The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-07-23
sLANpERINa PUBLIC MEN

presidential candidates should be men whose
private life has been pure, whose aspirations
have been not only to rise in politics but to
abstain from those acts and practices which
disfgure the moral man. the Journal is not
one of those papers that hasten to descend to
the sewers to drag up filth with which to
smirch the character Of the opposition candi-
date. There is altogether too much of this
business already, and it has come to a pass
that no sooner is a man named for any high
and honorable office than some one opens
private character. The public acts Of candi-
dates are the legitimate property of the public,
and they may fairly be criticised and con-
demned, and, if possible, the man may be de-
feated on account of the record he has made.
The charges made against Mr.. Cleveland by
certain of his feIlow-citizens, who have gone
to the trouble to investigate his private life
while a citizen of Buffalo, are not the kind of
material of which campaign argument should
W hoNAO ~ W JAOoO S0u1SC6 AuOWA
to our readers, but the Journal does not pro-
pose to supply the details with which many
newspapers are now filed. Even if these
charges were shown to be true, the
shame viii be on all the people, that such a
man should attain such prominence before the
Nation as to be named for the most exalted DO.
sition in the land. Not that the journal be-
lieves that such things should be ignored and
hushed up, but rather for the reason that they
the humblest Office within the gift
of his townsmen. And for the further
fact that SUCH exposes accomplish
but little in influencing voters, however hos
tile they may be to the practices complained
of. In past campaigns there has been so much
Of malicious assassination of character that
the public will be slow to accept anything,
however well sustained, uttered in criticism of
the private life Of the candidates. The shame
has fallen upon all that the most indubitable
proof Of personal immortality may be brought
against any public man without affecting the
votes of more than a score of men
in the entire country. If Mr.. Cleye-
land has done anything like what
has been formally charged against him,
his election would be disgraceful and humii-
ating. But, to our shame as a people be it
uttered, it must be admitted that probably
not one Democrat in ten thousand would be
severed in his allegiance to the ticket were
the most shameless things charged and proved
against Mr.. Cleveland. The entire country is
sible for partisans to SANDER and yilify opposi-
ton candidates without even the shadow Of a
foundation in fact. The voters Of this
Republic have allowed honorable men to
be slandered SO mercilessly that the effect has
long since been discounted, and national
honor has been so far thrown off its guard that
a man might almost ride from a bagnio to the
White House, if regularly Endorsed. The fact
that men of good repute have been SO merci-
lessly assaulted, and afterwards vindicated their
honor, inures to the benefit of men of ques-
tionable characters, SO that, while it is emil
nently desirable to defeat such men as Mr..
Cleveland is represented to be, it will have to
be done N his public record, and
not by showing up his sins as q
private citizen. There is enough, we think,
in Mr.. Cleyeland's official acts to convince the
public that he is not a fit man to be trusted
with the seperintendence Of federal affairs.
These acts the Journal expects to employ as
arguments against him, and through them it
expects to see him defeated in November
next.