The Indictment of Mr. Vacheron

New York, 1895

The newspapers have devoted columns of space to telling about the indictment of Assemblyman Eugene F. Vacheron of this county by the Albany County grand jury on the charge of bribe taking, of his sudden disappearance from the Capital, and the general alarm sent over the state by the Albany police department for his arrest. If Mr. Vacheron is not guilty of this crime he made a mistake by running away. If he is guilty, an awful disgrace has fallen upon his constituents, and every citizen who voted for him will regret it. While little or no sympathy will be felt for the accused man, there will be pity for the innocent persons who must suffer on his account.

Mr. Vacheron's record from the first has been most unsatisfactory. When it was rumored in Albany on Tuesday that an Assemblyman had been indicted, and when no name had been mentioned, the New York Herald says that at once the eye of suspicion turned toward Mr. Vacheron. The Republican party never should have put him forward for a position that only men of intelligence and approved character should fill, and that he was twice elected shows that the voters do not give reasonable consideration to the importance of the office or the fitness of the candidate, but allow themselves to be controlled by partisan prejudice or spasmodic discontent. If this were not so bad men like Vacheron could not succeed.

We never met a citizen of this county who had business with the Legislature who did not complain of Mr. Vacheron's conduct, and THE FARMER has been kept busy ever since the Legislature met dealing out censure upon him, so that everybody in the county is familiar with his bad record. Mr. Vacheron tried more ways than one to intimidate THE FARMER, but, like a good many others, he failed absolutely, and the people see now that in exposing him we were treading on no uncertain ground.

THE FARMER does not form hasty conclusions, and is never moved by malice in its utterances. Care has to be taken when a paper is financially responsible, as THE FARMER is, and can be made to respond in damages if guilty of libel. When we make an assertion the public may rest assured that we are able to back it up, and ready to do so.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, May 17, 1895, p. 4.