BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-02-19
* 2. ~. - z
SAN JUAN, FEBRUARY 1s
Attaclipg The Private Lives
u PuDie Officials.

Many very serious accusations have been
made within the last few weeks against
the honor, decency and private life of .
member Of our local judiciary. Wheth r
t,osA accusations be true of false is not yet
within the knosledge Of the public. Grant
ing 10 the accused person, tie benefit OF
every doubt, as guaranteed by all funds-
mental American laws, it would hardly be
fair to consider the gentleman in question
guilty OF any Of the charges which have
been made against him, until ABSOLUTE proof
has been shown substantiating the charges
made. II seems that the rule which re-.
guires party affirming to establish the
truth OF the affirmation has been left out Of
the legal education which we read of in this
mornings issue ct the protector Of public
moralsi
That eur judiciary should be perfectly
clean and upright goes without saying, and
oil people. viii join in any crusade having
for i'd objects the eradication Of an uncesn
judiciary, and the introduction of q good
one in its place, but at the same time it
must be asked, how far do these attacks on
private life 60, are they always proclaimed
vhen publicly known, or are they simply
held as . bugbear to force the doing Of Ger
tain things, the performance If requests, or
for the furtherance OF political objects?
Should they not be received with suspicion,
especially when coming from most bitter
political opponent of the man accused, or it
not with suspicion, then with few grains
Of salif
In the political histories Of thssvsrious
parties which have existed since the crea-
tion. Of the American republic there have
been many political campaigns in which af-
ter vainly attacking the public and official
lives of candidates for Office, opposing par
tisans have looked up the history OF candi-
dates, and fastening on some epoch in the
life OF . man whose defeat was to be accCm
plisked BY any means, have seen fit to en-
large and aggrayate any offense which may
hare been committed, and using the same
% .As campaign weapon have sonnet me
secured the defeat of the candidate, more Of
ten not. These campaigns have howevt r
gone ldQwRsin history as "filtby campaigns"
ALI parties have made use of them at some
time or other; but no party has ever been
helped by the use of them.
0aathes other hand when personal knowl.
edGs 0f.gross immortality or dishonesty has
vVAA0 " thO AuVWeuSo vi poutOat u0uouW0A
it has often been suppressed and withheld
from the public ss . secret weapon to be
used for the enforcement Of illegal demands,
or for the protection Of private rights. Men
with no regulations to speak of have often
been placed in the field for political cfice,
and theif private lives withheld from the
public,
That these attacks on the private lives Ct
oficials usually eminate from desire to
further political ends, or other ends, or else
with view towards revenge or self bet
ternent there can be no doubt, and for this
reason il certainly seems fair and no more
than just that every accusation made by q
bitter political partisan should be received
with some doubts, until absolute substanti-
alton has been pn duced.
This paper has no sympathy with any
member Of the judiciary who in bis private
life bellies the very ideas aad principles which
he represents and stands for in pubic life.
The judc,sry should be- clean, and that it
can be 90 there is no question, but until
proof has been shown it is not just to beisve
in the guilt Of any individual public or
private.