The Evening critic., 1884-06-28
A CLERGYMAN PROTESTS
Against the Religious vituperntion
and Islander that IL Ueaped Upon
the Republican Candidates.

and Islander that IN Ueaped Upon
o the Republican Candidates.
There Is Just as much honor, just as much
intelligence, patriotism, conscience and "iu.
dependence" in journals which support as In
journals which repudiate party nominations.
To assume the contrary, as the Independent
press and the Independent voters do, is to in.
dulge In political cant as Offensive as the 70.
llgious can't which asserts that the indepond-
ent thinker IL especially he who repudiates
all creedg. We have not found this to BIO so.
,'o are aisrns,tnI Oh tnoso whose trust In the
tere, 10 measured exactly by the degree In
which the people follow their advice and carry
out their wishes.
am stating what Is simply true when say
that In thie region II is q matter OF general and
profound surprise that the candidates named
by the Republican National Convention should
DO personally aesailed with such extreme viru.
fence as they are by sundry journals In the
East. IL Mr.. Blaine were the worst man In .he
land II is difficult TO see how denunciation
tion is not all laid upon the candidates, but is
bestowed about equally upon those who nom.
mated na, them: Thus, the Indepsndeat jour,
nal whose fairness, courtesy and ability I
have been accustomed TO admire, goes 80 far
~ TO say editorially that Mr.. Blaine was nom.
mated by "the Shareholders Of the
q. correspondents bitter assault upon
Blaine and Logan, In which among other
tated by q mob" II says: 1--WE wish most en-
phatically TO put ourselves by the side OF
gentlemen" whose opinions 1t prfnts, one OF
dishonest man," calls him a ''dexterous denia-
gogue," and with yalorous rhetoric proposes
10 set 1.-The foot OF his uttermost contemplation
the moral imbecility" which will not aid In
crushing him. We do not know which most to
wonder at-the sentiments thus Expressed or
The fact that we ind them In q religious ana
Again, 1 nnd in Boston Journal among
many letters, one from loved friend, an able
Congregational minister, charging that the
nominations were made by 1.-THE machine"
and must therefore be defeated at any hazard.
Now when religious journals and Christian
ministers are forward to open the campaign
In this style, II certainly will not be because
OF their restraining influence II the campaign
does not speedily degenerate Into one from
which all ordinary decencies OF political dis
cuesion shall be absent.
The writer OF this was not, but f. now, "a
Blaine man." He earnestly desired tho nomi-
nation OF Hawley or Edmunds. But II his
preference was defeated by "the dictation OF q
mob" then the nominations of Lincoln IN
1850, OF Grant In 1868, and Garfield In 1880,
oil OF which no Witnessed, were each and ali
dictated by mob. MIR. Blaine's nomination
was, believe, the frst ever made by any party
through tho votes OF delegates all of whom
were chosen under the principle OF district
representation, and who came direct from the
people. IL was the nomination or u man out OF
ONCE for three years, OF man who had boon
in public life for twenty years, and whose rec
ord 10 as well known to the honest aud refrac-
tory people as TO their would-be guides. II
was nomination by more than two.thirds
majority OF the delegates, and was no doubt
desired and ratified by three-fourths OF the
Republican voters OF the country. Indeed
never, probably, did nomination more fully
voice the peoples desire and hope.
1t does not accord with the
facts TO say that II was the work OF "the ma.
chine" Are tho people then 30 destitute of
good judgement or OF conscience, that they
desire ia corrupt, dishonest man" for their
President? Either this is true, or else these
accusers OF Mr.. Blaine are mistaken. Perhaps
they are mistaken Just as many good men
were who In 1860 thought Mr.. Lincoln O back.
woods demagogue; who in 1864 thought him
bad man, whose defeat was necessary not
only to 'eave the party" but even to save the
country: and who in 1880 regarded Mr.. Gar
Held as personally unworthy OF the high offlce
for which he was nominated. ono thing is
certain: That personal defamation is not q
which is reasonably certain, Is that no good
man is likely to be very good President, II
elected by and dependent upon n bad party,
while even q bad man will be compelled to be
tolerably good President, II elected and re-
strained by, and held accountable to, n party
OF noble traditions, and In the main good prin-
ciples.
any mans candidacy as to protest against a
whole section OF country is full OF original
Blaine men, among whom are mon eminent as
Christian ministers, and many Christian lay.
men; and II Bavore neither OF charity nor OF
truth 10 Intimate that they are lacking In
scoQscience" or in "tntelligence." Speak to
tfte brethren down East, that they go slow
Re-. george q. Nows In the New York Bpap