National Republican., 1882-10-28

The Campaign.
The present political campaign will
long be remembered as one in which a
pure and upright Administration was
defilcd by the coarscst of ISLANDERS and
the most unfounded of calumnies. The
calm and sclf-contained gentleman who
occupies the Executive Chair, with the
highest appreciation of his great respon-
sibilitics and the highest cndeavor to
meet them properly, is as free from the
things harged against him by the pirate
element i'll the press as that has al.
ways been of truth and decency.
The assaults made upon him have
not been made in the public in
terest, nor do their authors believe
them to be true. So far as any exercise
of the appointing power by him has had
any bearing upon the action Of the Re-
publican party, he has appointed more
OF his enemies than his friends. He has
not used his power for any personal ends.
1t is notorious among all informed men
Of both parties that his neglect 10 eXer-
else the political influence of his Office
in the usual manner and to the extent
deemed legitimate under all his prede-
cessors of the last fifty. years, has caused
him to be severely criticised by some of
his party friends, and has excited the
wonder of his enemies.
The foul rGiIians who, on the I'd of
July, 1881, dipped their pens in poison
and wrote the infamous editorials which
appeared on the following day and after
III the New York Tribune and Times and
in kindred incendiary sheets, did what
they could to unsettle the foundations of
society by infaming the public mind
against the irrepronchable citizen who
was to become the constitutional Presi-
dent in the eYent of Garfied's death.
The great ocean Of public sympathy
which welled up for the stricken Pres-
dent appeared to these imps TO be i'm
portant only rs it could be made useful
in eXasperating the people against the
Vice-President and his friends. They
declared that Garfield had fallen a
victim to the Stalwart war upon the
President. None knew better than
they what miserable lie it was to pre-
tend that any other than defensive war
had been made by the Stalwarts at all.
The sun is not clearer in the heavens ut
MONDAY than the truth on this subject
to wit: That these very miscreOnts who
sought to arouse q spirit of Nihilism
against General Arthur had been fore
most in ridiculing the weakness and
insignificance of the opposition to Presi-
dent Garfield. The newly-appointed col
lector of New York declared through the
Tribune, in April, 1881, that the custom.
house there had been given him as his
share of the "spoils" as one of the "vic-
tors" at Chicago, while the Tribune staff
correspondent wrote as follows from the
White House direct day or two after
ward:
Self. preservation is the first law of nature, and
no Administration can be expected TO put II SHARP
knife in the hands Of a man who has taken q vow
to cut its throat at The c1id Of lis FIRST term.
The President prefers man for collector who was
his friend at Chicago. In filling an office
which might be made n pOue1JW POLITICAL
AGENCY he prefers one of his old friends to one o
his new ones.
Such were the ethics OF the Tribune
and the custom-house eighteen months
ago. The rayenous crew who hoped tc
gorge their coarse appetites for plundei
through Blaine's power during Gariield's
administration were frantic with rage
when one of their own class sped the
fatal bullet which disappointed theil
hopes. AS tigers robbed Of their prey
and not as citizens bereft Of their Presi.
dent, they turn ed with ferocious hatred
not upon The murderer, but upon the
man who was, by Gartield's death, made
the unhappy custodian of the offices
they craved. They made day and nigh
hideous with their demand to have theil
hunger appeased. They had for spokes
men the shameless tribe which, through {
syndicate ofmetropolitan dailies, deiameE
every President upon whom they cannot
levy blackmail. The new President was
ordered 20 do whatever these sculliont
and rag-pickers in politics chose TO say
would have been the wish of Garfield il
he had lived, on pain of such harm as
they could do him. The President, anx
ious to give the country the repose it SC
much needed, and accepting as pub
lie opinion the EXTREMIST preten
sions of these wfetches, proceeded
to administer the government accord,
ingly But this did not pacate the Nj,
hilsts. They not only wanted to gov,
ern him in the exercise of the appointing
power, but they wanted also to abso.
lutely destroy him. No man can pla'
cate the implacable, No traveller can
by good behavior or argument eytin.
guish the highwayman's desire for his
purse. No President can erect and ad.
here to a standard of public action
high enough or pure enough tc
escape the calumny, which is the
valgar weapon of the rapacious, the
cruel, and the unprineipled, The har-
pies who seized Garleld's administration
q. its outset, and whose main regret at his
death was the loss Of their own power,
and the supposed danger theirplunder,