The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1850-05-18

IliE EhEG NhDHHs
Otiama, tllan Is, 1850.
..sss-.s=...-=ss -
The last Free Trader INDUCES IN bitter strain OF
ab,sr oun;nst Sheriff liurlbut because he did not
choose 10 select that paper a. medium m when 10
advertise the list OF delinquent innds, Inc eat
claims for hs paper The largest circulation OF aEy III
the county with much asS,unnce rs II te lnntler
bnd been 'lcpnlly investigated and become an admit
ted inct and ia view al this ne lays claln 10 inc taN-
liz printing ana asserts that Mr.. lIurbut has per
iured himseianl violated hi oah OF Office m with
holding ii from that paper Nc, ".
Now we have desire to enter INTO controversy
with die Free rralcrn regard 10 the crcula non oi
our paper, for wc have always been Wiling To SUP
init our claims 10 a legal examination but Nhci
assertions are made that are calculated To nstaa
and perhaps prejudice public opnon against the 9Hl-
cial conduct OF one Of our county officers, we letl III
duty bound to correct them, lest by our silence an
erroneous statement might glin currency Tor truth
Our readers well aware that We nave always
cou,endel To have the largest circulation ior our pa
per AMI on a former OCCASION, when the sheriff
office was under locotoco jurisdiction, we endthvor-
ed in VAN TO Obtain hearing that we might come
IN competition with the Free Trader Tor the thN iSt
printing. The law then, that the ll5t should DC CIV
en- to the paper having the largest circulation was
the same as NOW, but the 'suety OF the public reNe-
nue." and the validity OF taX-titeS was oVefbaiad-
ced byparty iayorItism, and we're thus deprived 81
the county printing nllnol4n itIdlF tIlt'u'n I" -
On another occasion, when locoiocOlsn was IN ti'
nscendancv we sought 10 have Our claims to N"
pos.offce printing investigated. on the ground oi
h1vinl the largest circulation hut ihS virtue ut me
law was lost silt of IN thu drsre 90 serve parry m
terests, and il was not until the present Incumbent
came into office that our claims were regarded ana
duly redreSsed. g.,
In view Of all mistaken in connection with the
fac, lhn the Free Trader neglected TO ME AN am N
WI ofits circulation together with the. knowledge
that we ut present enjoyed the post-oihce pruning
on account OF orr rrcunion-is there any one lex
ccpt it be the editor Of ihc Free Trader unrenson-
able enough to accuse Mr.. turlbut Of der'!'clion
of duty, orcensufc him Tor any 'oihcAl dclnilneH,
cyr m selecting this paper to publish the tax-iist
We think not long chain oi circumstances mas
conduced 10 justify Mr. II IN the course he mas plF-
sued and All The venom mi hcarr'S malignty aus
plavc.l by the editor OF the Free FTadcr, Will only
recoil back upon hs own head with double effect.
Several goo iricn l. 70: whose opinions We
have the highest respect, have objected to ns-on
account Of circumstances which we tit Is the sen
ior editor who writes this, and on his own account
solcyO hadnot sufficiently consilcrcd-to the tone
and manner of our article in last weeks paper IN
reference to the tax list, and we are free to own
that it was written nler excitement, and faulty
80 far as it dealt in harsh epithct and elimination
AMI that in this respect. the article should have
Undergone much revision; but 50 far rs the main
matter ut issue is concerned we cannot consent to
withdraw anything we have said. That Mr. Hur
but, in giving the tax list to the Constutionalist
without nquirng into the amount OF our clrcula
ton after We had expressed to him our readiness
to prove our circulation largest by several hun
dred, violated the plain provisions ola law he
was srorn to obey, and thus wrongcd the public
whose agent and servant he was, and wronged
us, is a conclusion, which if he can escape from It,
we shall be most happy to be the first to do HIM
the justice TO say so.
In reference to the article quoted above which
appeared in the Con,titutionalist on Monday, as
that paper has concssely no regular editor. it IL
presumable that the article was written by some
body employed for the purpose, AMI that it is the
only explanation or apology which, under the cir
cumstanccs was deemed necessary to be offered
for the course of Mr. Hurlbut in this matter. Now
it will be- observed that nothing which we have
charged is denied but the course Of the sheriff i,
attempted to b. justified on the ground that, in
substance, sheriff Redllick was guilty of the
same offence Now miserable and insufficient as
such an excuse would be, it il not true. 1t was
not the law at any time while Mr.. Reddick was
sheriff. that he should publish the delinquent list
in the paper having the largest circulation in the
county The law has been passed since Mr..
Hurlbut came into office, and with exception OF
Adams, we know Of no county except this IN
which complaint has been made that the law has
been disregardcl
That we neglected to file an affidavit OF our
circulation" is an excuse still more ptiabo than
the other Whose duty was it to ascertain which
paper had the largest circulation in the county
We offered to file IN affidavit, or to furnish any
other proof to establish our rights that might be
needed, but the truth is we were given to under.
stand it would be useless
But most lame and sorry OF all, is the excuse
that because the Constimtionalist has the post
oli,c printing, sufficient presumption existed in
favor Of the greater circulation Of that paper, To
Justify Mr. llurbut in dsrcgarLing the law which
required him to make an investigation. The post
office printing is given to the paper having the
largest circulation in Ills tocp instead Of the cou.
", Besides that, Mr. llurlbut knew, that we had
since the post office printing was given out a
year ago, got new types for our paper, had rcdu.
ced its price, and made cxertions to enlarge our
list and that since last january it has been rapid
ly increasing Were it then even true, (which
We emphatically and solemnly deny and have ov.
or denied) that year ago the circulation of the
Constitutionaist was larger than that of the FREQ
Trader with these facts before him. it could fur.
ni'h Mr. iurlbut with M excuse Tor failing to com
ply 50 far with the law as to inquire into the mat
ter
But excuses like these are unmanly, and unbe
coming man of Mr.. llurlbuts position in ,hi.
community. He owes it to his friends to give I
better explanation, and il he canno, give one, Iii
only manly course is to confess his fault, whei
none none shall be more ready to forget it thai
we are.