Norfolk day book. [volume] (Norfolk and Portsmouth Va.) 1868-1880, 1869-06-01
THE PETERSBURG EXPRESS.

l.
This paper appears 10 have pursued
a course lately which has totally worn
out the patience of Gen. Malone, who
has ordered ces ;ation of the patronage
of the railroads of which he is President
from its ADVERT ing columns Col.
Joseph ?. Minetree, the Petersburg
agent of the Roads, makes the follow
ing statement i'll regard to this matter,
which we copy from the Petersburg
Express of the 10Th inst {:
COL. MGNETREE' $ STATEMENT.
stated to Mr.. L. Jefferson Clark the
managing editor of the Petersburg Daily
Express, substantially as follows:
That | was directed by General Ma
hone to discontinue all notices in the
Express on &C, cunt of either Of the rail-
roads under his control; to forbid their
continuance, either gratutlously or 9TH
crwise. That it was his desire that no
allusion or menion be made in the Ex-
press of him OF any of the railroads un-
der his charge; that he wished no praises
or criticism at the hands of the editor,
and that he should treat either as per-
sonal.
| also stated that he was at liberty to
publish this conversation for the benefit
OF Governor Wells.
JOSEPH ?. MlNETREE.
Petersburg, May 2Stb, 1869.
Possibly the following article, which
we copy from the Petersburg Index Of
the same day may throw sufficient light
on this subject in regard to the course
Gen. Malone has thought proper &c
pursue in these premises:
NEWSPAPER INFLUENCE.
We are rejoiced to believe that there
are few conductors of established jour.
mails in this State who would wilfully
swerve from the truth in order to gain
point. But correspondents frequent.
ly have no scruples, and sacrifice any
consideration of strict voracity to con.
tribute coloring to the views which
their papers support. While the Elk
press is proverbally scrupulous, We
fear that its Richmond correspondent is
not SO hampered. He is gaining rather
an enviable notoriety for anything else
but painstaking accuracy
In the first place, we are authorized
to say that bis statement, that Gen
| Malone has contributed a Thousand
dollars to tire fund of the Walker
| Committee, is manufactured out OF thu
whole cloth. This denial is made will
no purpose to conceal, nor to apologize
for General Mahone's political prefer
ence.
Secondly, in this writer's letter t.
tie Express, published yesterday morn
ing, we dnd the following: at (h'
WaIliet meetlng) was q forced and I'm
natural affair throughout. ST " It
The speeches did no good but to relieve
the speakers of their Gao ethics loquen-
di. The speeches were undoubtedly
good, but fell upon ears that cared not
for eloquence. The Richmond press
gives an entirely different account O.
the affalr-representing it to have beer
large and enthusiastic. The writer o.
this was present during portion of the
proceedings, and knows that Col. Walk
er was received with hearty applause
Col. Andrew Hunter, of Jefferson, who
is probably as good authority as this
correspondence said in our presence tina
he had not seen 50 sympathetic ant
earnest an asssmblaee since DAME
Webster spoke from the same steps o
the capitol in 1910.
We advise this ardent imaginator to
restrain his fancy and pay little more
attention to fact He will avoid then
such unpleasant contretemps AS having
to swallow the lie direct from the State
Journal, and of receiving such mil(
correctione as this from more forbear
ing presses.