The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1884-08-13
The Cleveland Scandal.
New York Evening Post (Rep.).l
the Editor OF the Evening Post:

To the Editor OF the Evening Post:
SIR hope you win say something concerning
the wretehed social scandal now extensively Cir
land. Go not myself give any credence TO the
gTOss allegations, bat many antiBlaine men may
corruption if they have any reason to fear that in
supporting Cleveland they may be sanctoning or
eondoning social corruption. II. as | believe,
condemnation sufficiently severe can be
visited upon a so-called religious journal, the
Chicago Advance, for printing Rev. Mr.. bursts
letter in which the charges are made in detail?
Mt Hurst puEportS to pc a BAPTIST clergyman OF
proof of the iniqGlties with which he charges the
reform Governor, he ought to wear striped clothes
and have daily hour OF devotion at the whipping
would very seriously affect the canvass for Cleve
land, and place him and his supporters in very
painful position. As this seems to far exceed the
favor me and several Thousand Others with your
views upon these SANDERS as July believe them
cleveland, O., July &c.
We have seen the scandalous sand revolt
ing story alluded to, and We have only few
words to ssy regarding it We do not believe
that the American people will ever elect q
notorious libertine and a proAigste to the
Office of President of the United States. At
all events we shall never lend our aid to the
election Of such man. Presumptive EVIL
dence that Governor Cleveland is not such,
is furnished by his election as Mayor of Buff
fal0 and as Governor of New York without
the breath of suspicion that his character
was of the kind ascribed to him In the dis
gushing story printed in the Buffalo Telegraph
and circulated in other ways; also by the
fact that the story when printed caused al
most as much surprise at Buffalo as in other
parts OF the country. A seducer and de-
bauchee comes to be known as such in his
own ne ighborhood without mistake, and it
Is unreasonable to suppose that if such were
Is
pie in Buffalo flor they were the best aud
not the worst should have chosen him for
the highest office in their gift, and that the
clergyman who now writes TO the Advance
should have remained dumb while all this
immortality was going on. The case bears all
the marks OF an isolated and long-past error,
revived not by any aggrieved party, but for
the purpose of drawing attent ton away from
Mr.. Blaine's railroad transactions, aud exag-
gerated and cOlOred to suit the most depraved
tastes,
If it is intended to set up a standard which
would have ruled Hamilton, Franklin, jeff
erson, Webster, and Clay ont of public life,
the attempt will hardly succeed. Neverthe-
less, We shall not knowingly support a seduc-
er or a notorious prOhigate for any high
office. The charge preferred against Govern
or Cleveland that he is a seducer is made on
its face impossible by the fact that the charge
relates to a widow. The remaining allega-
tions are that he subsequently treated his
victim" with cruelty bY locking her up in
an insane asylum, and that in other ways he
acted dishonoraDle part. All this, we ven
ture to say, is lie. 1t has no support what
ever, is not authenticated by any respon-
sible person or anybody who claims to know
the real facts. 1t is evidently put forth on
the suppOsition that, as there is one grain of
truth in the whole mass, and as there is a
woman in the case who is, perhaps, leading
a respectable life, those who know the real
facts and who could contradict the lies will
keep silence for her sake, and in order to
spare the feelings of friends and relatives.
There are scOundrels base enough to work
upon this hypothesis If this is the basis and
theory of the attack upon Governor Cleve-
land, as We believe it is, the recoil upon its
authors and promoters Will be something
that they will remember long after the
campaign is ended.
We may add further, as valid reason for
not discussing an isolated charge of this
kind against any public man, that there is
no verse place for the examination of such
a charge than the columns OF a newspaper,
and no worse time than heated campaign.
We have too much respect for human ma
ture to insist that any respectable man shall
defend himself against such an accusation
through the columns of the press. and every
body knows well how many rascals stand
ready to invent or magnify such accusations
against any body even the puIest who shows
any sensitiveness to them. Plenty of offers
to cover Mr.. Blaine with slime of this sort
are already afoat, but we trust, for the credit
of the American name, he will never be
called to meet any imputations but those
which touch his official conduct.