The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1878-03-22
A BAD PRACTICE.

pui hlll upuhly ppllpHP"H''Hfl
touches upon theme which We have
repeatedly treated, aud 10 which We
wish 10 call attention In the most Inn
pressiye words VI our command, and
that is the practice Of traduelng those
10 whom We are opposed This Is a
fault more prevalent in Texas than in
any other state Of which we have any
knowledge, aud II h one which calls
for strong condemnation In politics,
especially, il II observed Candidates
aud their friends deem il only neees'
Sary to lx o stigma upon the character
oI record Of tho opponent 10 secure his
defeat, Often entire campaigns are
made upon this theory alone Instead
Of going into u political race upon q
better platform Of principles, and max
ing tho race upon their merits, Wa de-
pend upon weakness In the personal
character or history Of the opposing
candidate more than faulty principle
or defective public policy II is Easy
10 soc that this course inevitably loreea
one down upon the low level Of
q personal struggle, whore no true
gentleman cares TO 20 even 10 win snc'
cesa, This circumstance has deferred
many Of the most useful men In our
state from entering the public service,
and, on the other hand, has given M in
many instances inferior mon, when the
best were al our command had another
plan boon pursued,
Since the present campaign opened
we have been panied 10 500 the persists
ent attempts 10 bcamirch the charac
ter OF the gentlemen most prominently
before tho public for the highest Offices
in the state In no single instance has
charge been made aud sustained by
such testimony as would bo admissible
in any decent court in the land. IN II
40 that whom II man aspircs 10 u public
position hia character, by that act be-
comes Of no value TO him or His family :
And must he bo compelled to sacrifice n
' good name, or suffer m indolible blot
to be fixed upon II foreyoi--ior suspi'
cions are indelble-simply because he
or hispartlal friends think hemay be- able
TO serve the state with advantage 10 the
people and honor to himself We trust
that the day is near at hand when this
most reprehensible practice will be
abandoned altogether. II not, there is
nothing else left for an honest sensitive
man of merit but the code, OF the en-
tire abandonment of the public serN
vice.
liza man betrOys public trust, steals
public fluids, enters conspiracy TO
steal the public lands, trades and rai,
FIGS in public patronage, let him be in,
dicted and pursued with all the rgor of
nm outraged law lie will thus be de-
barred from even making another at.
tempt to injure the public, Let us not
wait until he is 4 candidate and then M
ON n Ilimsy charge which cannot be
sustained lasten hateful blem ish upon
his good name forever.
Mon in Texas, too often prefer to
climb up over the ruins of another's
character rather than upon their own
superior merits or virtues. Many public
men would not, to all appearances, value
triumph unless some poor broken
wretch were wrthing and grooming in
the dust at his feet, 1t is poor mean
spirit which ia so organized, and yet
how many of these do we meet every
day, in all the walks of life.
We would make any reasonable sacri.
flee to see Governor Throckmorton
elected because our judgment is firmly
convinced that he will give us an admin
istration such as will serve every good
. purpose of the state, and because we
deem him the best man yet mentioned
in connection with the next governor.
ship, But much rs we are devoted to
him, if it is necessary, in order to wiz
his triumph, that we blacken the good
> name and ruin the future prospects o
his opponents,w we had rather thousanC
times see him utterly defeated, and W,
have the best of reasons for declarin,
that such are his own sentiments
/
The bittleness Of the Mea ms EmpIOye,
u "a Defent ThrOehn,orton,
!. HILL COUNTY, TExAs, March ls, 1878.
. To the Editor of the Herald: