Wichita eagle., 1889-11-14
ACTING VICE PRESIDENT INGALLS,

LIS olI, OH story. Envy. the OWarleQ
and shrunken ambition of mediocre
man, conscious smallness in presence of
greatness, presumption and bumptious-
ness of fancied or real rivalry, greed of
seltishneSs in human nature, covetous-
ness and what is known as ''pure cuss-
edness:" these are some of the potent in
t1uences which marshal and direct the
campaign of malevolence and libel that
has demonstrated its impotency against
John j. ingalls,. His present senatorial
term, his third, expires March 4, 1891, a
year and four months hence. Of course
his hosts of friends are intent of Senator
Ingalls, reelection. But coterie of
Kansas politicians, aided and abetted by
combines from other sections of the
country, are using all the forces Of b
and earth (that h must not be read
"heaven') which are within their grasp
and when no force is at command,
they Inadvertently attempt to create one
to place distractions on the track of
the senator's lightning express of pro-
gress. Their desire is wreck. Senator
Ingalls, is not man whose personality
lnvokes antagonism. He does not, by
cyclones OF tempers, by the sitting
miasma Of trickery and deception,
by petulent small meanesses, or by en-
tering into conspiracies against ambi-
lions within his own party-as too many
otherwise great men have done-arouse
personal Oppositions and fOment party
feudalism. Conspicuousiy free from
such characteristics were Henry Clay,
Daniel Webster and Abraham Lincoln,
yet fostering and Fostering cabals pur-
sued these men among with ghoulish
eagerness throughout their brilliant pub
lie careers. While such manifestations
or infernalism do not speak, as object
lessons, eloquently for the good effect on
the human race of nearly nineteen hun
dred years of orthodoxy, yet from his
toric experience we conclude that it has
come to be understood as unmistakable
proof of a mans solid greatness to be
malevolence.
The persons who, thus early in the
campaign, are essaying to Obstruct the
popular demand for Senator Ingalls, re-
election to his fourth senatorial term-a
term embracing quarter of century of
service in the senate-have made the
usual blunder, have fallen PROSTATE in
their own pestiferous offal and disclosed
to the world their cloven hoofs. We
quote from the New York World:
NOTE FROM SENATOR INGALLS,.
To the Editor of the World:
The following, credited to the World,
is being copied into the western papers:
Senator Ingalls, has written letter in
which he demands his reelection to the
senate on the grounds that he made the
best presiding officer that body has ever
had and that but for the way in which he
has attacked men and measures the state
inent as it is today. We rather like In
gals modesty."
This is utterly without foundation. No
such a letter was ever written, and the
report gained circulation from the state
ment of a correspondent in hostile
newspaper in a neighboring state. l do
not object to criticism and am willing al
ways to exchange courtesies with political
enemies / should feel obliged if you
would contradict the charge, which has
gained such wide publicity through your
columns. JNO. j. INGALLS,.
Atchson. Kan, Oct. Is.
Editorially, the World makes this
manly comment:
Senator ingalls, has been made the vic
tim of an INSCRIPTIONS newspaper para
grapher He denies that he ever wrote a
letter claiming that his attacks upon men
and measures in the senate had given Kan
sas proud prominence in the galaxy of
states. As the World gave publicity to
this alleged letter. it gladly gives space to
the senator's denial.
Commenting upon the disgusting ex-
hibition of smallness piqued at greatness,
our sprightly contemporary, the Capital,
says:
Senator john James ingalls, declares
that the statement that he had written 20
a friend urging his claim to reelection be-
cause, IN effect, he was bigger man than
Kansas, and that it only shone from the
reflected light of his genius, is false. The
Capital does not hesitate TO say that Kan
sas would make a grave and lnexcusable
error should it fail to re-elect to the SEN
ate the most brilliant representative that
state has ever had in either house Of con-
greSs.
When the tale was first sent abroad in
the papers, some weeks ago, 1t was a
manifest fabrication to all who person.
ally knew Senator ingalls,. He is inca
pable of such an absurdity. The fabri-
Gator of the falsehood, attributing TO
Senator Ingalls, what the manufacturing
liar himself concocted, may not have had
intellect or dIscernment enough to see
that even in his lie he was actually Civ
ing expression in crude form to a popu-
lar truth. All of us are glad. as no doubt
Kansas is from border to border, to be-
lieve that the brilliancy and capacity and
courage of Senator John j. Ingalls,
have given a proud pre-eminence TO
the young state of Kansas. just as the
culture and erudition of Charles Sumner
gave exceptional prominence to MaSsa-
chusetts in the halls of national legisla-
ton; as Stewards statesmanlike qualities
elevated New York in the senate: as
Mortons strong executive methods as a
war governor and as debater In the SEN
ate enhanced the standing of Indiana;
and as Wade, Chase and others OF Ohio
gave the state prestige that was 10 be
envied IN those great Gays, and that
stands forever great on our page Of his
tory. To attribute to Senator ingalls,
words and ideas he never expressed Is
one thing. and a mean and contemplate
thing: but it is entirely 70 the credit of
the good citizens of Kansas that they
know good thing when they see 1t:
that they have the sagacity to send
man to the United States Senate who in
industry, In brilliancy of intellect, IN the
potency Of his oratory, IN the courage OF
MS convictions, IN fofcefuliness Of cur
rent debate, in versatile capacity wher-
ever placed. il those nameless personal
charms and nlatchless characteristics
which combinedly make the man and the
statesman of power and influence. is the
peer Of the great leaders IN the United
States senate Kansas Is too smart to
relegate such a man 10 the rear until she
has grown still greater one, and that Is
not q probability of this century.