Norfolk day book. [volume] (Norfolk and Portsmouth Va.) 1868-1880, 1869-07-14
A PUERILE EFFORT TO BULLY
THE DAY BOOK.

In keeping with the Bourbon spirit,
an effort was made on Saturday last to
bully the editor of this paper and there
| by keep him from telling the truth on q
public subject, by one OF the proprietors
of newspaper, which some time since,
in controversy with the Norfolk Jour-
nal, announced itself (The Virginianl as
an institution"
We think we are right in our view,
that the editor and proprietors of a
public newspaper are public men, par
ticularly when they embark their news
paper in the discussion of public mat
tiers and take individual action in public
matters themselves. When they do so,
their action is open to public discussion
in the press of the land If fair and
candid statement of their public action
is made public and criticised, we see 40
reason of just complaint on their part
in an individual point of view, as they
have the means at their command of
defending their action before the pub
lie. We have never known men who
possessed the moral courage to brave
public opinion in defense of their public
actions make matter personal which
is purely of public nature, in order to
keep these actions from the knowledge
of the public.
We state these premises, because we
made some structures on the conduct of
the Virginian and its proprietors in re-
gard to tbs recent election, in the COL
umns Of the DAY Book on Saturday
last; on which occasion we were waited
Oh by one of its proprietors- M. Glen
nan, who demonstrated with us and
said we were thereby attacking his
private interests, land left us after making
a THRLAT of what he would do if we
persisted in our conduct.
We find the public sense SO deeply
outraged by the perfdious conduct of
that g institution" that, disregarding
the threat that had been held out to in
timidate us, and possibly urged some
what by that consideration, we came
out again in our yesterdays issue, and
ia treating of the same subject said,
" the owners, managers and employees
Of which seem to have carried out its
teachings at the polls. by scratching
Walker and voting against the Consti-
tuition" Now, if what we said about
them on Saturday was not true, they
could easily have denied it, as we did
not state it as fact but only as street
assertion, and their denial would have
been satisfactory. But no, the plan is
to bully and intimidate, by blackguard-
ism, in stigmatizing their opponents
with vile epithets.
We'll, on the appearance of the ar
ticle on the same subject yesterday
morning, this individual, M. Glennan,
again called in our Office, this time
along with a friend. He was appar-
emily in great rage, and during his
rawlings asserted that --, a member
of his institution" "DID SCRATCH Mr..
WALKER NAME FROM THE TICKET and
voted against the Constitution, and if
any other member of the firm did 80,
HE DID NOT KNOW IT." thereby admit
ting the entire truth of our statement,
except as to betting on Wells" which
Major Milligan, the lucky winner, can
substantiate.
We use the term "perfdious con-
duct" because we have heard the Gin
stitution" was waited on some time be-
fore the election and demonstrated with
by number of gentlemen about their
,ourss in opposing the dearest interests
If the white people of our city and
State, on which occasion, it is also said,
hey, Tor some one for them,) promised
o desist in few days, and before the