The Portland daily press., 1883-07-18
Dorsey and the Democrats.

ported charges against the Integrity of Pres
ident Garfield is likely to serve one good
purpose. The reception will show how
widespread is the appetite for scandal and
possibly may!lead thoughtful persons to con-
slider whether tits not high time to interpose
some etfectnal protest against the publica-
ton OF malignant and unsupported attacks
on personal character. Political excitement,
especially in the desperation of close cam
paign, has often brought out slanderous
charges; but never before, at least not in re-
cent times has anything SO monstrous in its
baseness been given to the public. There
have been other cases when men of good
reputation have been accused of corruption
and disgraceful intrigue; but not after they
were dead, and not without a scrap of docu-
mentary on other confirming evidence. 1t
was thought necessary to make pretence
of having something more than the unsup-
ported word of man of damaged reputation
to ruin good name. Even the forged letter
on the Chinese question which the Demo-
cratic national committee brought out at the
crisis of the campaign of 1880, one of the
most audacious frauds ever contrived, had
an existence. Mr. Hewitt and Mr. Barnum
did not venture to impose on the country
their affirmation that such letter had been
written without producing the document
upon which they relied, and General Garfield
was alive to denounce the invention.
When the Tammany ring of which Boss
Tweed was the chief, was assaulted with def
finite charges of corruption, the documents
and the accounts to support tie indictment
were presented in the New York Times.
They were sufficient for conviction and upon
these facts the plundering Democratic crew
were convicted in courts of justice. When
the corrupt intrigue of Democratic leaders
to annul the legal result of the election of
1876 was definitely charged, the cipher de-
spatches were published to the world and
their authenticity could not be disputed.
They afforded reasonable ground for sus-
pecting the integrity of Mr.. Tilden and his
advisers at that time. In both these cases
the men accused were living and able to de-
fend themselves. The accusations were
fairly made on adequate prinaa .facie evil
dence by responsible parties of good reputs-
ton.
So also the charges upon which Dorsey
and Others were lately tried were not vague
ly and anonymously made public without
the production of any evidence in support of
them. The facts as they appeared on the
official racords rrara ,,ubl;shad l., aata;l and
the inference was as reasonable as it was
general that Dorsey and Brady had ,een
dishonest. The difference between such
methods as these and this action of Dorsey,
or of the New York Sun, whichever of them
assumes the responsibility, is as wide as the
difference between an honorable soldier and
a secret assassin, between a gentleman
and a sneak.
We know there have been instances of
the publication of matters disgraceful to the
good fame of dead men; but by no people
having the instincts of justice and decency
have such publications been credited unless
made by a person of unsullied character,
whose motives were unimpeachable, or un-
less supported and corroborated by other and
incontrovertible testimony. The good sense
of humanity, the according judgments q
reason and experience have put upS MIN
Eheesnmis esa~ e men in
their grave u effort IL company in
his own disg. ;e, stigma of meanness.
Had MIR. Dorsey been convicted on his
trial and spent the rest of his life in
the penftentiary. he would have left more
honorable name to his children than he has
earned for them by this publication. If a
jury had convicted him his friends might
have believed they had erred. Now that he
has confessed himself infamous they will
have no asylum from shame.
Now and hereafter candid men, sooner
than believe, on Dorsey's word, that such a
man as Garfield seemed to be was as base as
Dorsey alleges will, believe Dorsey to be a
liar. 1t is the more reasonable hypothesis.
We do not forget that the Democratic par
ty press almost unanimously has accepted as
true this statement of one whom until yea
terday they had for years with equal unani-
nifty denounced without stint as wholly I'M
trustworthy. The ink is scarcely dry on
hundreds of these Democratic papers which
expressed the opinion that he had perjured
himself on the witness stand. Since the
time when he entered the Senate until now
they have proclaimed him a scroundrel. Now
that he turns in vengeance to rend the honest
public servants who prosecuted him for
crime, these Democrats eagerly assume that
he tells the truth with scrupulous exact
ness and fidelity. This perversity of the
Democratic party press does not make Dor
sey an honest man, or change his base act to
virtuous one. 1t only illustrates again the
degradation and desperation of Democratic
craftsmanship. That party has certain
criminal dock of the supreme court OF pat
riotism good part of the time for twenty
five years. Like Dorsey it considers the ma
TONS distrust of it on account of its crimes
against the national integrity and honor a
persecution, and like him it fancies it can
recover something Of reputation by repres
senting that others are as wicked as itself
and so lessening the odium of the compari-
son intelligent citizens are always instituting'
It hugs Dorsey to its heart now that he
has joined his efforts TO its efforts to scandal
lie the leaders of the party which has "per-
secuted them both with equal cause if not
with equal success. This is not strange. Has
not the Democratic party adopted and hon.
ored General Butler after proclaiming to al
the world for years that he was corrupt in
bone and fibre, in motive and aimp Now it
has precious pair of renegade Republicans
to fondle and caress. Why should it no.
make the most of its opportunity? No
ticket for the next national campaign could
be more truly representative of the Demo
cratic party of to-day than this:
For Observation-Disclosures F. Butler.
For Vice Pesident-Stephen W. Dorsey.
Niagara Falls.