Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1880-05-13
Wood County Reporter,
THE EASE OF POLITICAL LYING
THURSDAY, MAY 13, 1880.

of reckless assertions, mean falseho0ds,
unjust criticism an uncalled for abuse.
Both parties zealously participate in
the pouring, the party press taking the
lead. No man so pure an honest and
able but he will be torn to pieces by
the opposition, if his friends make a
move to place him before TIE public as
a presidential candidate. And no man
is SO vile, dishonest and mentally weak
that he will not be lauded to the skies
by his special friends in the party of
which he is member, if he appears
as candidate for a presidential nomi-
nation. A presidential canvass seems
to bring with it full and unrestricted
license to lie. The average editor of
a party paper breads the coming of a
presidential canvass up to within six
months of its arrival, but from that
until the day of election he rather en-
joys it. The excitement is exhilarat-
ing. Besides that, he knows his read
ers will demand a vast amount about
the candidates. their opinions, their
conduct and their probable policy in
short. he will be expected to lumber
his columns with campaign sIush, and
that is the easiest slush in the world
to mix. A few geniuses have a rather
hard time inventing the more promi
nent roarbacks and the balder lies. but
to hash and re-hash them and warm
and re-warm them is the easiest kind
of editorial work. and that is about
the sum and substance of editorial
duty when campaign fairly opens.
In the present campaign the work of
inventing and hashing and warming
over opened out at an early day, and
there is promise of an unusual
amount of it between now and Novem-
Der. Every man who has made him
self candidate, as we'll as those who
have been brought out by their friends,
has had from dozen to five hundred
broad-shouldered, full-chested, big
limbed, falschoods started against him.
Edmunds, an exceptionally clean man,
and who would make an excellent pres
ident, says he is not candidate and
will not be one, but hundreds of lead
ing men and scores of papers are ac-
cusing him of crowding himself on to
the course and of resorting to low
scheming to work up boom. Every
man. whether he be cheap statesman
or the presider over a seven by nine
party organ, ought to know that when
such a man as Edmunds says thing
he means it. There are those who
say that James G.. Blaine is not bring
ing to bear all Of the influence at his
command to secure nomination at
tha Lanhs Of me Unlcago convention,
when every intelligent man who watch
es passing events knows that that is
just what he is doing, There are pa
pers and public speakers who assert
that John Sherman is not especially
anxious for the nomination, when
nothing can be palmer than that he
has been seeking the presidency for
the past ten years. and that for the
past three years he has brought iuto
requisition the power of public pat
ronage to assist him 1T his hunt.
There are those who assume to assert
that at given time Mr.. Tilden will
announce that he does not want the
Cincinnati nomination, when in fact
there is not even the shadow Of a
reason TO show that he does not want
it-when, indeed, there are thousands
of signs going 10 show that he does
want it, and that he will get 1t if he
lives till that time. There are thous-
ands of papers, democratic and repub-
Ii an, constantly accusing Gen. Grant
o Scheming to secure the Chicago
nomination, when the real solid fact
is he never schemed for nomination
or Appointment, and, indeed, never
worked and then it was done openly,
for but one appointment. and that was
for position in the army at the out
break of the war. He did not work
or scheme for the stars OF brigadier.
They came to him unsought for. He
did not ask for the double stars of a
major general. They crowded them
selves upon his shoulders. No one
ever heard him hint that he ought to
be created acknowledgement and
decked with triple stars. He did not
ask to be placed at the head of the
army. lie had no hand in securing
his elevation to the high rank of gen
eral of the army, the highest rank
ever given to an American soldier; at
least so far asking for it is concerned
He did not seek the appointment OF