Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1868-01-31
Ghe 6ree press.
G.. G.. & B. l.. BENEDICT.
SDITORs AND PROPRIETORS.
[From the st. Adams Messenger, Jan. q.
Not Quite Fair.


in the FREE Press Of Saturday, has called our
attention to an article in previous issue of that
paper which had otherwise escaped our notice.
and the comments which we think it merits. The
article in question is certainly a curious produc-
ton; our neighb0r seeming therein to outrage
the very principle he assumes to defend 1t
| piles up an agony of righteous Indignation
| over the tremendous frauds ON the revenue
and the enormous mass of official corruption. -
! as revealed in the report of Commissioner Wells
| and Congressional debate on the whiskev bill.
! through half column and therein it is iusti-
/ ned. 1t then proceeds to gently disburse the ac
eumulated wrath and anxiety, thus excited, over
'the proprietors of the st. Albans coal oil works
and the alleged conniying assessor and sup
p0Sed wealthy and influential friends" enlisted
to shield the accused and defeat justice: and
herein is it not justified. 70 anticipate the
award of the courts in case under adjudication,
and conyicting Of guilt upon the strength of ru-
NOR, 10 hold up the offender to the severest pri-
yate and official condemnation, seems to us hard
y fair; and when, upon the same reliable au-
thority, the imputation is added that wealthy
and influential friends are endeavoring TO screen
the guilty parties, the assumption smacks Of
positive discourteSy. The Free Press must have
better insight into this case than we enjoy, and
better than appears from its article, to warrant
such forestalling of the Judicial decision or such
gratultous impertinence to certain of our citi-
zens.
The Messenger goes before it is sent. Ina
recent article we had the ..impertinence. -
and ''discourtesy," to allude to the recent
seizure of coal oil distillcry and arrest of
an assistant assessor, in st. Adams. We |
yentured in that connection to say that lit
"would not be strange" if such man as the
assistant assessor was reputed to be. should .
have wealthy and influential friends, and that
wealth and influence might be brought to
shield the parties implicated We carefully
avoided personal allusion, and as expressly
disclaimed any personal motive. We didnot
assert that the assessor had any friends: we
did not intimate that if he had. they were to
be found in S. 4Hans but we walked up
the St. Adams Messenger, which takes up the
cudgels with tc,tiness which does thous-
and fold more to point suspicion than our
gentle and general illusions could possibly
do.
The NcsHg,r made mo- allusion to the
seizure and arrest. though they occurred un-
der its nose and occasioned great excitement
in St. Adams. ,in after the Burlington paper,
had given the facts to the public. 1t is now
much disturbed because public attention has
beer further called to the matter. and indi-
cafes in divers elegant phrases, that it consiI-
er- our effort to direct a wholesome public
upon the case, exceedingly oficious
and uncaIlei for. In this the pr,prietlr- Of
the coal oil works and the assistant assessor
undoubtedly agree with the WsoHq.r.
We have also. it seems. been guilty of
'gratuitou- impertinence To certain of our
(stx xAlban-) citizens" But the FEar Pass
hasSaid nothing about any St Nbau- citi-
lens except the men who by the -oFcious
and uncalled for action of the Collector, and
L. :. Marshal. are now under heavy bonds To-
answer for alleged grave misdcmeanors. Nav
more, in some remarks appended TO the note
Of Collector Crane communication intend
I'd in fact rather o. correc, certain rumors
lhoot, ,han to rebut any proper Inference
from our article-we especially discaimcd
reference to the citizens of s.. Adams as a
class.
VIII the Msoag.- please state who the
certain Of our citizens" are. to whom the
FREE Pass has been imIertinent.
The uss,nger proceeds to quote approv-
ingly almost the whole of Collector Cranes
note. Why was our ncishbor sosmall. as
to leave out the little opening sentence, which
pronounced our article to be timely and aI-
-
Perhaps this ought not to surprise US but
wemayhe allowed to oexrre-s oursurpri>e at the
use to which our worthy friends Of the Ms
sHglr seem willing to allow themselves to be
put. in this matter. If our surIuise that the
parties implicated might have the protection
of wealthy and influential friends was .. H0,
justified before, it is pretty well iusti-
fed now, when SO well to do and influential a
Journal as the Mseeng1 exhibits such SEN
over a simple demand that Justice
shall be done in the case