Democratic Sentinel, Volume 4, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 July 1880 — A Candid Verdict. [ARTICLE]

A Candid Verdict.

The Springfield Republican (Garfield supporter) passes judgment upon the smirched Republican nominee in these plain and cutting words. Well may Garfield cry out, “Save me from my friends We present an interesting letter this week calling importunately for a verdict from the Republican upon Gen. Garfield's case or cases, and exhorting Us to throw off our coat and pitch in lustily for the Republican candidates. The Republican recognizes the duty of a verdict only so far as we can interpret'the facts to justify one. Gen. Garfield is accused of a series of political misdemeanors—three at least, the Credit Mobilier, the De Golyer, the salary grab. If we were disposed to “litre an eminent lawyer,” after tho manner of the Nation (we do not know the grounds of the attribution), wo might produce verdicts to order upon all these points with the promptitudo and dispatch required by the ardent G. 8. M. We can procure eminent lawyers’ opinions to anything probably. We do not recognize any such imperative exigency, however. Garfield has not yet been nominated a month, his full defense has been in circulation only a week, his letter of acceptance is yet to appear. It is not judgment of him to say that he is “spotted,” “tainted,” “seriously compromised,” etc., for these are historic fact*. His reputation never can be as clean as it would have been but for these things, never can stand with that of Edmunds, for instance, or that of Hancock. This may be terrible, it may bo unjust, but it is the injustice of that nemesis which every public life must confront, and which, in obedience to the law of human nature), ranks the suspected and the accused below the unsuspected and the stainless.