The daily gazette., 1880-06-12
IF~HE BE NOT IAN BRIBR
TAKER LET HIM SHOW IT,,

i AMIN LIE u I'M 0f1OWi lLbGl
From the New York Herald Friday. { -.
1t will not do to eyade these
grave charges by vague, defamation
against a campaign of calumny. No
former candidate of any party has.
ever been accused of breaches of
pecuniary trust in official relations.
This is not an accusation to be
ignored, but to- be refuted. ! It is idle
to deprecate "a campaign Of calumny
until it Is shown by proper evidence
that the charges are destitute of rea.
sonable foundation. If they are true
they are fatal. 4 We do not profess
TO know whether they are true or
false. But If they are facticious and
malicious their falsity can be demon
strated, and when they shall have
been refuted it will be time to cry
out against a campaign of calumny.
When these grave charges shall
have been proved on good evidence
to be, false their subsequent repeti-
ton will be wanton calumny. But
it will not do to shirk Investigation
and shun inquiry on the pretence
that all candidates are assailed. No
previous candidate for the Presi-
dency has ever been assailed on
similar grounds, If Mr., Garfield is
innocent, he, above all other m en-, is
most interested in having the exact
truth known. Our recent OBSERVE
ton of the recent course of the Sun
does not justify any suspicion that
our energetic contemporary would
make charges which it does not be-
fiepe there is good evidence to snp-
port. In the particular case of Mr..
Garfield the charges are not trump
ed up for the occasion. The San has
been repeating them, year in and
year. out, for long period when MIR.
Garfield was of no consequence to
the country at large and was respen-
sible only to ms immediate con-
stituents in his Congressional dis
trlet, whose vote for him is said to
have fallen off about nine Thousand
after the Congressional investigation
OF the Credit Mobilier Job. ...
Can Mr.. Garfield afford to treat
such grave inculpations with affected
Indifference If he should deem
this the expedient course he will act
very differently from Hamilton in
similar circumstances, who "felt a
stain like a wOundn and indicated
his peeuniary honor by a method
which attested his estimate of its
supreme importance. Hamilton
thought his countrymen would more
easily forgive him for q gross sun
against conjugal duties than. for a
pecuniary breach of official trust.
Mr.. Garfield being the only Presi-
Dental candidate who has ever been
accused of this sort of offence it is
quiet out Of the question that he can
shield himself behind vague COM
plants that he is assaulted with Gus.
tomary personal vituperation. The
charges made against him are fatal if
true, and 1t is incumbent on him to
demonstrate their 'falsehood. When
he has proved that they are false he
will be entitled to complain OF a
campaign of calumny if they should
afterwafd be repeated. We neither
accuse nor acquit him, but await a
tnll development of the evidence
but he cannot shirk the question
under the thin pretence that all
Presidential candidates are assailed
In point Of fact none has ever be-
fore been assailed on similar grounds
| Mr.. Garfield is the first candidate OF
either party whose nomination for
the sPresidency-has been followed by
charges Of pecuniary dishonor il
positions of official trust. - !