Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-08-21
TINE CHARGES SWEPT AWAY.
A Political Scandal Speedily Set
tod.

l upOi Bttfhso htt VI ,'Sf7
ernor Cleveland, which have gained cir
culation have been investigated by IN.
dependent Republicans Of Buffalo, AMI
the following report, the result OF the
inquiry, is now officially given to the
public;
TO The. Independent Republicans Of he
| Nation.
| As Republicans and Independents re-
siding In Buffalo, and having peculiar
means OF knowledge, we have been called
upon by private letter and otherwise for
information in regard to the scandals
which have been put IN circulation re-
specting Governor Cleveland's private
lie. We have felt it to be duty inn
posed on us by circumstances to examine
these stories in detail and to make a
formal statement Of the results. No
| such examination would have been nee.
essary to satisfy ourselves; but it was
| due to those who have read the charges
against Governor Cleveland without
knowing personally his general charac-
ter and reputation in this community,
aud without knowing either the position
| or the means Of information of those who
have made the charges, that we should
not pdt forth mere general statement
without a previous investigation.
We have therefore, through COM
mittee appointed from our number for
that purpose, carefully aud deliberately
made an investigation, and we have
taken every available means to ascertain
| the precise facts in each case.
The general charges of drunkenness
and gross immortality which are made
against Gov. Cleveland are absolutely
false. His reputation for morality has
always been good. There is no founda-
tion for any statement to the contrary.
| He was sought out and nominated for
| the Mayoralty against his will, and was
supported for that position by the larger
| portion of the educated, intelligent and
moral citizens of Buffalo without regard
to politics and on purely personal
grounds. After he had gone through
this contest he was again put forward
as one of the most distinguished citizens
of Buffalo as candidate for the Gov
ernorship, and again received the sup
port of the same class of his fellow citi.
zens. In this community, where he had
lived for twenty mine years, and where
his life was shown and his character un-
derstood, this support would not have
been given to him had he been either
drunk ard or libertine. We are able
to speak from personal knowledge as his
acquaintances of long standing, and to
say that bis general private life had
been that of o quiet, orderly, self.re-
speoting, and always highly respected
citizen.
Since he assumed his present office
his Wits to Buffalo have been few aud
of short duration. 1t il susceptible of
absoluteproof, and has been proved to us,
that upon n, one of these wits has any.
thing occurred to justify the statements
which have been made by his deractors,
The charge that he has recently
taken part in drunken and licentious
debauch in Buffalo ON the occasion of
such visit is entirely false.
We have been particularly careful and |
thorough in our investigations of the al
legged betrayal, abduction, and inhuman |
treatment of a woman of this city, as
detailed in local newspaper. The cir
cumstances out of which this story was
fabricated occurred eight years ago.
The woman in question was at
that time widow, between 30 and 40 |
years of age, with two children, the |
younger of whom was ten years old. |
The facts of the case show that she was
not betrayed, and that the allegations
respecting her abduction and ill treat.
ment are wholly false. We deem these
the only features of the charge in con.
nection with this matter which consti-
tute a public question requiring any
declaration on our part
Our examination of the other charges
which have been made against Gov.
| Clevelaud's private character shows that
they are wholly untrue. In every in
stance in which the reports and insinua-
tions have been tangible enough to fur
nish clue to guide us in our investiga-
tion they have been positively proved to
| be false.
The attack upon Gov. Cleveland's
character is thoroughly discredited when
we consider the sources from which it
comes. 1t was first publicly made in
Buffalo by newspaper of no standing
whatever. We have twice called upon
the editor of this paper and asked him
to produce his proofs-the names, dates
and other particulars--which he had
publicly stated he was at liberty to
show. He declines to do so or to facili-
tate investigation into the truth of
either his own charges or those contained
in the anonymous letter which he pub
lished. He admitted that he had no
evidence to support any accusation
against Gov. Cleveland, except in the
one instance to which we have particu.
larly referred. He rested his case on
| hat ~. aud To fhat or ha 10
contradicted by the witnesses having
personal knowledge.
The two clergymen whose profession
has been invoked to give weight to these
charges have no personal knowledge Of
the facts, and under the circumstances
could not possibly have such knowledge.
They have ventured to state as facts
known to themselves stories which rest
upon the merest hearsay, and which.
when traced to their alleged sources, are
in every case denied by the persons to
whom they are ascribed.
We have designed to make candid
and judicial statement of the results Of
our investigation of this matter without
partisan coloring. We have not thought
it necessary or proper to repeat the
charges against Governor Cleveland in
detail, nor to present in full the evidence
by which they have been disproved.
JoHN III. CowING, JOSIAH G. MUNRO,
ANsLEY WILCOX, l.. ID. RUMsEY,
WILLIAM +. KIP, G. BARRETT RICH,
THOMAS CARY, CHAs. 2. NORTON,
Gro. p. SAWYER, JNo. b. 0LMsTEAD,
RALPH STONE, J.TALLMAN DAVIS,
JoHN l.. RANSOM, HENRY ALTMAN,
HENRY w. SPRAGUE, J. N. LAARNEp,
Buffalo, N. Y, Aug. 8, 1884.