Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1859-10-26
Our membership of the Mercury.

Our contemporary ssoins to think tho Adrestiser
quite as extreme AZ itself in the use Of opithets.
We respectfully dissent The Mercury's epithets
fell upon men and motives. Ours attached merely
to the style and temper of certain language which
any one could read md see clearly for himself.
Tho Mercury seemed to us to impugn the honesty
and patriotism of his fellows. The Adrerti,er
designed to comment only upon tho taste and pru
dence Of contemporary's expressions. If in
doing 80 we have wounded friend, we rogrot it.
We especially regret having allowed ourself to
mako any sort of comparison between the Mercury
and tho N. Y. 7riJuno,-which isndecd comparing
Hyperion to a satyr. Our phrases too, when
placed in juX!apostion, would seem to convey
moro temper on our own part than wo felt Mt the
time or intended to exhibit. So true is it that
"whcn we would do good evil is over present with
us" Yet We insist that the distinction above made,
between our own and the Nsrcury's cpi,Lcts, is o
most obvious and appreciablo ono. Our contom-
porsry cannot 1--WE think fail to perceive it, and
will not Two trust) neglect to acknowledge it.
Again, our dsapprobation of tho Hcrcnry's art-
clio wus not sUlf.imposcd" censorship. That
article was certainly q very severe attack upon
some ono. We thought Mr. BorcE bore part Of
the brunt, because of some alluson to viows iden-
tcal with those he he'd very recently put forth.
The Mercury snys Mr.. BoYcE was not meant. Yet
we submit that there was reason (unti the Ncr-
curys discluimer) for our thinking both that Mr..
BoYcR was meant, and that all who had agreed
with him, in certain viows respecting tho terrific.
riss, were also meant. And our article was
prompted by natural desire to meet and annul
the effect of the -Aercurys sovero structures, so
far as We could Because, having concurred in
tho views which VIC thought tho Mercury limited at
in words not to be mistaken, felt. that We were
included in the condemnation coupled with thofe
words and sent forth on the wings Of that exten.
sively circulated journal. II, to effect aim We
preferred II deprecatory to u denunciatary tone,
our article was none the lcss called forth by the
Mercury's attack.
Tho Mercury also speaks Of US as follows:
Now, any one acquainted with tho structures OF
the Edgcfcld Adrsrtiser upon tho Mercury, sinct
tho former has become an organ Of National Demo.
cracy, must understand how sincerely it must
labor With "regrcts, and writhe with deep mortif
catiun )" nnd bc bowed down with generous "sor-
row" for tho aad delinqucncie, and decay of the
Mercury in its editorial characteristics
If reference is had hore to anything of discour-
tesy or -temper in the Adrertiser's "strictursS,"
We deny the Justice of tho criticism, and rely upon
the so-called /" structures" themselves for our de.
fence.
We do not know what tho -Kcrcury means BY its
clumsy anecdoto Of tho Frenchman's discomfort
with the Englshman's bowling dog. But wc take
the occasion 10 cay, that while shall ever strive
to avoid wrangiing with our contemporaries Of the
press. We do not imagine ourself in any sense
exempt from responsibility to each and every one
of them when NO do them Hanton injury. And
if NO fail to discharge that responsibility on pence
ful gruunit, they have right to seek it in any
way they may think proper.