The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-09-03


for its infamous crimes in Pfesiden-
tial wears. In 1864 it advocated a
craven and dishonorable peace. That
was crime which the patriotism of
the country has never forgiven. In
1865 it carried New York State by
systematic frauds on large scale at
the ballot-box. That was a flagrant
outrage upon political liberty. In
1876 it entered into conspiracy to
buy up the electoral votes of three
States. That was scandal without
precedent in the political history OF
the country, and by the cipher dis
closures it was brought home to the
political managers of the Democrat
ic party and to the household of
their candidate for the Presidency
In 1880, on the eve of the election,
the infamous Morey letter was forg-
ed and circulated from Maine to
California by the Democratic Ma
tional Committee. The chairman of
that Committee is charged with in
citing the forgery, with guaranteeing
its genuineness, and with attempting
to sustain it by employing the orig
inal forger to commit subsequent
forgeries and to suborn witnesses.
That was a crime. or rather series
of crimes, against public morals. 1t
was one of the meanest and most
contemplate tricks imaginable, and
its political uses were eked out by
means of bribery, false personation,
fraud and perjury.
Every Presidential year has its
characteristic Democratic crime
against liberty and public morals.
What new infamy have the Demo
erats in store for the American peo-
pie this year? Anything more fla
grant than the cipher disclosures or
more despicable than the Morey for
gerry? Has Democracy exhausted
its resources of treachery, effrontery
and meanness Are there lower
depths Of partisan malice and de-
pravity to be sounded in the present
canvass? Is corrupt Democracy
already wriggling and squirming to
surpass even its own iniamies by
new and more abominable outrage
upon public decency? Let us
see.
What is this story of the deface-
ment of child's grave in Maine?
In the cemetery at Augusta has
stood for nearly thirty years little
white stone erected to the memory
of Mr.. Blaine's son, Stanwood
Blaine. 1t was a spot consecrated
by parental love and grief and the
little stone bore silent testimony to
sacred sorrow-the first vacancy
in a happy and honored Christian
home. Now the story is told of an
atrocious act of vandalism. That
grave has been secretly visited, the
last hgurein the record of the child's
birth has been chiseled away and
defaced and the date June IS, 1851,
has been made to read June Is,
1S5-. 1t is also known that two
Photographic negative plates of the
defaced stone showing the altered
date, were taken after this act of
vandalism was committed. The
negatives are represented to have
been made for Western customers,
and copies of the plates are said to
have been sent to Democratic news
paper offices in various States.
Now until the foul hoof is actual
ly seen stirring the mud at the bot
tom, it is never safe to say in what
deep water the demon of Democrat
ic malevolence lies hidden. But this
desecration of an innocent child's
grave has the aspect of a meaner and
more despicable outrage even than
the infamous Morey letter. Mr..
Blaine in order to defend the honor
of his wife and family from a vile
slander has branded it as an afro
cious and abominable lie, and has
promptly seized the slanderer by
the throat and sued him for libel.
Why this invasion of the cemetery
in Augusta, and the DETACHMENT and
alteration of the date on the little
marble stone there, if not for the
purpose of manufacturing evidence
to bolster up the infamous Demo
cratic SANDER? Why haye negatives
of that defaced tombstone been sent
10 Democratic newspaper offices
throughout the country unless for
reproduction, precisely as plates of
the Morey forgery were scattered
east and west by order Of the Demo
cratic National Committee ? Is
Democracy now TO be charged with
the vilest of the long series of infa-
nous crimes which have overwhelm-
ed it with reproach in Presidential
years?
Yet all this is done, like the Nor
ey forgery. in the interest of Democ-
racy hypocritically prating of purity
and reform, and rendered desperate
now, as then, by predestined defeat.
IN. \. Tribune.