Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-10-23

IIUngpAY EVENING. OCT. an. ,ss4
n1neer Kesnedy and ContrOiier Hirst.

i1oruser Kesnedy and Controller Hirst.
Controller Hirst has resigned the
'OouOcrstic nomination for the control {
ouahIp because, a he says, he thinks his
oontlnued candidacy, under the assault
mode upon his personal integrity, will
damage his party's prospects, but still
pFUtesting his entire innocence. Mr.
Hhst perhaps gives undue attention to
~ partyS prospects,. His first duty In
this matter was to himself, and with
stnupg consciousness Of innocence he
GnOuld not not have feared the popular
vordict. The people have no sympathy
With unfairness, and IL 1t hal appeared
b them that Mr.. Hirst was being per
oecuted in the house OF his political
friends, they would have sustained him
We are impelled to say that the assault
upon Mr.. Hirst does not seem to us to
have been manly and fair. We do not
know Mr.. Hirst. He may be weak
man or q bad man or the tool of bad
men; but on the evidence published In
this matter be appears to be an innocent
and an abused man.
Senator Kennedy publishes today an
elaborate statement, in which he urges
that Mr.. Hirst has been guilty Of forg.
cry, but beyond his own opinion to that
eject, he presents nothing to show IL,
unless he intends to say that James 3.
pattison declares Mr.. Hirst's admitted
signature of his name to have been un
authorized and fraudulent. Mr.. Ken
nedy says that be is Mr.. Pattison's at
torney, and tho natural presumption
would be that he speaks for him and by
his authority. But Mr.. Pattison wrote
thus on October Is, 1884, to Mr.. HiIst !:
write to you to say that you never did
any act in any business relation with me
which you were not warranted In doing by
the relation of confidence subsistipg be-
tween Ms, and that have not now and
nsver had any cause Of complaint or OBJ
lection to make against your conduct. Any
efOrt to distort the fact of our relationship
or your acts into improper or even ques
tiopable conduct Is perverson OF the
Truth. write you this letter hurriedly
and at the first intimation of the purpose
TO defame you, as regard it due from me
- an act of justice to you and in vindica
tion Of the honorable friendship which has
always characterized your intercourse with
me.
Does Mr. Kennedy mean to say that
his client says that be lied in thus writing
to Mr.. Hirst ? Or does Mr.. Kennedy
put himself in antagonism to his client
In either case his conduct is remarkable
and hardly professional or defensible.
We have high regard for Mr.. Ken.
nsdy, but in this matter it clearly appears
that he is astray. We are quite unable
TO comprehend how he could call upor
Mr.. Hirst to retire from the candidacy
conferred upon him by his party on th,
eve of the election, because of matter
which he shows to have been within bi,
Knowledge long before Mr.. Hirst WEI
nominated. Undoubtedly, if this afforded
sufficient cause for Mr.. Hirst's with
drawal, it sufficed to require Senator
Kennedy to use it to prevent the nomins
tion of Mr.. Hirst which, however, wa!
conferred unanimously, senator Kenned,
not being heard from in q whisper o
opposition. Senator Kennedy's duty a
Q patty leader to see that none but goot
men are put in office is clear, but hi
vigilance should be exercised for hi
party's cake before its nominations ar,
made. We see no possible excuse fol-
the time and temper of this performance
Senator Kennedy, in the meeting OF
the Democratic city committee, had no
better reason to give for not using bis
knowledge to prevent Mr.. Hirst's nomi
nation that to say that he thought he
would not dare accept it, and " it was
not until recently that the course of the
campaign convinced him that there was
danger that Mr.. Hirst. whom he knew
to be unworthy, would be elected" That
IL certainly the most extraordinary
statement that ever came from politi
cal leader. He had nothing to urge
against his patty's candidate until ht
thought he would be elected /; then i,
became his duty to defeat him. W.
trust that Senator Kennedy's idea of the
time when the duty Of Democratic
leaders require them to scrutinize theil
candidates is not held by Democratic
leaders in general. 1t will hardly b
popular in the party.