The weekly sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1886-1887, 1886-07-22
SENATOR VANCE'S DISCOVERY
He Finds that George Jones can Lie
Faster than Truth can Contradict.

He Finds that George Jones can Lie
Faster than Truth can Contradict.
Senator Vance writes to the. New
York Sun as follows, condeming the
late slanderous article published by
the New York Times:
To THE EDITOR OF The SUN-.Sir:
On Sunday morning, July t, tn. Ne,O
York Times contained prehistoric
account of my speech to be delivered
the next day in Tammany Hall, and
replied to its arguments before they
were made by giving list of sixteen
members of my family rejoicing in the
name of Vance, for whom it is said l
had procured Office under the Gov
ernmcnt This was to account for my
hostility to the Civil Service law.
On Tuesday morning, the 9th of
July, the Ne,o York Times contained
the very slightest notice of what [
had said the day before, and accom-
panied by column of very course
and vulgar abuse based upon the same
statement concerning the list of my
supposed kindred in office.
Some commentary upon this seems
to be necessary. Judging from the
temper evinced by these attacks l
should say that 1 hit the editor of the
Times very hard when in my Tamma-
ny speech l characterized the Mug
wump as man who fought now and
then on either side, but lied very
steadily on all think am justified
in this conclusion, for when you fling
a rock at dog in the dark it is gen
orally safe to say that you hit him if
you hear him yelp.
Now [ am aware of the unwisdom,
in a general way, of engaging in
wordy warefare with a partisan news
paper, which recognizes to. some ex-
tent the princi Piles of manhood and
fair play And 1 know that there is
nothinging more dangerous than to ac-
cept such controversy with such
paper as the Times. The average
Mugwump editor, one of those fellows
who assume to reform public morals
and to walk on that higher plane far
removed from the earthly taints of
partisanship, can lie, in the interest of
the public good, faster than truth can
contradict. Nevertheless | must be
permitted to say that the circumstan-
ces combine to render these gross at
tacks upon me most becoming and
edifying spectacle. 1t accords with
the eternal fitness of things that great
political and moral reform should thus
be led by common liar.
1t is we'll known to the editor of the
Times that this story of my having so
many kindred placed in Office has
been time and again, refuted, and is
utterly without foundation save as to
two persons, my brother and my son,
who is my private and confidential
clerk Nearly every other person
mentioned in that list is unknown to
me, and of whom l never heard of un-
til the list referred to was published
in the Neao York Tribune. They are
all Republicans, and obtained their
positions under Republican Admins
tration- One at least. is Florida
carpet-bag negro, who obtained his
position as a reward for his infamv as
a member of a returning Board by
means of which the Great Fraud of
1886 was perpetrated. and he is retain
ed in office, | suppose, to illustrate the
beauties of civil service reform If the
charge should include it, | will state
that have son also in the army, a
position to which he was appointed
without my knowledge or solicitation
by that excellent and courteous gentle
man, whom | grieve to know is Lam
gushing upon a bed of suffering. ex-
President Arthur.
The notoriety of these facts, even if
they had not been known again and
again in the ieading newspaper Of the
country, was sufficient 70 put upon in
quiry as to their truth any honest man
in the land. Let me suggest t, the
editor of the Times that the man
Concluded at bottom of 4h column