A Lying Campaign

The editor oí the Ann Arbor Courier deliberately lied this week when he penned the following item at the close of a long, mendacious and false article : "Stearns is the man vho protested years ago in a democratie convention at Detroit against fusión with "the greenback lunatics." Such a stranger to the truth has been the editorial columns of the Courier for the past few weeks that this would not excite special comment were it not that the writerwho penned those words holds a petty spite against Mr. Stearns and seeks to injure his chances by unfair means. He knows that Mr. Allen is defeated unless the labor vote or the greenback vote is detached fiom Mr. Stearns and he does not hesitatc to lie to attain those ends, lending himself to the dirtiest work that a newspaper writer can possibly do. Now the editor of this paper is probably better acquainted with Mr. Stearns than any other Ann Arborite. His acquaintance with him was very intímate, while he was in Adrián, and he stakes ever)' bit of reputation he may have for personal truth and veracity upon the assertion that the above item is a lie. Not only that but Mr. Stearns by his open and persistent advocacy of fusión with the greenbackers lost about three hundred subscribers to his paper, at a time when many democrats were so hot against fusión. Not only that but he was one of the leaders in the democratie state convention in favor of fusión. This is only a sample of the perversions in the Courier. Mr. Stearns never charged the knights of labor with being anarchists. He did charge a certain small organization in Detroit, which raised money to defend the Haymarket bomb throwers and passed reslutions of sympathy with them, with themselves being anarchists. And that charge was one which every respectable citizen of Michigan, knights of labor as well as others, would most heartily approve. This organizadora passed resolutions indorsing Henry A. Robinson when he was running on tne republican and labor tickets for congress. It was solely agairxst th.s organization that the blows of Mr. Stearns were directed. Congressman Allen has several times said to the editor of this paper that he would not have a campaign of personalities, when he wanted us to keep quiet concerning him, but the fact that he has not endeavored to stop the lies of his own organs must cause him to be regarded as a consenting party. Voters, see to it that such wholesale campaign lying is rebuked at the polls. Let the rebuke be so stinging that we shall havefair campaigns herenfter. It is but fair to say that J. E. Beal, the Courier proprietor, denies the authorship of the editorial.