Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1871-10-06
pulltiral.
"CUR OWN TOME"

! "CuR wv N IOME.
,Scathttng RcJuke to the Baltimore Amer
team Our OtCn Tome Painted Beau
tituNy-Cmnning. Avarice, Wiferacy
nuke up this Great Man-Hs Negro
Record-Pass Him around.
We clip from the Cecil Democrat the
following scathng rebuke to the Radical
organ in Baltimore city, and charming
expose of the immaculate Tome.
1t appears that the Democrat made the
following charge against Tome, to which
the American attempts reply:
"Known before as Christian, conservator
and philanthropist, the builder of churches to
"the unknown God" the hasty vender OF
slaves before Radicalism could destroy the
market, and the exacter of usury from the
needy and troubled, he is now about to put
on the robe of the martyr, and appeal to the
congregations of churches he has builded, to
the ex-saves whom he did not sell because he
did not own them, and to the heads of fami-
lies of whom he has not exacted more than
eighteen per cent. on first mortgage, to save
him from the wrath to come. Well u.ay the
people of Cecil admire the sublime GOODNESS
aud the heroic fortitude of our own Tome
The following embraces all the items of
defence made by the american;
"Mr. Tome has constructed, at bis own ex-
pense, two Methodist Churches 10 Cecil coun-
ty, the last ole costing over 500, 900, which
he is now completing, and we are told they
are dedicated "to the unknown God.'"
"Thcn he has built two school houses, be-
lieving that education is the buwark of the
strength and the purity of the nation"
The Democrat tells US that 'he las never
exacted more than eighteen per cent from
the heads of families, but we are not told how
much less.'
"He has given it railroads, mills, manufac-
tories and has given helping hand to all who
showed disposition to help themselves"
elf the editor of the Democrat has not NOR
tally, mentally or pecunarily proftted there
by, it is no fault of Mr. Tome, who has fur
nis:ed him with an opportunity to listen to
stated preaching and will. on application,
give him the free use of desk in one of his
school houses"
The Democrat, in repl lying, says:
-"As the best defence and most exalted eu-
logy of Our Own that the chief of his stipen-
diaries can get up we give the above from
the Baltimore american, whose editor was in
duced to retire from the contest for Guberna-
t'rial nomination by the weight of Mr.. Tones
money-bags.
There is so much that is puerile and SO
much more that is stupid in the structures
contained in the above, that one would natu-
rally conclude the best thug the builder of
school houses" could do with his spare change
would be to erect one in Baltimore for the
special instruction of editors for the american.
There is 50 much that is utterly without foun-.
tlation in the record it makes of Mr.. Tones
benefactions, that an institution for the COR
recton of moral obliquity or pitiable creduli-
ty is quite as necessary. If Mr.. Tome is him
self the author Of the statement that he has
built two churches and two school houses at
his own expense, it shows him capable of a
greater amount of braggadocio than even those
who knew him best could have deemed him
capable of. If the american has gained such
information from outside sources, it has been
shamefuly imposed upon. The people of
Cecil county would like to know the location
of those mythical churches and school houses.
Where are they? Who preach or teach in
them? The school house boast is manufac-
tured of the cloth of imagination. The church
is a half-inished structure, which shows, more
plainly than ought else could, how liberal
impulse was checked before it matured, by
the controlling grasp of stnginess. The peo-
pie of Port Deposit have way of accounting
for the sudden cessation of work on the struc-
ture, is not especially complimentary to the
liberality of the protector. Whatever may
be the motive, certainly the church, begun
years ago, is yet unfinished and the editor of
The Democrat or any other who should 60 to
listen to 'stated preachings" in it, would have
for his companions bats and OWLS the usual
habtants of deserted buildings The other
church be has built is like the school houses
the baseless fabric of boaster's tattle-
That one or both, if built, would be erected
to the "God unknown" to Mr.. Tome, may
not be subject of question. We have Bible
authority for the incapacity of one man to
serve two masters. God and "Mammon" are
each too jealous to admit divided allegiance.
At short distance from the unfinished church
of which MIR. Tome claims to be the builder,
stands another edi6ce ten times more impos-
ing, and vast deal more costly, which was
promptly finished from foundation stone to
turret without giving the bats or the owls an
opportunity to enter. This is the temple de-
voted to "Mammon." Is it doubtful that
| Our Own has chosen which he will serve
But he has given "Cecil county," says the
american, railroads, mills, manufactures,
and has given helping hand to all who
showed disposition to help themselves -
And the american expects its readers to be-
lleve this statement and honor Mr.. Tome as
a benefactor accordingly. Again we ask,
where are they? Does buying the bonds of
railroads at minimum price after he has
purposely refused to help them until they
have reached the depth Of ruin, constitute the
giving of railroads to the county Ifso, then
Mr.. Tones railroad experience is public
benefacton. ALI the "mills and manufacto-
ries" that he has interest in are those covered
by usurious mortgages, or which, by foreclos-
ure. have become his. Is this the style Of