Mexico weekly ledger., 1896-07-23
shallow sneers IN Place Of Argument.

Shallow Sneers IN Place of Argument.
From the New York Journal, a Sound Money
Democratic Paper.
Seemingly this intelligent and eff
fective editorial paragraph from yes
terday's Sun is to be accepted as
typical of the line of argument which
newspapers of a certain sort propose
to employ against Bryan and Sewall:
If NJ. Francois, the crazy Anarchist
who fred at President Faure the
other day, were in this country just
now, and armed with citizens papers,
it is needless to mention the platform
he would support OF the ticket that he
would vote. He would be for Bryan,
and the Chicago platform. But we
don't want such fellows, and their
kindred will find hat out next No
vember. We have not all gone crazy
Argument Of this sort is easy and
may be extended indefinitely. Doubt
less as the campaign progresses and
the sam becomes hard pressed for
controversial material, WI shall find
it Diminishing every plea for Bryan, or
for the platform on which he stands,
with the vigorous and perfectly con-
vincing reioinder that Judas Iscariot
would vote the Democratic ticket if
alive to-day-a rejoinder which might
gain the more force from the general
popular belief that if anybody is quail
flied to understand the workings of
the mind of Judas it is the editor of
the Sun.
Intelligent people, however, will be
inclined to wonder whether an cleo
ton involving the most vital interests
of the nation cannot be won with log
ical, dispassionate argument, Dr. if it
must be contested, as tishwives settle
the ownership of a turbot, by mere
force of inveetive and epithet. In
the poetic regions of the far East a
militant muleteer sometimes achieves
victory in a controversy by insisting
that donkeys sit On the graves of his
adversary's ancestors. This species
of argument has not hitherto been
held of great effect in the United
States, and there is danger that the
effort to introduce it may lead to the
suspicion that donkeys sit on some
New York editorial tripods.
If the SUMS paragraph means any
thing-and some of them don't-it
suggests that supporters of the Bryan
ticket are only fit to be classed with
Anarchists and ~assassins. And, in
deed, this opinion has been freely ex-
pressed, the latest person to give ut
terance to it being a Federal office
holder of San Francisco, who, in the
language of the sand lots, describes
the platform as "a league with larceny
and a covenant with murder" Yet
we find such comparatively respecta-
BILE persons as the Vice President of
the United States, the Democratic
Senator from New Jersey, Mr.. Smith,
and the Democratic Senator from
Maryland, Mr.. German, frankly de-
ciaring their purpose to vote this
year, as heretofore, for the Demo-
cratic ticket. Is it to be understood
that the editor of the Sun classes
these gentlemen with assassins and
the associates of assassins?
In a letter to the Journal, written
Immediately after his nomination, Mr..
Bryan declared that the campaign
would turn 'supon an issue demanding
only logical, scientific and fair-mind-
ed discussion" He and most other
people who believe that out of the
clash of honest argument comes truth
must be wofully surprised by the
fashion in which the anti Democratic
newspapers approach the question.
They substitute epithet for argument,
scurrility for reason, and wanton SLAM
der for decent controversy.
The editor of the San does notknow
that if the crazy anarchist Francois
were a voter in the United States he
would be for Bryan. In printing the
statement BADLY in the editorial col
umns of mis- newspaper he gives the
lie to his constant assertion of a We
racity peculiar to himself and superior
to that of his contemporaries. But he
does not know that the Southern
Democracy to a man was and is for
the nominees of the Chicago Conven-
ton. Are Southern Democrats an
archists and associates of assassins?
He does know that the Democratic
delegates from the Middle West and
the Fan West were united in accom-
plishing these nominations. Are we
to class the Democracy of these re-
gions as a band of bomb throwers? If
he be not wilfully blind he must rec
ognize the fact that right here in New
York, in Massachusetts and in Maine
are Democrats by the hundr ed thous-
and who will vote for Bryan and
Sewall. Does anarchy, therefore,
arise its horrid head among us?
1t is a pity that a cause so important
as this one which now confronts the |
people cannot be argued soberly, log
ically and ~tolerantly. A Democratic
convention, regularly constituted, has
enunciated a code of Democratic
principles and has offered two Demo-
Gratis to the nation as candidates for
President and Vice President. The
convention was enthusiastic, orderly
and overwhelmingly in favor of the
course taken. 1t spoke the will of a
majority of the Democratic party, and
its u%tterances and acts are, therefore,
to be judged with the respect which
always attaches to the actions of the
greatest of American political organ
ization. To attack them only with
silly gibe or shallow nee suggests
that the assailant is wholly destitute
of intelligent argument. He cries to
the man who attacks gold monometaI-
lism ~s'Anarchist!" with the same glib
impertinency with which the slave
holding oligarchy used to ask Wendell
Phillips, "Do you want a niger to
marry your sister,"
Watching Current Events.
MEXICO, Mo-, July 20.-Dear Mr..
White: Glad you are back. don't