San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-04-19

upon than avowed, that "everything Ia
fair in politics." has Inflicted inoalcula-
BILE damage upon the public service.
Nor de the Injurious consequences OF
this immoral and licentious doctrine ter
inmate even at this point. The press
has much to do In forming the public
taste and the morals Of every country,
and especially In republics. where the
utmost freedom of discussion is allowed,
and for this reason, the virulent invec-
tives and personalities often INDUCED In
BY newspapers In the heat OF an election
campaign, tend to debase the taste and
morals Of the public, to a far greater
extent than superficial observers are apt
to conceive. when public men are de-
nounced as corrupt, held up to ridicule,
osricatured and pelted with slime and
mud, raked up from the putrescence Of
the gutter, 1t Is hard for the public that
has no personal knowledge Of them. to
believe them to be pure In character,
correct In their moral principles, and
free from reproach In their lives. II
seems go improbable that Intelligent
persons would wantOnly asperse tho
motives, misrepresent the conduct and
blacken the characters of public men
for the sole purpose OF securing
q party triumph, that the average
citizen unoonsciously absorbs the
defamstory articles and thenceforth ao-
cepts them as faithful delineations OF
character.
Now. why should morality be ex-
oluded from politics any more than from
busineps transactions? To lie upon and
oalumniate . public man merely because
he is q formidable political opponent, Is
lust as immoral and ungentlemanly as 1t
is to attempt to break down . rival In
business by lies and oalumnies, and to
hold other wise, Is to make distinction
without . difference. The Jesuitioal
doctrine, that the lend sanotifies the
mesns," is irreconoileable with the
scriptursl Injunction mot to do
evil that good may come of
it," as we'll as with the golden
rule. The mere circumstance, that
person is the editor Of . partisan paper,
certainly does not operate to exempt
him from the duty OF observing the laws
Of morality in his criticisms upon his
political opponents. FalsehOod and cal
umny are certainly not the distinguish
ing characteristics OF gentleman, still
less of the Christian. and, like poisoned
arrows in actual war, should be branded
by universal consent, as contraband In
political contests. L conceive, that 1t
will hardly be considered romantic to
that politicians. editors, and
Of newspapers, possess
no right under color Of their vooations,
to distort and misstate facts and to
blaoken the characters of pO-
litical opponents. Inveotive is
q sorry substitute for argument,
and vituperative personalities reduce
the persons using them to the level of
the skunk. A man may differ from us In
toto, in religion or politics, and still be
q patriot. gentleman and Christian,
and entitled to be treated as such by all
who have the smallest tincture of JUS
tice in their composition. But partisans
use nothing but white-wash and lamp
black, the former they spread over their
party leaders with undisoerning prodi-
gallty, with the latter they daub over
their opponents without measure or
is peculiarly the case with the demo-
Gratis in the south. To be republican.
in the estimation of q southern demo-
crat, is the objectionable sin, politically.
A southern republican Is looked upon as
an ass and a rascal by nine-tenths of
southern democrats. He Is treated as
pariah, an unclean person. l! he runs
for a public office, he must run the
gauntlet between the rows of mud
singers. Of course, he has neither
brains nor patriotism, neither de-
cency nor honesty, and had
rather ruin the country than to promote
it's welfare, and seeks office only that he
may rake in the Doodle with free hand.
Then, he desires and means to bring
about social equality between the races
and to fasten negro denomination on the
country to turn up jack and play the
devil generally, and therefore it is right
to use any and all means to prevent his
election to office. This is the opinion
of nine. tentns of the democrats in the
south. The ignorant, credulous, pre-
JUDGED rank and file of the democracy |
who adopt opinions ready made, and are |
Of going through the process |
OF reasoning, sincerely look on a repub-
lican as q monster. The leaders know |
better but they derive profit from
keeping alive the spleen and |
the prejudices of the Ignorant |
and narrow minded privates in !
their party against republicans.
1t saves Sreat deal Of wear and tear |
Of mind In devising and fashioning ar
guments upon grave public questions
for democratic speakers and editors TO
be able to fire the passions of their train
bands TO a white heat, blind them to the |
long catalogue of democratic blunders,
short comings and crimes by the easy |
and simple process Of bawling, Look
out for the republican party and negro |
That cry supplies the
lack of brains and argument on the part |
Of democratic speakers and editors, |
and euuelches all independence of |
character and freedom OF mind, which |