The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-07-20
Republican SANDERS ON Our Citizen
So1diery.

Republican ISLANDERS ON Our Citizen
Soldiery.
The Elizabeth Journal and Pater-
son Press have INDUCED for the last
few days In cowardly and SANDER
Gus attacks on the National Guard Of
the State. They accuse the members
of drunkenness and lack of discipline.
They quote the hospitality of the
officers as a crime and they indulge in
sundry reckless charges and insinu-
ations in which the Governor, the
Guard, the State officers and even the
judiciary are included.
Here is one specimen Of coarse abuse
from the Elizabeth J~ourndl:--
The state camp Of the present day is largely
q bibulous junketing at the expense OF the
State.
Here is another
ssFriends by the thousands go down to see the
sfboys,' the State bosses and politicians go
there, and wine whiskey and beer now m tubs,
themselves are loaded about as frequently as
thar muskets.
Then the Paterson Press takes a
hand. 1t gets one degree lower.
From sweeping general abuse it de-
generates into an attack on an in
dividual, which might be pronounced
outrageous were it not contemplate.
Here it Isl
We do not know whether the state had to pay
or not for that noble dish OF champag ne punch
the description OF which as compounded ~
'Coionel" Adrain made everyoody's mouth
water during the recent heated tern ana
which was regarded as such a triumph OIL the
drink singers art that Its materials were pub
iished broadcast.
Could any lower depth of scurrility
be reached7 Does political bias ex-
cuse an insinuation of this descrip-
ton
OF course, these attacks r politi-
cal; bat it seems to us that they are
suicidal politics What member OF
our gallant citizen soldiery is there
who win not resent these imputations
on the character of their organiza-
tions. What man of gentlemanly
spirit or manly feeling is there who
win not be Disguised by such low and
vulgar personalities.
The abuse is not limited to the ex-
tracts we have given. We merely
give these as samples. The abusive
articles are long and replete with
scandalous charges. An officer cour-
teously shows some ladies about the
camp or entertains them at luncheon;
he is described IS junketing at the
public expense. Governor Albeit
gives a dinner at his cottage; he and
his officers are having a daisy time"
under cover Of duty. The Court of
Pardons holds a session at the camp;
and, 10. the State is being erected
into a military satrapy."
Now all this would be sufficiently
absurd were it not for the malevolence
which underlies it. Governor Albeit
can afford to laugh at the cad who
makes his dinner parties the subject
OF editorial criticism, and Senator
Adrain may well regard as too base
even for kicking the scribbler who in
sinuates that he robbed the State for
a bottle OF champagne. But the
broad charges against the rank and
file Of the National Guard are even
more injurious, because they assail
with falsehood and abuse the charac-
tiers of men who are not in public life
at all. and whose private characters
are their best possession They
wound the honor OF the State too by
holding up to reproach the men
wearing its uniform and enrolled
under its standard.
We are prepared TO assert in the
broadest and most emphatic way that
the accusations are lies. OF course
individual instances of misbehavior
took place during the camp week.
There are fools and scamps in every
large body Of men. But the few
paltry cases of misconduct only make
the excellent behavior of the troops
in general the more conspicuous.
They are the foil to the shining record
Of thegeneral body. Weprotest against
these INSCRIPTIONS attacks on the
National Guard. We protest against
the effort to drag their organization
into politics in any shape or form, and
we call on all citizens to condemn un-
sparingly the Republican organs
which have made these cowardly and