Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-06-13
Issues Of the Campaign.

The campaign Of this year will be one in
which the personality of candidates will be
more vigorously scrutinized than ever, be
cause there is no great supreme issue of
national peril or national policy which will
engross the attention of the people, and this
scrutiny invites defeat -Horper's Weekly
The menace contained in the foregoing
extract from an editorial in the last Har-
per's Weekly has no terrOrs for those who
are best acquainted with Mr.. Blaine. An
attempt to carry it out will result as the
campaign of slander did in which General
Conway engaged against George Wash
ington. The slandered man was not in
iured but. on the contrary, raised in the
esteem of his countrymen; while Conway.
the slanderer, sank in well merited dis
grace and occupies place in history
nearly as Infamous as that which Benedict
Arnold fills The Weekly. no doubt, hopes
to impress its readers by the air of super
ior wisdom and purity which it assumes.
but the American people have no more
respect tor Phariseeism than the Saviour
had. as doubtless the Harpers will very
soon begin tie understand.
Rut what is most worthy of notice in the
foregoing extract is the light and belttling
manner in which the Weekly touches upon
the issues of the campaign. 1t seems to
be of the opinion that nothing is at stake
in the election. no principles are in issue
worth contending for. and that the demo-
cratic party might as well rule as the re :
publican party We give it credit for
frankness in this statement of its opin-
ion. but we might have inferred
AS much from the attitude which it as
sumes towards Mr.. Blaine. the nominee
of the republican party; for to strike at
him who is the chosen standard bearer of
the republican party is to strike at the
party itself.
In our humble opinion the position TAX
en- bv the Harpers is unworthy OF The
paper which they control. 1t is false and
designedly misleading. Nobody objects to
the Weekly advocating the democratic
cause if it chooses to do so. but to do this
while pretending to be republican is base
and cowardly. Let it openly declare for
the democratic nominee and we could re-
spect it; but it deserves nothing but con-
tempt while pretending to be republican
and vet doing what it can to aid the DEM
ocratic party.
The republican party is rs sincere. earn
est and devoted to its principles to-day as
it has ever been. 1t has as many great
and good men enrolled in its ranks as at
any time since its first organization. They
believe the issues of the present campaign
are momentous. The question of free
and honest elections in the South is GER
tainly an issue of supreme Importance.
Why fight for the freedom of the slave
and the safely of the Union if colored men
are to be denied the right of casting their
ballots as they desire and the Union to be
in constant peril from ''solid South"
resting on fraud and violenceP Is the
tariff issue, which affects all the great
industrial interests of the country of no
Importance in this campaign ? To say
nothing of other issues which exist be-
between the two great parties. all of
which are important. that of free ballot
and a fair count in the South and tariff
that will promote the interests of labor
all over this broad land must certainly be
placed among those of supreme impor-
tance.
Harper's Weekly undertakes the inteIli-
gence OF the people of this country
if it expects to have any considerable
following of republicans. 1t may go
over to the democratic camp, but it
will carry no republicans with it.
Honest Independents will remain in the
republican party, with whose principles
they agree; while the other sort, who
wear republican mask but are democrats
in reality will find their home within the
democratic organization.
Mr.. Charles Dudley Warner will spend