The Placer herald., 1874-11-28
sELKrRk RESPONDS.
PLAcERv1LLE. Nov. 20, 1874.

PLAcERvILLE, Nov. 20, 1874.
EDITOR HEnALD:-The Argus of the 7th inst,
in an article commenting on the results OF the
recent elections, uses this language: "The notice
able fact is that the main strength Of the De-
mocracy lies, as Of old, in the Southern States.
| The rebels of the South have a majority of the
Democrats in the present Congress; they can
very nearly count on majority Of the House
| in the next one" In the Mountain Democrat OF
| the 14th traversed these allegations, and in
detail, from official sources, showed that of the
20 Democrats in the Senate of the Add Congress
only seven are from the late Confederate States;
and that of the 80 Democrats in the House only 30
are from those States. l also deduced from the
| late retnrns that not one-third of the newly
| elected Democrats much less ga majority of
| the House" had been elected from those States
as Representatives in the 44th Congress. Thus
| from the highest sources l refuted both OF the
! Argus assertions. / went further and questioned
the good taste or the relevancy of resurrecting
this cry of ''rebel, and these appeals to sectiona
prejudces. as an argument against the party
with which the Representatives elect from those
States sympathize. My article was temperate
throughout. 1t dealt exclusively in facts, figures
and gene raj principles. From beginning to end
there was nothing in it which could possibly
have been distorted into personality aimed at
| the argus or its editor. That paper in its is
sue of the 2lst inst, quotes a sentence allege d
to have been written by me four years ago, and
in two several sentences, in a vilely scurrious
manner, wholly nncalled for and unwarranted
by anything contained in my article, imputes to
the use of money and to merccnary considerations
my change Of opinion and political attitude. l
cannot believe that even the shattered remnant
of the Republican party in Placer county will
endorse this gratuitously insulting styl : Of re-
plying to legitimate and respectful argument
But it compes me to ask the use OF your col
umns to pronounce the backguard itinerant
penny-a-liner who wrote the article, q gross
and deliberate liar. When l left the Repubi-
can party and changed front politically, every
pecuniary consideration prompted opposite
course held, and could unquestionaby have
retained all of the official patronage, at remuner-
ative prices. l had a satisfactorily lucrative
general patronage. / held an enviable position
| OF commanding influence in the dominant party.
II |, with the Stars and Stripes, had been willing
to accept the role of doclity, and had submitted
to ring dictation, and would have been the base
panderer to the railroad lords which its imported
| Illinois editor has made of the argus, / could
have commanded more money than all the pa
| pers in Placer and FL Dorado counties would
sell for. But I, with my eyes wide open,
clearly foreseeing the storm OF traducton to
which would be subjected, with hardly liy-
ing hope of escape from pecuniary ruin, chose
to leave the old party which l, as much as any
other man in Placer county, had aided to organ
ize and build up, and had the hardihood to go
over to the jeered opposition, the moneyless
minority Such being the facts OF the case, |
submit that l am fully justified in using the
above rough epithet, for all that it implies, when
accused of mercenary motives by such vcrmin
as this hireling editorial tramp Of the argus,
As to the sentence which he quotes as having
been written lS me in 1870. it might have been
applicable then, and inapplicable now; but as
he saws that he truGged through the South with
m lsket on his shoulder. l think it quite prob.-
bic that my opinions of 1870 were wrong then
| having been deceived about the sentiment Of
that section by lying reports from just such
malevolent wheps and wandering vagabonds rs
| he appears TO be- Cornered and confuted by
nlo as to his declarations in the argus Of the 7tb
inst, he in his last issue resorts TO the dodge of
classifying Missouri, Maryland and Kentucky
in his list of tabooed ''rebel'' States. On that
| point reply to him in the next issue of the
| Democrat anaying historical records against the
testimony OF this musket bear ng ''trudger," " and
| tiatter myself that you will find my article
worthy Of reproduction in the HERALD
Yours Respectfully, w. A. SELKIRK.