The record-union., 1896-08-31
INDECENCY IN THE CAMPAIGN

| WI Is UidCkS w nat Is
billingsgate? What is abuse, what is
| dogmatism as meant, or as understood
| in the protest against unfair debate in
| this campaign? The Record Union, -
| along with other self-respecting jour
nails, has held that this should not be a
campaign of vituperation and abuse;
| not a campaign of mud-slinging and
mendacity. That candidates should be
| treated fairly, neither abused, lam
pooned nor outrageously cartooned.
| But this does not mean that clean rid
icule is never to be used It does not
| mean that wit is never to be en-
| ployed. For be it noted that rid
icule is not only justified, but
| is a legitimate weapon of debate when
and is backed by openness of the party
at which aimed to the reception of such
shafts.
But ridicule need not be coarse often
sive or vulgar. Aimed at error it is an
effective and a proper arm. 1t reaches
some intelligences that cannot be
moved by cold reasoning. But as a
contemporary says, it is unfair to use
| ridicule against honest ignorance seek
ing light; against honest purpose seek
| ing guidance.
| Now what is abuse? It never is truth.
1t is invariably distortion of truth or
fiat lying. 1t Is the application of coarse
| epithets; the employment of invective;
| indulgence in the vocabulary of the
| slums. But it is not abuse to state
truth, to state it as sharply, ponder
| ously, directly wittily or otherwise, as
the actual fact justifies. Plain state
ment Of that which can be substantiated
| by proof is never abuse, provided al
ways that it is material to the issue.
| But for blackguardism, billingsgate
and mere vituperation there should
never be at any time under any circum-
stances in the campaign the slightest
excuse.
When we come to cartooning there is
a broad field of the legitimate for it. 1t
is to be bounded and circumscribed by
the same rules which apply to ridicule
Beyond such lines it falls into the gut
ter with billingsgate and blackguard-
ism. Examples of this excess and vul-
garism are to be found daily in the press
| eye that it is vastly more INDUCED in
| against the Republican candidate for
| the Presidency and against his friends.
/ Governor Mckinley is outrag eously
of money, the servitor of trusts and I'M
! holy alliances, and the creature of in
huences that are held in adherence by
the people.
The Chairman Of the Republican Ma
tional Committee is grossly, abusively
and indecently caricatured, and black
guardism of the foulest order is in
dulged in in this form against both the
candidate and his supporters. There
is no wit, no humor. no art, nor yet SO
much as the shadow of fun in any of
this form of expression as used by the
opponents of the Republican party.
A correspondent whom the "Orego-
MAN" says has it's profound respect,
protests TO it against the caricaturing
of the Populists and the Democratic
candidate for the Presidency. While no
one wrong excuses or palliates another,
our contemporary should refer its CORE
spondent to the gross, vulgar and out
rageously BLACKBOARD methods in that
line against Republicans by such pa
pers as the dissolute San Francisco
Examiner" and the New York Jour
nal," which are standing to-day as rep
resentatives of the Populists and Demo
Gratis.