The sun., 1900-12-13
Thursday, December l3, 1909.
sLANDERING PUBLIC MEN.

Referring to the slanderouS ATTACKS
made upon Mr.. Joseph Chamberlain, the
British Colonial Secretary, i'll Parlia-
Philadelphia Inquirer very pertincntly
says:
Every rigbt-minded man will be graft
fed at the ability and success with which
Mr.. Joseph Chamberlain defended HIM
self from the attacks by which he has of
late been SO persistently and vindictively
pursued, and every such man will heart
lily sympathize with the Indignation
which the British Colonial Secretary ex-
presses at being compelled after twenty
five years of public life to explain that
he is not scoundrel. 1t has
been said that "the lie which is all a
lie can be met and fought with out
right, but the lie which is half truth
is harder matter to fight" and it is in
the latter commodity that the experts in
the use of scandalous statement are ac-
customed to deal These assassins of
character are for the most part arrant
towards. We have them right here i'll
Pennsylvania. They are careful to ad-
minister their stabs in the back or in
the dark. or in any other way which does
not expose them TO the risk of retaia-
tion, and so they are accustomed to deal
in insinuations and innuendoos and in
the exaggerations which convert Il mole
hill of fact into monument of false
hood.
The professional slanderers are usually
careful about that, Ito avoid prosecution
and it seems that their methods are
much the same on each side of the At
lantic. They keep under cover. and the
man upon whom they spit their venom
has 10 redress. We don't know where
the remedy is to be found for this lie
plorable situation except in the educil-
ton of the public judgement and the
expression, whenever the opportunity
those who commit this particularly des-
picable kind of wrong.
In no State or country has there been
a more despicable demonstration of the
truth and justice of the Inquirer's i'll
dignant criticism of the slanderers of
public men than in Delaware during the
last eight or ten years.
During that period revolution has
J. occurred in Delaware politics and the
State has been rescued from the control
of the most daring and adroit politicians,
working 4 scheme nc political outrage
which fea stnDtiity of invention and per-
) feet demonstration has never been sur
passed in the history Of American poll.
tics. 1t made politics Of the endless
chain order, always producing results of
the designed and expected variety. The
scheme was laid in the law. The de-
monstrators of it were officers of tile
State. They We're supported and de-
Tended by decisions of the courts. The
ablest and apparently most honorable
men of the State, while not daring to
defeEd the fraud and outrage continually
committed IN the name Of the law, will
ingly benefited by it, and thus sane
toned what they could not openly COM
mend. Hcdged in by such dcfcnces,
fraud and outrage became the common
political practice and the various de-
partments Of city, county and State
governments were simply executive de-
4 partments of the Democratic party.
/ SElectoRs We're farces. Government was
= tyranny. The spirit of the opposition
WAS broken. Civic life had apparently
! gone cut of the masses giving place to
hopelessness Of any betterment OF politi-
cal conditions. The opposition party had
become dependent upon the National
Administration with no higher purpose
~ IN the control and enjoyment of fed
patronage. With patronage the
nonoresss.contcntion divisions in party
1t an honorSie inevitable and these came
espouslng and with disastrous results.
horahaNas no unity of purpose. Concert
"no stion necessary for success was I'M
VI sible-the house ulvidcd against itself
tnad fallen.
A The partial success of 1888 was an
accident ont of which no good came to
4 the party. 1t revived Republican hopes
for Il while, but the defeat of two years
4 later renewed the oil hopclcssness. 1t
n was during this period that Mr.. ]. Ed
p ward Addicks appeared in Delaware
politics. \ Republican of the early
period Of the party's history. 4 son of
one Of the foremost of the early Pennsyl-
NdH1d hepuDlcallS, ne uau been Il cItl-
zen of Delaware long enough TO realize
some Of the wrongs the Republicans
were enduring. To resist these wrongs
was both reasonable and natural. In one
sense it was self defence and in larger
sense defence of principles q love Of
which he had inherited and which ap-
pealcd to his judgement as being the
only true basis for good and free govern
mcnt. Calling TO his aid the active Re
publicans of the State he proposed to en-
ter the lists with them for the overthrow
3 of the Democratic party. Those Repub.
leans who were nearest the people, who
Oh from the outset what contest TO
IN victory meant, acquicsced willing
ly in his propositions. The leaders re-
4 fused. Personal ambitions were in
yolvea. There were two many aspirants