Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-05-22
The Joint Discussions.

The managers Of the Gordon-Bacon
campaign have announced that their
principals will not engage in joint discus
sions after today. They have awakened
to the fact that the great majority of the
I Democrats OF the State object to The spec
tacle of two Of their prominent leaders
meeting on the stump, day after day, for
no other purpose apparently than to
afford each an opportunity, in the pres
/ ence Of a bowling, Kissing mob, to try to
: blacken the character Of the other. 1t is
/ safe TO say that more people were sad
dened than We're gratitied by the specta-
Gle that was presented ri Eatonton,
Sparta and Augusta.
The chosen managers Of the candidates
may claim, Of course, that they had moth
ing to do with bringing about the joint
discussions, and that their services and
authority extended no further than to
arrange the dates and places of
the meetings. If, however, they did
not advise against them they are in
measure responsible for them. They must
have seen-how could they nave helped
seeing-that there was vefy little for the
candidates to discuss beyond matters of
character so purely personal that they
could not be handled without stirring up
feelings of bitter hostility. The MORN
ING NEWS pointed out what the outcome
of the joint meetings would be, and sug
gessed the unwisdom Of them.
The managers could hardly have agreed
to anything better calculated to destroy
the popularity of their principals. If
they had permitted the joint discussions
to continue throughout the State their
principals would have been shorn of much
of their strength long before the conven-
ton assembled.
While it IS true that the suggestion that
the joint discussions should be termi-
mated came from the Bacon side, it must
not be forgotten that that side proposed
them. 1t was therefore, eminently proper
that the proposition to discontinue them
should come from that side. 1t may be
that some of Gen. Gordon's indiscreet
friends may claim an advantage for him
in that he quickly accepted Maj. BacOn's
challenge to joint debate, and was will
ing to continue them as long as Maj.
Bacon favored them. 1t is, probable.
uOWtNtIs ANdl lie WAS as Ieduy 10 dDd0uOu
them as Maj. Bacon was, because, as a
shrewd politician. he could hardly have fail
to see that they were doing him as we'll as
Mai. Bacon BARN. The people want men
in their great Offices who command their
respect. They are apt to lose their re-
spect for men who so far sacrifice their
own seli-respect as to engage in the I'M
dignitied work OF blackenIng a rivals
character and record for the purpose of
gratifying crowd.
For the balance Of the campaign the
candidates will travel separate roads.
The excitement, to a great extent, VIII
disappear, and the people will be in a
better frame of mind to consider the
merits of candidates. Gen. Gordon and
Maj. Bacon will go over the same grounds
in their speeches, doubtless, that they
have already many times gone over. AS
they will have nothing new to say the de-
sire to hear them will not be very great.
There is no doubt, however, that the de-
termination to close the joint discussions
will be generally approved.