Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-10-19
lallrdstcr fntclGqe1lrer.
Poor Facts. and False Beside.


WEDNESDAY EVENING. OCT. 10, 1881.
Poor Facts, and False Beside.
The editor of the Philadelphia Press,
not content with the editorial tripod, as
some editors are wont not to be, essays
also the stump, and publishes in his
journal the full text of a speech which
he delivered to the friends of Mr.. Wolfe
at his Lewisburg home. It seems to
have been a sample of the sort of speech
the political orator indulges in, but hard
ly the kind of talk that an editor would
think of putting into cold type if he was
ambitious of securing a repute for his
journal for fairness, truthfulness and in
formation. The orator is tempted to
say good many things in his haste and
excitement that the editor avoids by
greater deliberation but when the speak
er prints his speech he has no greater ex-
cuse for his misstatements than the edi-
tor has. The Press is not very conspicu-
GUS for its impartiality in the treatment
of political topics and things, though it
now and again makes desperate sort Of
break in the direction of fairness but
the effort is apparently against its secret
nature since it speedily goes back to its
idols. 1t has a jerky sort of record, as
would be natural to Journal that strove
at once to be the mouthpiece Of politi-
cal party and yet wished to have the
reputation of an independent newspaper.
Its conductor has heen for SO very short
time a resident Of Pennsylvania that
his ignorance of Pennsylvania political
history is not surprising the only as
tonishing thing is that one So ill-grounde d
in the knowledge of our affairs should
so confidently speak Of them and so
assuredly seek to teach their lesson.
The Harrisburg Patriot points out
how sadly the editor of the Press came
to grief in seeking to show the Lewis
burg people how wicked the Democratic
party in Pennsylvania has always been.
He declared: "In 1915. the state debt
was forty million dollars. In 1855 when
the Democratic party went out of power,
after more than thirteen years of unin-
terrupted sway, the debt had been
scarcely reduced at all and Was still more
than thirty.nine millions;' And then
showed how rapidly the debt had since
been paid off under Republican rule.
The trouble with Mr.. Smiths argument
was the simple one that damages SO much
eloquence; he had his facts wrong.
There was a Whig governor, Wm. +.
Johnston, from July, 1915, to January,
1852, and another, Pollock from January,
1855, to January, 1855; altogether six
and a-half years, or just half of Mr..
Smiths "thirteen years of uninter
rupted sway" Of the Democratic party.
That was stupid mistake to make. hut
excusable in a stranger to the state. But
what is not excusable to any man, orator
or editor, who assumes to lead public
opinion, is the clap-trap flimsiness of the
argument which the oratorical editor of
the P,t.s sought to draw from his
facts even if they had been as lie
stated them. There is 10 manner OF
substance to an argument that the
Democratic party, if it had not from
1915 to 1858 reduced the state debt, was
more extravagant and less trustworthy
than the Republican party, though the
debt has since then been wholly dis
charged. Every one knows that the
country has been growing vastly in
wealth, and in the natural order of
things Pennsylvania resources have
become many times greater to-day than
they were over Il score of years ago. 1t
is simply silly to say that Republican
management of the states affairs has
been the cause Of the discharge of the
debt, and that similar result would not
have attended Democratic administra
tion and especially is this buncombe
declaration when we consider the note
rious corruption which has disgraced the
states financial administration during
the very period of which the Press cdi-
tor boasts about his party.