The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-12-04
The News and Its Defamers.

The systematic way IN WHICH ni
CHARLESTON NEWS has been slandered, o
late. nv certain Radical politicians, warrants
q reference to the charges growing out oil ltE
refusal to support The malcontent Radicals
who organized q bolt in the State canvass.
Long before the State Radical Convention
was called together it was evident that the
Democrats or Conservatives desired to avoid
the complications likely to attend the noml'
nation by them OF q full State ticket. In
view OF the protestations OF the Radicals
and their own numerical weakness, the
Conservatives thought proper to avoid State
nominations, and pursue in each county the
policy deemed best calculated to secure the
largest measure OF legislative and local re-
form. This view was concurred in by The
News. and no State nominations were made.
Tn course of time the Radicals held their
convention and nominated o State ticket,
which certainly was very Objectionable to
the Conservatives. A few Radicals bolted,
and, in turn, held their convention and
nominated their candidates. These were for
the most part the puppets OF the bold mallg-
nauts who stood behind the scenes-more
dangerous to this people than thrice their
number OF mere public plunderers. H
NEWS at once advised that the Conservatives
should vote for neither the Regular ticket
nor the Betting ticket, except where o tem-
porary alliance with one or the other faction
held out the hope OF obtaining some change
for,he better in the character OF local officers.
At the same time it expressed the belief that
| the Regulars were quite as honest as the can't
ing Boilers: that they were as much in earn
est; that they were Of necessity more IN ac-
cord with the people, and were, for that rea-
SOD, the more likely to be influenced by con-
servative opinion in their conduct Of public
affairs. This view was manifestly in conso-
nance with public sentiment, inasmuch as
the Conservatives, where no local considera-
tions interviewed, very generally abstained
from voting "a State ticket Throughout the
canvass The NEWS wes frank and out
spoken, exercising, as it means always to do,
it's right OF independent thought and indie
pendent action.
The course OF The NEWS was a bitter pill
for the Boilers to swallow. 1t sealed their
fate. Imputing to this journal the motives
with which they themselves were most
familiar, they instantly accused it OF having
ssold out" to the Regular Radicals. In
plain words, it was charged that TIE NEWS
had been bought, In both the State and
County canvass; the main consideration, as
alleged, being, In the one case, the promise
| OF The sherif's advertising, and, In the other,
the appointment as county advertiser and
an exorbitant and fraudulent price for the
advertising OF the laws Of the last session.
The answer to these charges Is: That The
News has always had tho sherifrs advertis-
ing, in question, under every administration,
for the sufficient reason that this paper has
a far larger circulation than any other news
paper published in this county or State;
that the appointment as county printer was
given to TIE NEWS without the solicitation,
or expectation, or previous knowledge Of
its proprietors; that the price TO be paid
for printing the laws in THE News was fixed
by contract many months before either Reg
ulars or Boilers were in the field, and Is
actually about half the rate paid by pri-
yate advertisers for similar work. 1t Is
oitentimes the lot Of vigorous and indepen-
dent newspapers to be accused OF corrup-
ton; and it had not been our custom to
give the words OF the common slanderer any
Fictitious weight by condescending to con-
tradict them. In this case, however, the
charges were 80 siugularly circumstantial
that we resolved to ferret out their author.
That being done, their animus would be ap-
parent. The Investigation set afoot by HE
NEWS is at an end, and that investigation
has demonstrated the fact Thai the lmputa-
lions upon It's fair fame, were the invention
OF the Boilers, based upon no better evil
dence than idle gossip and conjecture. They
were smarting under their utter and we'll
deserved defeat. They dared not arraign
the Conservative masses who had silently
repudiated them. So they sought to vent
their impotent spleen upon The NEWS VIII