Year: 1876




facetously called Independent 1t has long
labored under an extraordinary delusion re-
specting the President holding him to be ex-
actly opposite in every attribute and quality
to what be really is. But that hallucination is
shared by other newspapers and people, whose
opportunities of arriving at correct conclu-
sion may have been limited or whose Judgment
OF character is unsound Such misconceptions
OF men bsve prevailed in all ages. From time
immemoral statesmen have been disparaged
and aspersed by cotemporary critics No


opinion OF public man can be safely accepted
as accurate until he has passed away So that
1t does not follow by any means that because
man or an editor abuses Gen. Grant he neces.
sarily does it from malicion. motives. Un-
happily the practice of speaking evil of men
without knowing anything about them has be-
come epidemic in this country and prevails so


widely that custom has blinded most people to


sense of its ineffsble baseness.


That the habitual editing and printing of


an independent newspaper does impair the
moral sense of the best of men is occasionally


exemplified in striking way in the columns of
the Springfield Republican. Here is sample
of its art of putting things In recent letter
to the PRESS said, with some emphasis and
full appreciation of the import of my words,
mo Republican who is an enemy of the ad.
ministration can be elected President. What
ever else the Cincinnati convention may do it
may be trusted not to present a candidate who
has ever whined and snveled about the cor
ruption and frauds of bis party. man scho
has done his utmost to rectJy errors and eradi.
cate abuses ohereUer found-aohose hands are
clean and achose record pure-soho has TALKED
little aooat reform and accomplished much IN
fatrtherance Of 1t ,cM command the su6rages of
the convention and deserve the endorsement of
the people," The Springfield paper quotes the
first two sentences aud omits the rest of the
paragraph. BY so doing it utterly perverts its
meaning and misrepresents its spirit. If Mrs.
Opie's definition of that little word Greeley
was so addicted to the use of is accepted as
standard, this manifest intention to deceive
must pass into that category. My purpose was
obvious enough. 1 sought to point out the
difference between cant and candor-to mark
the broad distinction between noisy declama-
ton and quiet endeavor. The past five years
have witnessed the growth of class of poll.
ticians who are continually climbing up every
stump and platform they can come within
reach of and vociferating that their party is
the most unworthy, iniquitous and corrupt that
ever existed, but that they themselves are
models of purity and goodness. They are con-
stantly calling the attention of the country
to their own spotessness and the venality of
other people. This description of charlatanry
and pretension has been multiplying rapidly
since the independent press undertook the
business of politics, and the way it gets puffed
and advertised is likely to stimulate the pro-
duction.


Now as a general rule-in fact there are
scarcely any exceptions-the men who are
most boastful of their own virtue possess the
smallest supply. Honest men are not apt to
regard that merely negative merit as thing 50
exceptional that it must needs be vaunted and
exulted over. And so it will be found not


merely as logical proposition but as a fact Of
experience, that the loudest mouthed reform
ers require the most careful watching


In the paragraph which the Springfield Re-
publican garbled out Of recognizable shape, so
far from deprecating reform, only protested
against confounding the spurious with the gem
nine. That is thing that must be done be-
fore we can hope for any Improvement in the
conduct of public affairs. There has been 90
much imposture and jugglery about the deal
ings with political subjects that it has become


very imprudent for any right thinking man


man to identity himself with the most
specious project of publication, until be has
satisfied himself that no sinister pur-
pose lies concealed within it. But it does


not follow on that account that errors are to 90
unrebuked and uncorrected, or that because
man declines to assent to the view that kusv-
cry is the rule and probity the exception, he is
to be reckoned as the apologist of wrong doing.
repeat that one of the most dangerous vices
of our generation is the habit of sweeping and
indiscriminate denuncistion. The merest ru-
mors, inherently incredible and wholly unsup.


ported, are banded from mouth to mouth and
circulated through countless presses till they
acquire certain degree of belief among the
thoughtless and weak minded Even insnua-
tons artfully fashioned and draped with suita-
BILE accessory embellishments will deceive the
unwary.


Anybody entirely unacquainted with Ameri-
can affairs, who should read a file of newspa-
pers for week, would infer that the country


was in an extremely demoralzed condition


that majority of the men engaged in admin
istering federal trusts were mercenary and
vicious-and that from the President down,
officials of the government were either very bad
or very weak, and in some instances both.


Now believe from such observation US a pri-
vate citizen has the chance of making that
these representations are grossly false in all
particulars So far as the President is con-
cerned will go farther than that and aver


with the positiveness of personal knowledge
that more upright and crcumspect man does
not live and never did live within the limits of
Ibis Republic. I have no earthly motive in
saying so except because it is true. He never
did me political favor nor have ever incur
red any obligation to him except such as every
citizen has, by of his great services to the
State. 1 think he is without exception one of
the best men / ever knew, and so esteeming
him never see slur or lampoon of him with
out wondering whether it was conceived
through malice or ignorance but quite certain
1t was referable to one or the other.


Well, then as to his advisors, in the absence
of any evidence to the contrary cannot but


regard them as honorable men. Two of them


are citizens of New York and not lisp was
ever heard in disparagement Of their honor,
until they became Cabinet ministers. Two
others are near neighbors of ours in good repute


at home The rest, if they have offended against
propriety in any way, have at least shown con-
siderable capacity for concealing the proofs oft.
1t is only lately it is true that a Secretary


brought disgrace upon himself and shame to his
associates. But do lot think it is fair infer.
ence that because one man has sinned all are ut
terly corrupt. 1t might as we'll be concluded
that because one defaulting clergyman has alb
scondedfrom Boston, and lawyer from New
York that all the members of those professions
are stepped in forgery and breach of trust.
That is very much the reasoning of the people
who are nowadays making denunciatory aile-
cations of corruption and fraud in the admin.
'stration of public affairs. Reasoning did 1
-ay? No it is mere camor and gable. At
he same time nobody in his right mind has


be slightest disposition to excuse or palliate
genality or loose practices of any kind. Every Of
fender, no matter how high his place or how light
his crimnalty, should be held to strict and rig