New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-06-04
QuarrelSOlne Downing.

We give place this week to letter from
Quarrelsome Downing. 1t will be seen that
he says nothing more than we have already
given him space to publish. He gives, over
his own signature, publicity to the ISLANDERS
against us, which, before we dashed him into
it, he gave out sneakingly, when we were
not present. George T. Downing has no just
complaint against us. In the matter in con-
troversy Mr.. Downing had his say, as any
one who read ERA at the time will remember.
And then, as we thought, the controversy
would end. Not satisfied, however, George
T. Downing wrote and had published in Our
National Progress a base attack on the con-
ductors of the ERA, to which we replied and
exhibited George T. Downing as he is. He
after the lapse of more than month, at
tempts to reply to us. The public will Judge
how successfully, when reading his ill-tem-
pered letter. 1t will be seen that Mr.. Down
ing chooses to ignore the charges of duplicity
used in seeking the appointment Of caterer
to the House of Representatives charges
| which were implied by our questions in our
issue Of April 30. We gave him opportunity
| to deny them, his silence is a confession of
of their truthfulness. He confines himself
to abuse Of J. Sella Martin. Processes to
have discovered something bad in Mr.. Mar
tins characters Now we know that up to
the time Mr.. Martin failed to agree with Mr..
Downing on question affecting the highest
interests of the ..colOred people, Mr.. Down
in pntn r1x in H. I'D,
character, but was very glad to use Mr.. Mar
tins thoughts and ideas as his own. AS
with Mr.. Martin, so with the ERA. Failing
to be able to use the ERA, he ISLANDERS its
conductors. Like the drunkard who imagines
every other person drunk and himself sober,
Mr.. Downing imagines that our course is
shaped from sordid motives, ..as was his when
cringing and fawning before, and upon, men,
bers of Congress, begging Republicans in one
tone and Democrats in another and very diff
ferent one, to restore to him the restaurant
which had been taken from him, probably
because Of his cOnceited attempts to instruct
members of Congress as to their duty. His
statement that we are dependent upon Mr..
Martin for brains or money, is wholly false.
MIR. Downing justiiies himself for writing the
falsehOOd in a manner the most absurd.
'He had right to expect that we would, on
resuming our editorial chair, have intimated
that we had not charge of the columns"
etc. And because we did not intimate what
we were not conceited enough to think any
one cared to know, Mr.. Downing sits down
and wastes ink and paper IN writing false
hoods about us. Bah! Mr.. Downing, you
have our pity.
That the ERA has to struggle for existence
is true, but that its conductors are under any
such obligations to Mr.. Martin or to any one
else, as are implied or charged by Mr.. Down
ing's exercise of his imagination, is false.
Resort TO false statements and malicious
to plan in which the care of large sums of
money is involved, only tends to direct sus-
l,icion against che motives of such one who
meets argument in no other way. And if
Mr.. Downing in his unwarrantable assault
upon us, and his coarse personalities toward
Mr.. Martin has invited suspicion against his
motives, aud the cause which he processes to
have at heart, is impaired thereby Mr..
Downing can blame no one more than him
self. Not only Mr.. DOwning's matchless
conceit, but his ungOvernable temper have
led him into this quarrel. Having given Mr..
Downing another hearing, the opportunity
for which he has only improved by giving a
rehash Of what he some weeks ago offered,
we leave the pitiable exhibition of vanity
and passion, to whine in the future to his
hearts content. He is fully understood in
this community, and in fair meeting of the
friends of a monument to Mr.. Sumner, would
be overwhelmingly rcpudiated as an insuffer-
able bore and quarrelsome mischief-maker.