One hundred years ago
The American Presidential campaign is this time a most miserable business. So equal are the parties, that every American not bemused by party feeling admits that the result depends upon the importance attached to certain 'scan- dals'. Mr Cleveland, the candidate of the Democracy and of the 'Indepen- dent' — that is, honest — Republicans, is admitted to be a man of high political character, incapable of corruption, and an able administrator; but it is also admitted that as a young man he formed an irregular connection, and ,has an illegitimate son. When cross- questioned, he told his friends to tell the exact truth, and the truth is that. That, it is believed, will cost him thousands of votes in the stricter denominations, and is costing him the support of the influen- tial 'Women's Rights' societies. All this is very contemptible. If the agitation really proceeded from a desire that the candidate for the Presidency should be a man of pure life, that would indicate a fine tone in the American masses; but it is notorious that this is not the motive of the discussion. The object is to obscure the great political issues by a flood of gossip, and the plan succeeds. It is exactly the kind of plan which should be defeated by the ballot, if the ballot were worth anything; but the ballot only releases instead of defeating private malice.
Spectator, 27 September 1884
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