Arkansas true Democrat., 1859-08-10
A Small Matter.

IL is almost impossible to keep up with | the misreprescntationa and false charges of | the opposition. In small aa in great things, ! in State as well na national affairs, they are incapable of doing justice. The Bate5yillc ! Balance of the 29lh ut., has sn unfair ut tack upon the Secretary of State and our self That paper has, lately, enunciated | some very pretty things rrgurding editorial | courtesy ana fairness, but the whole of it's 1 article concerning the publication of estray notices. is unfair, unjust and untrue.
 In the outset the editor heads his article
 "A lame place in the law !" and then says
 in the opening paragraph, that he does not
 know what the law is, not having the Di- gest at handl The first charge is that the
 contract to publish these notices was given
 to us as d matter of favor. which is untrue
 The wiseacre who pcnned it, for we do not
 believe Mr Kennard would stoop to write such an article, might have known, had he taken the pains to inquire, that the very plan he proposes was the one adopted by the Secretary of State. That officer at the close of every year. adverlises for propo sals to print these notices. In our issues of Dec. sth, 18th and 22d, 1858, appeared
 the following notice
 OFFICE oF THE SECRETARY OF STArgJ IhHle Rock, Dec. Gth 1858 { E)ROPOSATS will be received at tf;s oaic. mn. hl me lst dhy oi January next, 70 print all
 estray notices for thc year ~j9 required bv Inv fo | be published in a newspaper.
 The bid must state the price for which each mo-
 tlce will bcprinted DAVID B. GREER. | Dec. X, 1853. 3t Secretary of State A similar notice was given every year
 for many past years In 1857, the State
 Rights Democrat got the contract, being the
 lowest bidder; last year we got it for 20
 cents, being the lowest bidder We did
 not desire or expect 10 get it during the
 present year and put in bid for one dollar
 It was the lowest bid and the contract was
 given to us for that reason and not asa mat
 ter of favor. Though the clerks are usual
 ly prompt, yet, m many cases, the taIler up
 of the estray ncglccts to pay the fec, and
 the clerk when he sends the advertisement
 promises to send the money when they pav.
 These accounts are too small to pay for
 keeping them and we have preferred to trust to the parties. However, this makes no difference, as we are not bound to ndver tise without fee, though in some cases we do 1t. The second charge is that these advertisements average four or five lines and that thirtyfve cents is fair price, An inspection of the space occupied would have shown the writer that they average nearly If not quite square The next point made is that there afe 250 or 300 each year, and groan is made over the money drawn from the public. Now the number published last year was 147, for which. if | we had collected every cent, we would have gotten S29 40-the vast sum of twcntv- nne dollars and forty cents. Admit that the number will be the same this year, and we receive SLY, for which we fill five or six columns and furnish over six hundred extra copies of the paper.
 These are the facts, yet on this state of case the Balance seeks to make capital against us, and attempts to contrast us with its friend and ally the State Rights Demo crat. After using the word |" dynastv'' instead of '' olgarchy," which the leader Sf+ +h l. loo I | writer admits it to be small matter. It is indeed small to misrepresent, msstate, exaggerate and endeavor to humbug We hope the candid admission has been good for the writer's soul, which we take to be a small affair also.
 It seems strange, that if the Balance can do this work so cheaply, it did not put in a bid for it. The business and profits of our office are source of great anxiety to the Balance If it will ease its pain, the writer may come and examine our books and inform himself so thoroughly, so the next time he attemps to write concerning us, he need not resort to omisrepresentations. In these matters there is or should be pride of craft that would prevent one from advertising his own concern by contrasting it unfairly with another. We regret to see so much malice in a paper that claims to be fair and courteous. We do not think it was necessary to make such an attack to gain admission into the modern order of old liners. for they. like the old maid, are willing to take anybody. What the mo- tive was for this attack we cannot say-we are contented to offset it by presenting the facts.