Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1880-10-15
SWORDS mi PENS
Tsan Francisco Examiner.l

The pen is said to be mightier than the
sword, and so it is but then very much
depends upon whose pen it is, and whose
sword. There was Garield's sword, which
played no very great part in the war,
which he ran away from at q critical Pc
riod, and which he is now eager to fight
over again, since there is no enemy in the
field but his pen was mightier to make
out that little account with Cakes Ames,
which will destroy a Presidential candi-
date.
With Hancock the case is altogether diff
ferent. The might Of his sword was never
disputed but until recently no one sus-
pected the power Of his pen. 1t is true
that while in command at New Orleans he
had not only promulgated an order as re-
markable for its clearness OF statement as
for its sound constitutionalism and true
patriotism /; that he had conducted a cor
respondence with the carpet-bag Governor
Pearce which showed him q master in that
sort Of controversy. But these produc-
tons were coolly attributed to somebody
else's pen, and men continued to say that
Hancock, though level-headed and "hon-
est-hearted," was still "only a soldier"
When he was nominated for President,
the Republican managers took it into their
heads that if only he could be sufficiently
goaded and bedeviled, he would certainly
be driven to say or write something that
could be turned to their advantage. They
aver gave it out that he had been COM
manded to preserve silence. Accordingly
they charged him with some evil design by
way OF resistance to the Electoral Fraud
Of 1876, and their newspapers set up a con
certed howl for the production Of his letter
to Sherman. They got the letter, and we
need not say in what misery they were
compelled to digest it.
One would suppose that this experiences
would be enough. But they could not di.
vest themselves of the idea that he might
yet be induced to do something hasty and
ill-considered for the qualification Of theiI
malice. They then began about Southern
| claims. They knew perfectly well thai
| there were no claims Of the kind they in
| dictated, and hat II there were, they would
be constitutionally barred. They also
knew equally well that OF "loyal claims
the Republican Congress and Administers
tons had paid very many and not a few
dubious ones. But they, neverthess, dis
honestly insisted that Hancock had beer
put forward mainly with q view to the col
lection Of these claims, and that his cleo
ton would swamp the Treasury n ruiz
the country. Ii haucoch "eo oPPoeed
why did he o say so? There were pen
ink and paper, and he had only to indite
few words to ease their patriotic souls o
all these unnecessary pains. And nov
they have that letter, and great Joy will
It In his own time, and In his owl
straightforward way. General Hancock de
livered himself, and in that letter cut tn
whole ground from under the Republican
campaign. II has exploded their mage
xins, and sent them flying into the air Wit
their own powder. :.
By declaring that his letters were writ
their true authorship being now proven
the Republicans have virtually admitte
that General Hancock's mind is to b
olassed with the greatest. Every word h
has written since the campaign began ha
struck the nail on the head, and struck
SO hard as to drive it home.