of the
party, or make him stronger in avail
bllity.