Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1884-08-23
"TELL THE TRUTH"
rr.ou u.rners,s weeklv.l

TELL THE TRUTH"
From Hsrpers's Weekly.l
We have hitherto taken no part III
the discussion of reports concerning inc
private life Of the candidates for the
presidency, because such stories tolo
in the midst of all election campaign
require very careful examination be-
tore any opinion can be properly form.
ed or expressed. We have received
letters offering to furnish details OF
private scandals in the career OF Mr..
Blaine, and letters asking our opinion
of the scandalous charges which have
been made against Mir. Cleveland. 1t
ia not necessary to say that Harper's
Weekly is not open to such discussion
except upon the plain necessity OF the
case, and after the most dliigent inqul-
ry. 1t is equally unnecessary to say
that this journal would no more ald III
the election Of q VIGOROUSLY
and drunken man to the presidency
than it would advocate the election OF a
man who had prostituted ofticla! place
to private gain. The article i'll the
Buffalo Evening Telegraph, whatever
may be the character of that paper or
the motive of the publication, has I'M
doubtedly produced a profound m
preston. We should be sorry if it had
not done 90, because the question OF
the relation between private morality
and public position is one OF b high
est importance, upon which the con-
science of this country has cen al
WAYS very sensitive, aud it would be 9
lamentablc sign of national decay II
that sensibility should be weakened.
The article, however, is apparently a
maliciously ingenious distortion, mis-
representation, and Justification OF the
real facts, which as we have ascertain
ed them to the best Of our ability are
substantially as recited in the Evening
Post OF August S.
Mr.. Cleveland has met the charges i'll
the most characteristic manner-a
manner which may be well contrasted
with that of Mr.. Blaine in regard to
the Mulliean letters. Promptly aud
unhesitatingly, with q manliness that
every honorable man in the country
will appreciate, when h cai9mnlous
article appeared, Mr.. Cleveland said to
his friends at once, 'Tell the truth"
There was no whining about his "pri-
vate business" no seizing OF letters,
and after a menacing pressure OF pub
lie opinion, theatrical reading Of such
parts as he chose, and with his own
comments; there was no desperate
| eauivocatiOn and attempted conceal
ment. "Tell the truth" was the only
reply-a reply which showed a man
honOrably unwilling to receive any
public trust under false p%retenscs. The
truth, it is evident, if The version OF
the EveningPost be correct, as VIC be-
lievc, is totally belied in the article OF
tho Telegraph. The truth leaves Mr..
Cleveland entirely free from any just
charge of base conduct in the past,
or of habitual debauchery and drunk
enness Ito this hour" Of which no evil
dence known to us has been offered.
The Buffalo Express, an independent
republican journal which supports Mr..
| Blaine for the presidency, but which
earnestly supported Mr.. Cleveland for
mayor and governor, and whose edi-
tor is in q better position to know the
truth than any clergyman or other per.
son who has made himself prominent
against MI. Cleveland, says, in reply
to inquiries, "What we q say, based
upon our information and judgment, is
this, we do not believe that the charges
are in any just sense of the word true
This is not only the conclusion of the
editor of the Express, but of Other
most respectable citizens of Buffalo
known to us, and it is our W cOnclu-
sion after careful inquiry. UndOubt-
eddy every good citizen would prefer
q choice between two candidates abso
lutely irreproachable in every respect
and there + manyhOnest persons who
will prefer not to vote for a candidate
of whom any kind of ~irregularity a
any time can be Justly alleged. Suci
voters, however, if they cannot supper
Mr.. Cleveland, who said at once, "Tel
the TRUTH" can still less support Mr.
Blaine, who said, "Let my privat,
affairs alOne," and tried III vain to de
ceive the country.
In the actual situation the practica
alternative seems to us to lie between
tcandidate whose offensc is wholly O
tho past, and was of n kind which doe
not necessarily disqualify him for tn
highest public trusts, and q candidate
who deliberately prostituted publi
Office to private gain. No such man
80 far as we recall, who was self-cOn
victed of the want Of official integrit,
which has aroused the indignant pro
test against the nomination of MI
Blaine, has ever been nominated o
'telected to a great Office in this country
But Franklin and Hamilton and Jeffer
son and Webster and Clay, and othe
eminent men still carer. our own time
were held by their fellOw-citizens to b.
worthy of the highest public RESPONSE
bilities, although 1t was known tina
their private lives had net been with
out stain. 1t was not that the pcopl,
were indifferent, TO morality, bat tina
they wisely Disseminated between
conduct which justly and necessaril,
units q man for public trusts, and tina
which experience and the general con
seriousness prove to be compatible witt
the utmost personal honesty and Officia
fidelity. The allegation that Mr.
Clevelandi ia at this time a libertine ant
a drunkard is unquestionably, upol
any kind of evidence known to us
false. His official career has been opel
to the eyes Of all men, and if during
the time that he has faithfully execu
has disgraced his public office, the fac
is wholly unknown to us, and certain
ly no evidence of it has been submitted
to the public. No honest man will
mistake us as defending moral irregu,
~larities of any kind, nor, on the othel
hand, will he doubt our hearty con
tempt of those who affect horror at pri
waite immortality in order to divert pub
lie attention from official corruption
We shall fairly consider any disclos
ures that NAV be made, and all reason