The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1880-11-26
TIE sHAME OF THE THING.

1t cannot be a pleasant thing OF course,
fCT pectabie and Tight-mind-d Republicans
to feel that the candidate who is likely by
their votes TO be put into the seat OF Wash
inCtOu and Lincoln viii take into That seat
soiied and tainted reputation as public ser
want Such men no doubt think this less
evil tlau the election Of a stainless soldier Of
the Union by Democratic votes would have
been, and absurd as this opinion VIII certain
y appear to sensible persons in the course OF
a very few years, IL is quite conceivable that
it NAV now be honestly entertained by thou
sands of fair minded, decent men who have
the misfortune to he also hot partisans. But
an evil such men must hold il to be that a
man who was adjudgcd guilty Go put the
case mtldly) OF hIghiy repTebeuSlble conduct
aS mgmnPr OF congress, and upon NNOm
sentence of political death was formally
passed by the most respectable organs Of his
own party, should in the shock and confusion
OF an angry political convention have been
unexpectedly thrown up TO the surface 80
candidate for the Presidency. The case, it is
true, is not absolutely unprecedented in our
history. Long after Aaron Burr had forfeit
ed the respect and confidence of Washington
and come to be looked upon as an unsafe and
uDtrUstworthy person hy the abiest and most
honorable members OF his own political party
ne was made q leading candidate for the
Presidency. At our fourth Presidential elec-
ton he came before Congress on equal terms
with Thomas jefferson, and only on the thir
ty-SiXth ballot was il decided that he should
fill not { he first but the second place in the
executive hierarchy OF the nation. Had Burr
and not jefferson been chosen President on
that eventful thirty-siXth ballot, would that
circumstance have rchabiiitated Burr and
clOuded the reputation Of Washington p
Would il have effected i'm the slightest par
ticular the record which Burr had made on
the minds of cool, Clear-sighted and conscien-
tI0uS men during the wears which interviewed
between Washington's withdrawal from him
of his confidence and respect and his canGi-
dacy for the Presidency? To ask these ques-
tions is 20 answer them as TO Aaron Burr, and
10 answer these questions as 10 Aaron Burr
is TO answer them as to General Garfield.
Had Aaron Burr been elected to the PreSi-
dency it is extremely probable that his career
after the year 1900 would have been more
creditable both to himself and to his country
than IL actually was. He was man Of rare
abilities and extremely ambitious. The re-
sponsibilties and the opportunities of power
doubtless would have acted strongly upon
his character, and he might have made q sue
cessful President. Bat, so long as right is
right and wrong is wrong, men who accent
any higher standard than success in their
Judgment Of character must have continued
to consider the election of man like Aaron
Burr to the Presidency blot upon the ma
tonal reputation and perilous example in
politics. General Garfield, though by no
means the equal of Aaron Burr in abilitV
seems to be regarded by impartial persons
who have had reasonable opportunities Of
forming an opinion about him as a man of
much keeneT moral sensibiiities than Aaron
Burr, and therefore rs likely to feel more
keenly the moral constraint TO a respectable
executive career put upon him by his election
to the Presidency All good citizens without
distinction of party will hope that this NAV
be the case, and certainly no good citizen Of
any party viii do ANYTHING wilfuIly to pre-
vent this or to make this unnecessarily difi-
cult and troublesome for General Garfield
But none the less is it a blot upon our nation
al reputation that a public man with the re-
eorG of General Garfield should have been
elected to the Presidency, and none the less
Is every attempt Of any politician or journal
concerned IN elevating him to the Presidency
to treat General Garfield's ineGacable record
as Congressman as thing the moral mean
ing OF which votes can make or unmake, an
offense against the very foundations Of our
Government in the character Of its people
n J.. World.