Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-09-11
CLEAN POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS.


The candidates for Governor Of Ten
nessee are brothers, though represent
ing opposite factions Of the political fam
lily, and as such thing has never been
known before in American politics, the
battle between the two men will be the
best test OF the leanings OF the people Of
that State, possible to conceive or apply.
The Courier Journal hits off the case in
the following manner
The people of Tennessee are to be con-
graduated on their present prospect of es-
Gaping in some measure the character of
personal politics which so often disgraces
heated campaigns. The Gubernatorial
standard bearers of the two parties being
brothers, the Republican candidate cannot
well call his opponent a slab-sided son of
saw-log without rejecting at the same time
on his own origin, while the Democratic
candidate will be restrained, for the same
reason, from hurling the charge against his
antagonist that his grandfather stole a set
ting hen from her nest.
This has a touch of humor in it, it is
true, but it also conveys a lesson which
should be studied by every man who
enters politics as a profession. 1t will
he remembered by our readers how
bitter and personal was the war between
Bacon and Gordon in Georgia, even to
the verge of pistols to settle it, and now
that it has been decided, how foolish and
unmanly the whole thing looks. Both
OF the latter gentlemen are thorough
going lawyers, with the best OF reputa-
tions in all walks OF life, and but for the
chance of both seeking the same political
bauble, would doubtless be the best OF
friends. They became involved in a
wordy war, and all the State was worked
up into frenzy as the friends of either
obtained small advantage, until the
race looked more like that OF two bullies for
spoils than that of two gentlemen for an
honorable position, which was open to any
gentleman in the State for a competitive
trial. The beastly and indecent talk
banded about the country in the last
presidential campaign was such as to
bring down upon the people, the merited
scorn of other nations, and to-day, out
side of politics, in the home life, many
hearts are aching in consequence. All
these outrageous proceedings could
be dropped just as fully between
any two gentlemen, as they are
dropped between the Taylor brothers in
Tennessee, and political battles could be
fought on the broad plane OF gentlity,
with untold effect for good on the people,
ii only the candidates and their
friends would strenuously object to per-
sonalisms, and turn their backs on men
who proposed such blackguard means.
Political meanness can go no lower than
it reached in the last national campaign,
and let us hope that this happy choice
of the two brothers in Tennessee may be
the harbinger of better days in politics,
and the death knell OF unseemly and un-
christian abuses as they have existed for
years. 1t has been so, that the bravest
man in the land has Stunned a political
race, only because some opponent would
delve into his private life and bring
forth as magnified scandal, some
event which he could not ex-
plain to the world, and which was the
sacred property OF his family circle This
should cease, and men who are judged
fitting and competent to hold office, by
legal tests, should be allowed to make the
fight solely on their present merits, and
the man who would delve into the private
affairs OF candidate should be held to
be the common enemy OF both parties,
and be forever ostraczed from fellowship
with public men.