Litchfield enquirer., 1871-10-12
The Sentinel.

The Sentinel.
 The editor of the Sentinel continues to rage about our article regarding bis nomi' nation for the townclerkship. He has not even recovered his temper sufficiently to recollect that blackguard attacks and indis- criminate charges of lying on the part of one editor against another are about the most disreputable form of personal abuse extant. New England journalists cannot shoot at each other without being put in the penetentiary; nor can they sue for libel, after the manner of Clark vs. Humphrey, or collide, like Slurk and Pott, without be. coming exceedingly ridiculous. Gentle men connected with the press. in New Eng land at least, naturally avoid, therefore, the language of gross insult toward each other, since it can only disgrace those using it.
 Returning from the manner to the mat ter of the Sentinel complaints, they seem to be three, and we will answer them several ly:
 l. Our terming the editor of that paper "recent immigrant from Cornwall" at the time of his unsuccessful application to the selectmen for the townclerkship, last year.
 Here our justification is easy and com. plete. He was resident of Cornwall up to Oct 1870, voting at their town election in that month. He then removed his resi-. dence to Litchfield and within seven weeks had applied for the townclerkship, which was as speedy settling down to business, as could have been expected of a ''recent immigrant.
 2. Our chasing the editor of the Sentine as Republican.
 That gentleman will hardly deny that he was Republican during the war; that he went to the legislature as Republican in 1866; that for sometime after he was an editor of Republican paper; and that he voted for Grant in 1868. Nor can he deny that, though somewhat of variable political quantity during the years '67 and '6S. he was ready on opportunity to edit Republican paper. Till, therefore, his political predelictions were wholly overshadowed by his personal interest upon his purchase of the Sentinel, we think any one familiar with his record would have classed him as Re. publican rather than Q democrat. Have his political views really changed since he begun to edit the Sentinel? We see no req son to believe that they have. His edito. rial style is not that of one who has any faith in the cause he advocates, but that o1 hired pettifogger who has 80 little conf. dence in the merits of his case that he spends his time in abuse of the opposite party, his counsel and witnesses. His con. tempt for Democracy is constantly appear ing unawares. In his last issue he speaks of Douglass democrat as Ca copper fast sened democrat, who believed slavery to be divine institution and doubted if negroes had souls." Now we submit that the per son who penned that islander is not only 6 Republican but a Republican whose ignor ance and prejudice it will take vast dea of Democratic whitewash to disguise. But the strongest proof of the political insincer ity of the editor of the Sentinel, to ou, mind, is to be found in the frightful blun der he has made in his underestimate o the taste and intelligence of the audienc, he addresses. He has done his subscriber, the injustice of supposing that they deligh not only in the villifcation of political op popents, but in the low abuse of neighbors in attacks upon all moral enterprises, 1T the perusal of the indecent particulars O. criminal trials, and in such other journalis tic indecencies as the editor of the Sentine would never have thought of publishing a editor of the Bridgeport Standard. Nov while it is true that there are many Demo crats who do not read and write, many wht haunt low rum shops and talk the vile tall prevalent therein, those who take, pay for and read newspapers. are of altogether to' high grade of intelligence to be satisfied with such fare as the Sentinel weekly set before them. If the editor of that pape doubts the correctness of our view let hin compare his present subscription list witl that of the Sentinel when he took it, and W think he will be convinced.
 8. Our speaking of the editor of the Ser tinel, in public and private. in connection with the nomination for the townclerk ship.
 After that gentleman's application fo the appointment. in November last, W naturally supposed his name would com before the Democratic caucus of the 30tl ult. We never imagined that the advers action of the board of selectmen had no only postponed but indefinitely postpone,