Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-06-19
From the Petersburg South Side Democrat June H.
A CARD

A CARD.
While in Washington city, yhsrs have bse,, for a
week back, my attention was directed on Saturday
last, 10 scurrllous communication from Mr. P Kean
published IN the Richmond EMquire, OF the 18th
nst' IN wh,ch hs gives eugthy and valiant version
OF h;7 late daslardiy attempt at assassination.
| have no idea of controversy with Mr.. p. Kssu
IN reference 10 me Character of bis conduct, having
given plain, unvarnished statement of the whole
transaction from first to last, which, take it, will
suilce' wherever Mr.. kean aud myself are known.
IA for the personal matters nj issue between Mr.. r.
Kean and myself they wM ktep.
lhere IL one point, however, in this affair TO which
desire to direct, more particularly public attention
] alude to the extraordinary Of the Richmond
Enquirer in gnom,nously permitting its columns 10
have been the sewer for Mr.. p Kean to float out bis
vile hth 10 the public My relations with the editors
Of the Enqn.rrr have been kind, cordial. had sup.
posed friendly. In the fsncied enjoyment of such
relations with these gentlemen an spprecstive pub.
lic can best judge with what feelings of bewildering
surprise and painful modification their columns
made the channel for the grossest and most vulgar
personal abuse Of myself uttered by low, rrespon.
sible wretch, and he the hired emsssry OF incsn-
diary print.
Had MIR. P. Kean occupied the social position of
genteman-had not his character been well enough
known to the editors of the Enquirer, we should have
had nothing to say but under all the circumstances
and il is needless to detail them-I have no hesta.
ton in characterizng the course OF the Enquirer in
admitting this NTH 10 its columns discourteous and
ungentlemanly. A. d. BANKS.
We copy this "card'' from the SouthSde De.
mocrat of yesterday. Iu reply to it, we have
TO state to our readers that the communica-
tions alluded to were published in tho En-
quirer as advertisements, and were evident
as such to all who saw them. We believe it is in
cordance with the usage Of the press to give pubci
ty to sentiments rescting upon persons, when paid
for AZ other advertisements always, OF course with
the understanding that the authors alone are respon
aible. Had Mr.. Banks chosen the columns of the
Enquirer His medium also, in tho controversy be.
tween Mr.. Kesn and himself. we assure our readers
that his communications would have been inserted
upon the same terms Bat he is, in part owner of
newspaper. and, consequently We presume he saw no
necessity for incurring the expense OF employing the
columns of another journal.
The uncomplmentary language used by MIR. Banks
towards the Enquirer, it seems to US, was entirely un
warranted; indeed, we think, napplicable and alto
gether irrelevant.
That public journal ia to be visited with epthets
which should never be employed without calm con-
sideraton, because It's columns contain the reply Of
one person to another in controversy between them
is something novel in Journalism.
But We are writing much more than we designed
The author Of this article, in his contributions to the
editorial columns Of the Enquirer since the last of
February, has obeyed the instincts Of bis nature and
the teachings fhis education in studously avoiding
every expression calculated to wound the feelings Of
others AMI he expects of gentlemen reciprocation
If be may say so-of the same chivalrous deport.
ment Should he act in error towards others, he
would be neither afraid uor ashamed to acknowledge
it. And when others act in error towards him, he
hopes that they will also see the propriety Of SINH
lar course.