Middletown transcript., 1869-03-06
r1zE cnc1L DxnocnAr.

= n'a journal WAS recently enlarged ana
made its appearance in . handsome new
dress In tho irst number of the enlarg-
Cd series the editor made some reference
70 the condition Of the paper al tho close
Of Tie vsr, and also to ourself as its for
mer editor, which cannot bc permitted 10
pass unnoticed, The exceptional Language
to which we refer Is embraced in the sub
joined extract
Only those who have tried the experiment can
form any approximate estimate Of the difficulties
and trials and dangers which beset the effort to
the dark days Of the late war. With inobs al
ways q hand % tear out the printing material
and sack the Office or murder the editor or with
bastile yawning to receive the unconscious often
der against some law never promulged, the won-
der Is that any paper survived. The Punishment
OF the editors Of the Easton Star, the Kent Coun-
" Conseryator, and the Frederick Citizen the
pilage and destruction Of the Hagerstown Maii,
| and the murder Of the editor Of the Westminster
| Democrat, furnish some slight evidence of the
trials and perils Democratic editor had to con-
tend against. With patronage almost entirely
| lost and only few faithful friends to stand at
the breach 1t 10 wonderful that any lived through
It. Nothing but the rigid economy and almost
timid forbearance of Mr.. yanderford ever availed
| to maintain this journal When the war closed
he retired, disgusted with sphere that had
brought him only indignity and modification,
It's duties. Since then the work of recovering its
energies and developing its resources, has been
labor of unending solicitude."
When the above extract first met our
eye, its drift and purport filled us with
astonishment. After eyincing the ability
to make some " approximate estimate Of
the difficulties and trials and dangers which
besct the effort to conduct democratic
paper during the dark days of the late
war" the editor was nevertheless pleased
to characterize our course of management
Of that journal as one Of almost tinid
forbcarance." The purport of this Lam
guage cannot be misunderstood. We arc
charged, qualifedly, to be sure, with tim
idity-in not Drawing the power of the
goyernment-in not melting an unrestrai-
ned soldiery to sack our Office or to inn
pale our person upon the points Of their
bayonets. A man of generous impulses
and true manliness, with proper appre-
citation Of the difficulties of the situation,
might have ascribed our course to some
other quality than that Of timidity. He
might have ascribed it to prudence or
discretion for certainly there never was
a time when there was greater need for
the exercise of those virtues, when con-
trary course would have been simple fool
hardness, and would have brought down
upon us swift and sure destruction. It
may readily be supposed, that in those
"dark days of the late war;" we did not
fail to counsel with men of ripe judgment
and Of mature wisdom; and it is a source
Of satisfaction to know that our course re-
ceived their sanction as well as the appro-
val Of all such, who took cognizance of it.
Thrice was our Office marked for assault
and destruction, and as often was it
armed for defence. A I" timid" man
would hardly have made his preparations
for defence, and resolved to repel force
with force, in the face of such odds against
him.
Although we were upon the record as
opposed to secession, because We did not
believe it to be the right remedy for the
evils complained of, and because we be-
lieved it to be a virtual abandonment of
every principle involved in the contest, in
effect, (and events have proved that we
were right yet, we were classed as
secessionist, because we would not shout
| p@ans to Abraham Lincoln and sanction
every measure of the war. We maintain
ed our position, however. and we main
tained our journal, despite all the adverse
circumstances by which VIC were surroun-
ded; and we retired from our lifelong
profession only because of long cherish
ed desire to engage in the pursuits of ag-
riculture. We had no ground for "mor-
tifcation," therefore we experienced none;
we submitted to no ''indignity" then, nor
are we disposed to submit to any now.
The foregoing extract is also calculated
to mislead its readers as to the condition
Of the Office at the close of the war. Be-
fore the war the circulation Of the paper
rose to nine hundred; it never fell below
six hundred, and at the time We parted
with it. the Office never enjoyed a more
flourishing jobbing and advertising patron
ago. The reader will perceive, therefore,
how utterly gratuitous was Mr.. Cruik-
shank's assertion that we " retired, dis
gusted with sphere that had brought us
only indignity and modification. The
gentleman drew upon his Imagination en-
tireiy when he penned that sentence.
Evaru nau~r~..,~