The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1886-12-18
DISaRAoEFUL CONDUCT.


publican Party.
The warm expressions Of esteem and
admiration for tho late President Ar
thur which have appeared in Demo-
cratic and Republican newspapers
alike. or have fallen from the lips of
gard to politics. testify to the broad,
generous, kindly spirit that fills tho
American heart IN the presence of
death. There is not II public man
around whose hicr words might not
be dropped or memories evoked that
would jar on the hearts of the
mourncrs. There is not even per-
sonal friend or relative Mt whose death
some unpleasant "Reminiscences might
not be recalled from the past. Bat, by
common consent, all such unpleasant
thoughts are banished on the day of
mourning, and only the virtues and
noble qualities of the deceased are re-
membered. When General Grant died
and from every Democratic paper
throughout the land came the most
touching and beautiful tributes, when
the Nation was in mourning and the
South seemed to be rs deeply affected
as the North, did any of those papers
recall the days OF reconstruction and
the saturnalia of peculution in WASH
ington during the Presidential Admin
istrations of the great soldicrP No;
they spoke only of that part of his
career that will shine with undimin-
ished luster on the pages of history,
when the Shepherds, Beiknaps, Bah
cocks and Robesons will be forgotten.
In the same manner the many grand
and ennobling traits of President Ar
thurs character have been put forward
in bold relief, as they deserved, and no
illusions were made to any political
! episodes which might disturb the har-
mony of grief. 1t remained for the
New York Tribune, a paper to whose
blind. stupid partisanship nothing is
! sacred, to proinne the occasion of the
funeral of President Arthur, and desc
crate the sanctily of tho especial day of
mourning. by fling at President
Cleveland and the Democratic party
over the remains of the lamented Re-
publican leader. 1T would seem rs if
The term ''ghoulish glce' was partic-
quent tribute paid by President Cleve-
his admirable proclamation is eagerly
seized by the ghoulish Yribune for the
purpose of partisan capital. 1t seeks
to distort the expression ''he performed
the duties of his office with dignity and
| ability" so as to make a certificate of
character for the Republican party in
general and to cloak the rascalities of
| Republican officials for years past. 1t
has the hardihood to say the following:
But since this is the truth what were Pres-
dent Cleveland supporters telling when the
asserted. in 1854, thai the public service was
ho1cycombed with fraud and rotten from
| when they declared that President Arthur
| suffered the Government to be robbed b,
Secretary Chandler in the s., so"dmct Of % the
| in the conduct of the Interior Department
! We're they, telling the truth when they charged
| tered for the benefit OF bankers and r ch op.
orators, and that the people were swindlcd
out of millions through its management:
| We're they telling he truth when they affirmed
| that these and other departments at Wash
InEtOn were crowded with worthless pen
that the n rascals seals filed public places. and thu
the rights nnd interests of the people were
not regarded? It comes to this, that thcy
! were living, or else President Cleveland has
uttered complimentary words which he knew
J to bo untrue.
| According to the Tribunes code of
ethics. no expression of esteem for the
| dead is permissible without being at
tended with Il plain, unvarnished state
ment of the shortcomings of every one
officially connected with the person to
whose memory the expression is of
fered as a tribute. Pursuing this theory,
it would have been necessary for Pres
ident Cleveland, on the occasion of the
death of General Grant, to have quail
fled his remarks by illusions to the
carpet-bag governments of the South
during the days of reconstruction, to
Babcock. Belknap and Robeson, to the
Credit Mobilier and District of Colum-
bia frauds, and other subjects of like
unpleasant nature. What would the
American people have thought of the
application of the 7ribune's theory?
Such despicable attempt on
the part of the Tribune to
whitewash the rascals of its party
mt the grave of an ilustrious citizen
must cause a feeling of disgust and
contempt in the breast of every Amer
lean. What President Clcveland's
supporters asserted in 1881 has been
found not only true, but only faint
estimate of to real condition of affairs
The opening OF the books has opened
the eyes of the American people to the
shameless character of Republican
government. The books showed that
waen the present Administration went
into power there were nearly S10,000,-
600 deficiencies due the Government
under Republican rule, that millions
were squandered in the Navy Depart
ment without giving the country II
navy, that the public domain was
wasted on corporations and favorites,
that the treasury was being drained by
all sorts of rascals, from deputy mar
shals to colossal rings, aud that the
Pension Office was made an election
eering bureau. The shameful story has
been told before in those columns how
the public service, under Republican
administration, was honeycombed with
fraud and rotten from end to end.
But because President Cleveland
paid Il graceful tribute to the memory
of his immediate predecessor. the Tri-
bune would have it that he testified to
the purity of the entire Republican
party. What must the friends of Pres
ident Arthur. and, indeed, all fair
minded people. think of this exhibition
of "ghoulish glee'' on the part of Mr.
Blaine's organ? Perhaps the Tribune
forgets the savage and brutal attacks
1t made on the dead President at the
time of the Garfield tragedy, when it
classed him with Guiteal. The Amcri-
can people do not forget them. 1t
may endeavor to use tho kindly words
of President Cleveland to remove some