New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-07-21
LYING FOR A J4CK-KNIFE"

THE TRIBUNE recently remarkcu s'pS"'"'
discrepancy between the tone OF Mr. Henry
Wattersop's private conversation concerning
General Garfield and the treatment OF the he
publican candidate by the newspaper edited NY
that gentleman-1he Louisville COW'er-Jour@d''
Mr. WattersOn is known to have expressed 'he
highest confidence in General Garhelds per-
sonal integrity and honor, and to have said tnat
he proposed to make one speech Mt least Id the
campaign for the purpose OF setting himsen
right in that matter. In view of this 1t occa-
stoned some surprise to see his newspaper de-
nouncing General Garfield day after day as
dishonest man and fraud. We have pos
sibie explanation of the inconsistency. however,
in the fact that Mr.. Watterson is not at home,
but still in tins city. occupying what our contem-
porary The Herald describes as pleasant cool
"rooms on the ground floor OF the everett
sHouse.' From The Heralds account of what
took place there last Saturday, we judge that he
has established in these rooms sort OF training
school for Democratic statesmen who are ABOUT
70 take the stump, and that they have daily
nroctice on the statements and arguments
which they are intending to put forth during
the campaign. Either that or headquarters
for playing some new game like lying Tor
"iack-knife which q clergyman once caught
some little boys at. The clergyman, 1t Will be
remembered, said "Why, boys, 1 am shocked.
@Iook at me- | never told lie In my life"
Wbereupon one of them said: 1.-THE biggest
@vet The knifes yours If this is what they
are ND to. we venture to remind them that Mr..
Thomas Ochiltree has recently joined the Dem
ocratic party, and is liable at any moment TO
come in and sweep the board with the clergy
mans " full hand"
It seems that The Herald representative
found in these pleasant rooms on Saturday "a
@number of distinguished gentlemen of the
"Democratc faith" who had sought shelter
g and COUNSEL there, and that among them was
the Hon. Robert McLane, of Baltimore. This
gentleman needed no urging to give his opinion
of the Republican platform ut is sur
achareed,r he said, "wIth regeneration and
"untruth." This looks a little like practice on
language, too. "Surcharged with tergiversa-
ton is good it is swelling and mouth-fill-
ing. and will make the average Democratic au-
dience howl with patriotic enthusiasm. He
made two points upon it, to wit: First that
q fine claim of the Republicans to have put down
q the Rebellion is lie; and second, that the claim
payments, lessened taxes, and relieved the
speope from financial burdens generally is a
aIe.n In support of the first statement he said
the Rebellion was put down by the masses OF
the Northern people," and 1T was long since
proved that the majority Of those masses were
q of Democratic politics. SO OF course we owe
the suppression of the Rebellion to the Demo
cratic masses If this is the jack-knife game,
Mr.. McIane leads off well. But it can hardly
he said TO take the knife, fol if the game goes
On some other statesman is liable to come i'll
and say that tho Democratic party did not OPP
nose the "cOercion" of the South OF its " in
evasion or its subjugstion y; that it did not
pronounce &" the war failure" y; that the DEM
aocratic masses" had nothing to do with the
draft riots except to put them down; that the
Democratic party favored the passage of laws
nermitting soldiers to vote III the field, so that
tbe democratic masses" in the Army might
contribute to suppresSing the Rebellion by vOt-
ing the Democratic ticket i'm short, that the
rebels were Republicans, and that Democrats
mt them down. Then WattersOn, if he is
presding over the game, will hand over the
knife to the last statesman.
Then as to the second point, Mr.. McLane
said the Republican party had done absolutely
nothing during the wal or since to release the
pecple from the financial burdens it imposed.
sThey created paper money, and have done
smoothing to retire 1t since" Instead of n real
PRESUMPTION there was fraudulent one"
The so-called resumption of specie payments
ainvolved possible imitation Of the currency
amounting to $50,000,O00" "The only re-
suef which the people have received since the
war has been from Democrats" That, too,
is a pretty bold play for the knife. But it Is
not the best hand out" For it's ten chances
TO one that before the game is over some Demo-
cratic orator fresh from the stump will come
sailing in with the assertion that it was the
fault of Republicans that the Government had
to pay 10 per cent for money at the end of q
Democratic Administration In 1860, while to
Democrats belongs the glory OF sustaining the
credit of the country during a long war. so that
at the end of twenty years OF Republican admin
istration the Government four per cents were at
q premium all over the world. And he may
add to this that the Democratic party opposed
imitation in Maine, where they united with the
Greenbackers, and in Ohio, where their last can
didate for Governor was an iDfiati0nist and In
Indiana, where they are now supporting one
of the most violent of that class of ranters, and
that the party in Congress favored resumption
and opposed all forms of reputation. When
the stump orator comes along and plays that
hand he takes the knife, Notwithstanding the
bold offer of Mr. Robert McLane.
But it's game of vast possibilities. We do
not know whether Mr.. Watterson remains here
to teach it, or only as referee. If in the latter
capacity, we shall hope to see his decisions pub
lished For there are many questions liable to
come up, upon which his opinion would have
very great value. AS for instance. If some des-
perate player should throw down the statement
that 1ilden had subscribed 100000 to the
campaign fund.- and a Democrat of ordinary
intelligence should play on it the assertion that