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Show ARE WE FACING A DIRTY CAMPAIGN. I A story is running in one of the magazines which is a poorly concealed libel on the President of the United For months gossip has been coming out of Washington, telling of the private pri-vate life of the President and insinuating insinuat-ing that tho head of the nation is bad in even' fiber. The stories have been so thoroughly disseminated as to givo one the impression that a regular regu-lar propaganda is on to besmirch the president's character. The President, wo take It, is, at least In morals, an average man. He is neither perfection nor totally depraved. de-praved. Undoubtedly he will measure up to many who have gone before him in the White House. He may even bo better than George Washington Washing-ton or Thomas Jefferson , both of whom had a private career which would not bo fit to bo printed in our school books. But the point tho Standard seeks to make, is that, in deciding de-ciding on the Issues now before tho American people, the verdict of the people should not turn upon the question ques-tion of anyone man"s private life. If the opponents of the president cannot meet the administration's policies in a fair discussion of those policies, but must resort to scandal, then we are forced to the conclusion there is something some-thing inherently weak in their position. posi-tion. This country does not want another Cleveland-Blaine campaign which caused some ghouls to invade tho cemeteries in an effort to dig up tho salacious and defamatory in tho lives of two great men. That the average person detests a whispering dofamer is borne out by the fact that no word in our language Is more opprobrious than that of vlli-fier, vlli-fier, except liar, and tho two are not far from being synonymous. These magazino articles undoubtedly undoubted-ly are Inspired, perhaps paid for. If that form of campaign is found to bo necessary, the attacks should come direct di-rect from some responsible source, so the voters of the country may be able to measure the motives and get a perspective per-spective of the traducers. nn |