Rensselaer Republican, Volume 12, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 July 1880 — Mud S1iuging in Politics. [ARTICLE]

Mud S1iuging in Politics.

Our party newspapers seem disposed to bear the vile slanders heaped upon the men whose names appear on our National, State and County tickets. It seems that refutatiou ia without effect on the Democratic newspapers, who constantly tvnitb the fame of indivi* duals by falsehood. . To aoswer- a slander will not eiience the vile traduoer of character V - : / r : . U Dntxoj the Web ot sophistry, in vat» . ;« : > 'j*wseatwv*«t hi»*trty work again ge at lemon of the preas, invention is the libeller**, exhaustless capital, an&Teftrtntion snppi.es the food on which lie lives. It woold be better for the cause of atn| hnmaeity to aliew a publio Oft character to live on his aw» poison gas exhalations. 1m great object to be O’X&vg&nJs,•upcess, Men are sometimes, however, more governed t>y *£etuion and paaaion than by reason in the affairs of Ihei* conn* try. This being true what ia our

to lha. doctrine of Bff semptMary shower the tainting arrows of mi and - er and libel upon oar best men. A lie believefi in ns damaging hi its immediate effect as accepted troth. The Democrats and their allies have introduced the Greek fire of personal villification of candidates, and the question presents itself as how wa shall meet this. If we remain quiet some will be Ind astray on the donbtfnl maxim that “silence gives consent.” It would be better to let the villifiers of a candidate for president die with their aspisb covering about them, but the mental and moral aoumen of ordinary men is not keen enough to pierce the glamour ot lias, sad tee the great men beneath. This greatest number of clubs are cast at the tree bearing the most and beat fruit. It often proves, that tho man about whom the vile dogs of slander are barking loudly is the embodiment ot goodness and greatness. Our Savior himself thus suffered yet he remained th* God of purity and charity, enduring all things with becoming meekness. He said of those vile Jewish Democrats who compassed'him with oalummy and falsehood, “Lord for give them, they know notwhatthey do.” So for the comfort no doubt of the infidel, band-box candidate of the Democracy, and in contrast to fiia own experience He says, “Woe un6o you when all men shall •peak well of you,” for §o they do of all false prophets, and to ourown great and good candidate He says, “Blessed are ye when men shall say all manner of evil against you falsely.” We wish that national politics was confined more tor matters of policy and we had less of orgumentvm ad kominem. We are net charitable enongb, when smitten on one cheek to offer (be other also, but advise the Democrats who choose to reproach our candidates, not to stare at the Republican moles of wrong and perceive not the Democratic beams of iniquity. In due time if the warfare of lampooning and detraction is adhered to by our enemies, we may upon provocation strike back, and of coarse will strike to hurt We shall provoke no personal warfare. We support the entire Republican ticket and believe every man on that ticket is the peer of hia opponent in “ability, honesty and fitness.” “Slander, that worst of poisons, ever finds an early entrance to ignoble minds,” and hence a campaign of this sort is not a creditable one, and we have been waiting patiently for our brother across the hall to distribute those columns of typical falsehood and give General Garfield a little rest. Thus far we have not deemed it prudeDt to notice these irresponsible flings and still believe it will smother to death in its own slime.