Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1860-05-25
For the Montgomery County Sentinel.

penned lines, published in tho d" Senti-
mel" of the 4th instant, over the sigma
ture Of ." Medley's," the writer Of that
article little anticipated such a stirring
up of the waFlike elements as has been
since evinced in the columns Of your pa
per and, much less could he have i'm
aginod that personal abuse and detrQction
were to be the weapons used in this con-
test by the friends of the School Law
Are the freemen Of Montgomery to be
gagged and intimidated from an honest
expression of opinion, where it comes in
conflict with that held by their rulers and
self-appointed leaders by falsehood and
Misrepresentation Are the people to
be thus silenced and kicked into sub
mission to the will of these men by such
means as these2 Let me here tell the
gentleman, writing over the signature
of =" One of the People" and all such as
he, that the people of Montgomery are
not made of such Submissive material
and cannot and ioiU not be silenced and
driven from an assertion of their rights
by all his arts of cunning and impudent
assertion
Every statement made by this writer,
in reference to " Medley's," / here pro-
nounce as utterly and unqmagifedly false
He begins by saying, that Mr.. Med
ley's' had time and again told him, that
he { Medley's'1 had booked from one
to two hundred dollars day, day after
day." | will not stop to argue the ques-
ton, whether man could, or could not,
honestly earn this amount; and, if so,
whether he did moral wrong to any in
receiving the fruits Of his honest toll !;
but | say that this statement of Mr.. Zone
of the People is ftLSe, with not even
the Shadoo of truth to hide its hideous-
ness. =" Medley's" never told him, nor
any other man, such a tale for the best
of all reasons, he would have uttered
Jalsehood bad he done so.
Again, he says : Mr.. 'Medley's,'
with two Or three of his satellites, went
riding over the district, urging every
man they could see TO attend the large
mass meeting, to be held in Poolesvile,
in opposition to the School Law" False,
again Medleys" took no part in get
ting up either the first or the second
meeting--not because he dix not sympa-
thize with the sentiment of those there
assembled, but simply because other du-
ties precluded him from doing So and
is stigma to be cast upon men, and they
branded as the "SateIiites" of others, for
the reason that they wish their fellow
citizens to meet with them to give utter
ance to their views on objects of public
interest ? Beware, Mr. Zone of the
People" you are treading on ticklish
ground!
Again: As this was their second
meeting, il would not do to make another
postponcmeht, particularly as Mr. Med
lcy's' had prepared the business of the
meeting, drawn up the resolutions he in-
tended them to adopt, and put them into
the hands of one Of the previously selected
committee men"
Now, what will be thought of the claim
TO truth and veracity fthis writer, when
l say that " Medley's" attended neither
the first nor the second meeting referred
to He neither aided in getting up, nor
in swelling their number by his presence.
Now, | again ask, are such gross mis-
representations and shallow falsohoods to
be presented to the people of Montgomery
to convince them of the great necessity
of new School System? In his case /
really think there is, aud my sincere wish
is, that he may be benefited thereby.
But | can't help thinking something
else will be required, before conviction
will overtake the masses upon tho need
of its general application in Montgomery.
Denunciation and personal bitterness,
seasoned with the unsavory continent
untruth--are always despised, and their
authors hated by the people who love
truth and fairness in all contests; and
even Mr. lone of the People, may yet
learn that wlful misstatements of facts
advance not their author in his future as
saults upon the characters Of private citi-
zens, who arc neither Office holders nor
seekers after office.
One of the People" appears equally
unfortunate in giving the number of per-
sons present at the first meeting, held by
those opposed to this School Law. A
gentleman of standing and of truth,
who was present, stated to me, that he
counted those present, and their number
was torty-one. The last meeting, have
understood, was much larger; but the
inclemency Of the weather, each day of
meeting, prevented numbers from at
tending, who fully intended doing so.
Aud. now, for the satisfaction of Mr.. |
:" One Of the People," and of all those
who doubt the correctness of the first
statement made by 4" Medley's," in re-
ference to the public sentiment in Med.
ley's District at least, | will state a fact
which think settles that matter fully. |
One of the School Commissioners. after
traversing nearly or quite the whole Dis
triet, l understand, publicly declared,
that he had not met with single man
who stood squarely up in favor Of this
School Law will point out one other
error, fallen into by this same writer
He says, in speaking Of the amount of
tax necessary to be imposed upon the
people to carry ont the School Law, "that
the per capita tax Of 81, on the pupil,
will amount to $4,000, aud as much more
from the State--say IS. 000-willbemore
than onc-half the amount required to
carry on the schools"
Does this sage believe that less than