Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 November 1876 — A High-Toned Political Discussion. [ARTICLE]

A High-Toned Political Discussion.

‘‘There is one thing,” said Mr. Lealherby, as he was walking down town yesterday morning, “that disgusts me with politics, and that is the violent and abusive tone in which our daily papers conduct the discussion of every issue and question which they touch upon,” “ Indeed, you may well be disgusted at it,” replied old Mr. Bartholomew, who had ju-d joined him, “It is as much as a man can do to lift a newspaper off his doorstep with a pair of tongs. Time and again 1 throw the paper down half read, and I have seriously thought of stopping it altogether, for I consider its presence in my family a contamination.” “ it is, in truth,” replied Mr. Leatherby. “ It is worse than a contamination. It is corrupting; it has a degrading, brutalizing indaence that i«, I am convinced, underlain it g the foundations of our moral structure. The daily press of today is one greatengine of abuse, defama tion, bad grammar, worse language and worse morals.” “ I cannot see, for my part," said Mr. Bartholomew, “why men cannot discuss politics as freely, as earnestly and as entirely free from acrimonious expressions and feeling, as purely free from abusive graSe’of astreetor dm stvle of acofc.” “ And so think I,” said Mr. Lealherby; “ I cannot. far my part, conceive of an mintelSts6 warpld and narrow, a mind so shallow, that it cannot carry on a discussion upon any question in politics without falling into the asperities, vulgarity, abusive detraction and shameful slander Hurt is the reproach and disgrace of the newspaper press.” “It ba form of idiocy, I believe,” replied old Mr. Bartholomew; “ itbanindi«cation of a feeble mind that looks upon nbiueaei&fl argument, and bullying <ts logic. lam and always have been a Republican, but I can express mydfeappivvai of many Democratic .measures in •gentlemanly manner, and if I had not mfod enough to keep my temper I would —“ -**-«*»* “You are perfeotlv correct,,’ rejoined Mr. Lealherby, earnestly, “ and while we

disagree on some points in political controversy, I being a life-long Democrat, yes wwoaa4r«ely and with mraUrai picacure and, I trust, profit, meet and discuss our differences tn a frlenoly way, without giving way to the insane and. detestable exhibition of temper, ignorance and prejudice which mark the tone of the mornFired not noticed it so much in the jffmoAAys,” replied Mr Bartholomew, with a show of awakening interart in the conversation, “but when »hal trashy Democratic sheet that pollu't ;’he evening air is brought to me by my neighbor, an ignorant dolt who can neither read nor write, but takus the paper as a party duty, to read for him. I am amazed that the gods of truth and decency do not annihilate the infamous puerile sheet with their thunderbolts.” "You must bear in mind, however.” rejoined Mr. Leatlierby, speaking a trifle louder than was necessary in addressing a companion whore hand was resting on his arm, "the GWte. has such a tide of corruption, such an avalanche of political bigotry and villainy to rebuke, that its voice must be raised in order to be heard, and it must speak boldly, defiantly and in the thunder tones of righteous denunciation, to startle the people into a realizing sense of the peril which threatens the country from Republican misrule and tyranny.” "By George.” shouted Mr. Bartholomew, "the Republican party is the last, the only bulwark between the Republic and eternal ruin. I tell you, sir, once let the Democratic party obtain control of this Government, once let that infamous organization of political thieves, knucks, outlaws and castaways take charge of our political machinery, and we will find ourselves in the hands of a horde of tha most abandoned profligates, the most utterly unprincipled, the most vicious, demoralized, unconscionable, diabolical set of scoundrels that ever cheated the gallows!”

“By the long-horned spoon!” roared Mr. Leatherby, jerking his arm away from Mr, Bartholomew’s hand, “if the satanic and infernal plans of the Republican party were carried out, with all their attendant knaveiy and debauchery, this Government would be a rule of branded malefactors and convicts, a Government of felons, a penal colony in • which the most hopelessly irreclaimable, graceless villains would administer the law. The bad faith of the Republican party, its ignominious record, its vicious tendencies, have shocked the Christian world, and “ You’re a liar," yelled Mr. Bartholomew, “ and you are just like the rest of your besotted, low-lived, ignorant class, a low, mean, pitiful, beggarly, unscrupulous and treacherous set, whose impudence in asking for the votes of honorable men is only equaled by your rapacious and unbridled greed for office, your "You are an old fool!” howled Mr. Leatherby, "a censorious, clamorous, scurrilous, foul-tongued old reprobate, and I disgrace my name when I talk to you on the street. You mistake vituperation and abuse for argument, and you reply to a simple, plain statement of facts with malignant and defamatory slander and calumny because you can’t answer.” “ Shut up!” shrieked Mr. Bartholomew. " Don’t you say another word to me or I’ll slap your ugly mouth! By George, I’ll kick your head off!” “ You can’t do it!” roared Mr. Leatherbv, pulling off his coat and dancing around Mr. Bartholomew. “ I can lick the whole Republican party, from the big whisky thief and ring master in the White House down to the sneak thief that picks pockets at mass-meetings! I can — ” “ You’re a fighting liar, and you daren’t take it un!" howled Mr. Bartholomew, pulling off his coat. Then Mr. Leatherby ran up and kicked him twice while he was struggling in the arms of his coat, but the ola gentleman got loose in a flash and hit Mr. Leatherby a resounding thwack on the- nose with his cane, and when Mr. Leatherby stopped to hold a handkerchief over his bleeding probocis, .Mr. Bartholomew got in a couple more real good ones with •; his cane; then Mr. Leatherby went for the rocks in the macadamized street. .He broke two windows in a grocery before he hit Mr. Bartholomew, when he caught the old gentleman on the side of the head and dropped him. Then Mr. Bartholomew took to the stone pile and hit a young lady on the other side of the street, and Mr. Leatherby hurled a tremendous big rock, which missed the old gentleman and blacked the eye of a policeman who was coming to separate them, but was so incensed that he arrested them, and they were each fined ten dollars and costs for fighting in the street. And they both firmly believe that the unbridled hatred and unreasonable recriminations and abuse of the daily papers is iniquitous in its influence ana should be suppressed for the*good of society.— Burlington HawkEgo.