The record-union., 1898-10-12
THAT VILE ATTACK.
1t Has Disguised Voters Of All
PARTIES

| (FrOm the San Jose Mercury
| Considering the vileness of. the at
tacks on A. ]. Johnston, Superintendent
of State Printing, by the Democratic
press two years ago, and its numerous
unwarranted assaults upon him since,
| it is not surprising, now that he has
| been renominated by the Republican
State Convention for the position which
he has so capably filed, that these
attacks have been renewed, and in
| more ScurrilOus manner than ever pe-
| fore Mr. Johnston's chief crime con-
sits in being a Republican. AS such
| he refused to permit Governor Budd 10
manage the office and put in his pets,
so he gained the enmity of the Demo-
| cratic Governor. Again, the Demo-
cratic n9liticians are extremely an&-
| ious to obtain control Of the state
| Printing Office, hence the general DEM
ocratic assaults upon the Republican
State Printer, the latest of which IS
all the more despicable for the reason
that it is published in an anonymous
circular, the false contents of which
the unprincipled authors have not the
courage to own. 1t emanated undouot-
| edly from the headquarters of the PIN
| to party, as it is being circulated under
| Democratic auspices, and it repeats
in an exaggerated form the various
/ charges of incompetency and dishon-
| esty in the manag cement of the ofhce
that were made for political purposes
! by the Democrats during the last ses-
sion of the Legislature.
Those charges, absurd and without
foundation as they were, were closely
Investigated by joint committee or
| that body 1t was a complete and i'm
partial investigation, the committee
employing clerks and experts, summon
ing witnesses and examining the books
and papers of the office. The experts
found that Mr. Johnston's books were
properly kept, that all his office ac-
counts were correct, and that there
! had been no deceit, fraud or dishon-
estv in connection with the office. The
| Joint committee, in a lengthy report re-
viewing the testimony and the evidence
| of the official documents and the books,
said. ''The testimony taken has been
very full. and very much time has been
!! devoted to the hearing. And, having
given the whole subject careful consid-
Grafton we are of the opinion that the
| office of Superintendent Of State Print
ing has been conducted on business
principles. and with economy and
due regard for the public interests"
The committee added that the State
office under Mr. Johnston lis conducted
in all respects as a firSt-claSs private
institution would be- This report was
adopted and approved by both houses
of the Legislature, and it was a con-
elusive reply to the trumped-up
charges against Mr.. Johnston, made
purelv for political effect and for the
purpose of gaining partisan ends.
Now the managers of the fusion par
ty are circulating all these old and
completely disposed of charges in cir
eular letter, in which no reference
whatever is made to the fact that they
were investigated by joint committee
of the Legislature, which committee
after a thorough investigation reported
that they were entirely without basis,
the report being approved by both the
Assembly and the Senate. This, how
ever. is only one of the anonymous
falsehoods which are being sent out by
the Popocratic Campaign Committee
for the nurpose Of deceiving voters.
That a combination of Office seekers,
who have abandoned all party princi-
n1es and selected a common ticket by
barter and bargain, should be guilty
of this method Of campaigning is not
at all surprising 1t corresponds eX-
actlv with the character of the con-
glomerate party. But what do the in
teIligent and honest voters Of Califor
mia. be they Republicans, Democrats
or Populists, think Of it, and of the So
called party that has deliberately adopt
ed such a method?