Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-09-30
lanrdstrr ftltclhgemrer.
FRIDAY EVENING, SEPT. 80. 1881.
Truth of the Living and Dead.

Friday EVENING, SEPT. 30, 1881.
Truth Of the Living and Dead.
The editor Of the Ne,r Era gets out an
old scrap book and prints long string of
uncomplimentary illusions to President
Lincoln, which lie says appeared in the
editorial columns of the INTELLIGEN-
GER prior to the time of Lincoln's assas-
sination in April, 1865. This is seeming
ly done to show that the editor of
the 1NTELLIGENCER who declared the
other day that the Democracy main
tain today the essential truth of the
main accusations made by them against
the Republican candidate for the presi-
dency one year ago." is not a respect
able Democrat, the Ner Era editors idea
Of respectability being manifestly to
slander a man when he is living and to
confess the slander when he is
dead. 1t is an idea of respect.
ability quite characteristic of that
journal and well illustrated in its
practice. We cheerfully admit that
we do not come up to the standard and
that, tried by it, our responsibility would
not pass muster at all. We have quite
different notion of respectable Journal
ism; it is one which fOrbids us to SLAM
der a man when living and we do not
therefore find any need when he is dead
to retract what we have said of him. AS
we did not say of General Garfield living
what we believed to be untrue, we do
not perceive the force of the logic which
asks us to say that we did, just because
M0rey letter, which troubles the
Nor Era, was properly proved
against him; nor do We pro-
pose to he drawn into any discussion
of his record now, since it would he I'M
timely and profitlesS. We simply main-
tlin that our sincere grief for Mr.. Gar
fields unhappy death does not require
us To falsely admit that we slandered
him when living. Those who think that
it does are welcome to enjoy that Opin-
ion along with the editor of the N,u
Era; to whom, however, we would le-
commend that he he more careful in his
statements about the living; if he would
stick 20 the truth about them little closer
he might be spared some of the rccan-
tatiOnS he thinks necessary toward the
dead. lie could hardly have been unaware,
for instance, that the present senior cdi-
tor of the INTELLIGENC Err, Mr.. Stein
N u II Of
the Lincoln editorials prior to April,
1861, had 10 connection with the INTEL
LIGEECER until November, SG6, and did
not regularly occupy the leading editor
ial column until Mr.. Smiths retirement
in 1871. Since then this daily duty has
been cnnscentiously performed. with the
ai,l of his rient Ass ,ciatc, who, us the
Nc'r E." says, has just been highly and
deservedly honorcd by the Williamsport
convention, and who il in hearty accord
in declaring that the INTELLIGENCEH
and the democracy mourn President
Garficld'' fate, without admitting
that they have borne false wit
ness against him. L" anyone of
ceptible without being told. 1t is
only such cross-eyed hypOciites us the
N,w Era editor, who find it ilar,l to be-
lieve that their crooked ways OF looking
ut things do not come natural TO every
body. Along with its half-breed politi
cal associates it is greatly disadvantaged
by President Garfield 5 DEATH and would
like to keep his ghost moving around to
protect hisfrienlS from Arthur's hatchet.
They are getting very much afraid over
the indications of a coming StalwaTt
supremacy, and already, we see, have de-
ciaretl in 4 meeting in New York
that they rs the friends of Garfield
do not propose to he trampel
upon by Arthur. We would not either,
il we could help it. But We are not in
the !isl.t and contemplate it with de-
licious c:,lmncss. We do not propose to
be drawn into il except as it suits us.
We are not to I've provoked into :ssailing
the late president vino had many great
and good qualities enough we hope to
gain him a happy Immortality. His sue
cessor is our fair game, but of him we
propose only to speak the truth as we see
it, and we will SD have nothing to take
back should it ever he our sad duty to
write his obituary. a similar course we
recommend to the Ncw Era, though we
fear its editors angry passions at Arthur
will soon rise to such pitch as to give
hIm very lad tongue.
In Perfect Accord.
The editor of the Ne,r Eru seems to