The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-06-17
ABUSE OF PUBLIC MEN.

j
political party as in another. One cause
of this is the laIity of the laws of libel in the
different states of the country. But what
ever the causes, and we will not stop here to
discuss them or enter into any philosophical
analysis of them, wo know that the fact
exists that whenever man, no matter what
his talents and genius may be, no matter
how pure his character, how upright his
whole life has been, whenever he entersupon
careor of public life, serving the people
and aspiring to political preferment and
position, he becomes the target for every
shaft Of envy and malice, and jealousy and
SANDER that any opponent either in his own
party or in the opposition party may see
at 10 hurl at him. 1t makes little difference
how deeply envomed may be tho barb of the
shaft and il i! be plumed with feather from
his own bosom,so much the better. The con-
sequence Of this iniqu!ious practice is,. that
there is scarcely leading man, or states
man, or political, or exalted official of the
country, who is not all befouled with ac-
cusatioIs and charges of the most heinous
nature. 1t is true that.these accusations and
charges do not reach or affect the character
of the honest and honorable man, bat they
do reach and mar his reputation. Let
political canvass begin for the election of
officers, no matter if it is only precinct
constable or town m,r-ha, and at once
the missiles of vituperation begin to fly in the
air. The papers TEEN with all manner of
foul charges. against the different cam
didates, and stump speakers make
the hustings resound with them. Men
talk them on the street corners
and 10 bar-rooms and use them as arguments
Cor influencing voters. If 1.-THE of the
despicsble, corrupt and venal things laid
at the doors Of the public men of the couR-
try, If the msrest modicum of tho filth
thrown upon their garments be the truth
and justly belong there, they should rather
fill folonious cells than public positions. 1t
is said that a warm friend Of Mr.. Claws
in Kentucky, an honest, truthful, upright
old farmer against whom no breath Of sus-
picion even had ever been drawn, man in.
capable of amssn, or little, or dishonest
act, aspired 10 the Legislature and would
make the race contrary to the counsel of
Mr.. Clay, who tod him that no would b.
villihed aud slsndered from one extreme of
his district to the other. After tho race he
met Mr.. Clay and told him that his advice
to him was good, and WAS foolish not to
heed, "for," said he, "they &C
cused me of sheep stealing, and
they came very near proving it, too
This snecdote is but an illustration of tho
prevalent habit, custom, indeed, of the coun-
try, which is all wrong, which is disgrace
to our country, which is foul blot upon its
escutcheon. But what is the remedy? What
is the panacea for the i'll? That il the
question, and it is one that ought to engage
the serious thought and consideration Of
every good man and citizen in the country.
The ISLANDERS and malignant sspersions, such
as We allude to, always begin with the beasts
Of prey that hover about the camp fires and
on the trail of political parties; the human
jsckals and hyenas who, in their unscrupu-
lousness, in their poverty of conscience, in
their bankruptcy of honor, atoop to any in
fanny for the sake OF a bone TO pick, for the
lesvings that may be tossed to them. They
arc the scavengors to d. the dirty work and
to delvc in the cesspools and labor
in the sewers of political life. But
they set aaoat the eillluvia of SANDER
they stir up and they thrive and fatten upon
1t, no matter who may sicken and die, whose
regulations they may blast into whose souls
they may drive the iron of misrepresentation
and maliceS To SO great pitch has this
sort of thing come and go common and
almos!a matter of course has it gotten TO
be, that high.minded, sensitive gentlemen in
great many instances, gentlemen worthy of
all preferment and elevation because of their
moral and intellectual merit, will not seek or
accept office, and it has occurred and will
continue to occur, that men inferior in all
the qualities proper for public stations secure
positions they are not worthy to FL. Until
this thing is changed we will continue to see
vullures in the eyries Of eagles, and wolves
where only lions ought to be. The HERALD
has never lent itaelf 10 the dissemination
Of the charges and accusations
made against public men
and officials. If charges Of the nature We
are writing about are officially made against
any man in position, and an investigation or
trial ensues, 1t then becomes matter of
official record, and it is proper to give the
facts as they are officially announced and pro,
mulgated, for that is news, that is something
which Is ofvi.sl interest to every citizen.
Now there is a gentleman in this state
United States Senator s. b. Maxey, against
whom we see many inuendoes made, and
harsh suspicious uttered in connection with
the star roate mail frauds. We have never
put one Of them in print or IN any way
counienanced them, for We think 1t wrong,
not to say despicable, to do 80. II is true
that the HERALD in the late senatorial contest
Dreferrad ox.Covarnor Throokr,o.,or O..