The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-07-07
A DIRTY ATTACK ON BLAND.

Dental candidates; all it asks is that
he be an out-and-out honest Democrat
and in favor of the free coinage of
silver at the ratio of Is to 1. Having
thus explained how we stand as to
candidates it cannot be said that our
defense Of a most unwarranted at
tack on Richard P. Bland by the New
York Evening Post is prompted by
any personal preference for him as a
candidate
After discussing the demonstration
at Denver in behalf of Mr.. Teller upon
the occasion of his return from st.
Louis, saying the purpose was to draw
attention from a host of candidates,
whom it mentions, and declaring the
Democrats will have no Republicans
on their ticket lin which declaration
we fully agree) the Post says:
The true and logical nominee of the
Chicago convention is Richard P.
Bland. He started the fight which is
now raging, twenty years ago. 1t was
in 1876 that he first offered his bill for
the free coinage of silver. 1t passed
the house in 1877, was amended in the
senate by the adoption of the Allison
substitute, was vetoed by President
Hayes, was passed over the veto Feb
ruary %, 1878. From that day to the
present Mr. Bland has been in the
forefront of the battle, except during
the past two years, in which he has
| been enjoying the comforts of private
life, his seat in congress being filled by
Republican.
That is all very true and no excep-
ton will be taken to it save the slur
in the last sentence. AS dogs and cats
delight to bark and bite. because it is
their nature, so the Post loves to
slur. and for tre same reason. This
was not enough to satisfy the instincts
of the Post It continued:
Although he is a dull, heavy man,
and by no means an inspiring person
atty, he is a typical old-fashioned to-
bacco-chewing Democrat, perhaps as
Tepulsive to the Independents and the
Republicans as any man could be, but
on the other hand we'll suited to the
instincts and requirements of the un
washed
The sole foundation for all this low,
mean, dirty fling is the fact that Mr..
Bland is for free silver. There is no
pretense that he is not honest and
capable and would not make a good
president if elected, as he made a good
congressman. We venture to say that
if Mr.. Bland were for gold and as
strong before the Chicago convention
as he is as a silver man, the Posts
praise of him would be fulsome in the
extreme. Mr.. Cleveland is not an
inspiring personality, and by many he
is considered to be dull, heavy man,
and yet the Post almost bows down
and worships him because he is
gold man, and for no other reason.
Mr.. Bland is said to be repulsive to
Independents and Republicans. That
he is nc model for a fashion plate is
true. Neither was Lincoln nor Jack
son. We know that Jackson's ways
and manners are considered by the
elegant gentlemen of New York, who
ape the still more elegant gentlemen
OF Picadilly whose clothes can only
be made in New Bond street. to have
been extremely vulgar, for Bishop Pot
ter, on the occasion of his address at
the celebration of the centenary OF
the adoption Of the constitution, spoke
Of "Jefersonian simplicity" and
"Jacksonian vulgarity." The really
fine people of the world, and such are
found in all countries, are not wont
TO hold themselves up as models. for
all the rest of the people. nor do they
harp upon any differences of manners
that there may be between them.
Mr.. BANDS responsiveness and suit
ability to the instincts and require
ments of the "unwashed" come from
the fact that he is a free silver man,
and from nothing else. In the pres
ent case the Post has failed to dis
tinguish between scurrility and irony.