Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1875-08-07
/" Railroad Policy"

MEssRs. EUIToRs: The gist Of our ccrtro-
ycrsv arose from the query by the Shep-
herlstown Register" whether or not, the
"Charlestown papers had been requested,
aud declined, 70 publish sn article, which had
originally appeared in the " Shenandoah Dem
ocrat and which YOU published, in your pa
per last week, in connection with my reply to
vopr gross and uncalled for attack upon me,
in your paper Of the week previous, under the
above caption.
assert that did present to You the "Clarke
Journal, called your attention to the article
referred to above, requested you 10 publish it,
you declined, which you had a right to do, if
YOU deemed proper you give a reason, rs sta
ted In my article Of last week-I could, how
ever. aScribe to You a different reason, one
which believe more in accordance with truth
and public opinion, viz: DEADHEAD. You
have very arrogantly aScribed TO me, motives
which pronounce false, il needs no, " unman-
~ OF covert" attack to injure you with the
farming community, they are fully competent
TO Judge and decide for themselves, in matters
affecting their true interest.
Should my son engage in journalistic enter
prise which he has right TO DO, If he so Sc
ects, hope, that he may merit whatever pa
tronage and support generous public may
extend to him.
Without any fear Of being ostraciEed, state
my motive, in requesting the article 20 be re-
published Judging from the previous course
Of the B. & o. r. r. Company towards those
communities local freighters,-I believed
the statement set forth in the article true, and
if true-eXceedingly unjust to all parties who
are so situated as to be obliged to submit to
such unfair discrimination, and hoped by get
ting she fact before the people, to arouse their
opposition, and stimulate efforts to render
themselves more independent pay the B.
& Q. r. r. aud every one else; notwithstand
ING your Institutions to the contrary,-fo all
receive Of them, as to your billingsgate, re-
gard that, as do you; experimenting that
shall not, suffer much harm from either.
Your stagger at witicism, is as tlimSy as the
paper it is printed up6n,-the farmers will
Judge for themselves Of the ligament of
Friendship which binds me 20 them, or ra-
Their 10 a proper regard Of our mutual interest
and the paper pay with, is certainly accept
able 70 those with whom | deal, or else they
would not let me have their straws.
john II. SrRDER.
We touched the subscriber to the above card
on his tender loiu, last week, and he comes
back at us quite as eggs-coriatingly as his most
ardent admirers could have anticipated. He
makes many points to the chagrin Of the whole
family Of commas. We publish his Iabored
article rer6atim; as far as our conscience will
allow 81 spella!im, Il paHcuqiim, the latter ct
being a most stupendous and remarkable pro-
ductiou. The article speaks for itself, and the
writer is too well known in this community to
need further introduction at our hands.
Mr.. Stride.'s Inaccuracies of statement are
glazing, bis recollection of our interview faulty
The Shepherdstown Register never made any
queries on the subject at all, as stated above
The " gst of the matter, and that which at
tractcd our notice was, that Mr.. Strider, in
his professed care for the farming interest at
tempted to stab us, employing initials other
than his own at what he supposed an auspi-
cious noment-coincident with the appearance
Of his sons prospectus for a olass-paper He
thought il an available card to play, else why
did he defer it until then q aud above throws
another, in suit,-charging US with being
" dead-head that is, according to his inter
probation, prosti;uting the press for railroad
'avors-the while advocating the interest Of
railroads as against that of hundreds of the
farming community whose homes welcome the
FREE Press weekly An idea silly in its con-
cep,iou. The farmers of Jefferson, as class
jntelliseut-preemineutly sO-cannot be hood
wintei by such intimations, If there are any
so silly as to entertain such notions let them
prescribe Us at once. We do not care about
readers who cannot appreciate our Efforts
We think We can be Just to all classes, but if
the popularity Of the FREE Pass depends up
on wholesale denunciation Of railroads, banks,
&c, simply because they are corporations, or
individuals because they are very rich or very
poor, aud especially at the suggestion Of such
disinterested patriots as Mr.. S, Wen choose to
be unPOPular-yet print our own paper.
There is no such paper in existence as the
Clarke Journal therefore, our attention was
no. called to it. The SheH Democrat article
was a small slip cut from a newspaper aud ia
ken from the pocket book Of Mr. Strider We
only mention these trivial matters to give the
reader some estimate Of the value of his very
concise statements as 10 what occurred be-
tween US.
We don't deal in Hinsy paper, or III
tliusy s;aggers,' eitser,-whatever that in
;eres,iug expression may signify. We confess
iust here we are at our wits end. Flimsy
stagsers % is good For "billingsgate We
yield the palm to our compeer Of the straw
mill-he can deal it out with a more practised
hand. However though averse to personal
controversies, if it needs be that Mr.. Strider
must continue in his grcaaltic ventures-per-
Sis, in flying his kite with our string, we will
air bis reputation to the disgust of all out
doors
Death Of Andrew Johnson.
Fy-prasilpDt and Senator Andrew Johnson