The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1878-03-08
PRECEPr VERSUS PRAC
TICE.
The Editor OF the Ledger as
an 1niured Innocent.

-eous, and dignifed it has been in re-
gard TO the question of county print
ing, and By very shrewd effort of
undertook to prove that
its ''calm and dIspassiOnste'' reasoning
had been answered by 'tscurrility -
its logical statements by "billings-
gate" It's fair arguments by personal
abuse"-and on this kind of showing
it appealed TO an intelligent public to
decide that it had fairly won its case
and was entitled to public sympathy
and approval. Injured innocence was
personified in the form of the editor OF
the Ledger, and the halo of a right
eous martyrdom, for the sake of the
public treasury, shed glow of almost
angelic brightness about his sanity
presence. Other editors might indulge
in slurring inuendoes, in harsh and I'M
justifable language, in mean and I'M
warranted assertions, in reckless
detraction of characterize stood upon
a pedestal far above such vulgar and
malignant arguments. Secure in
the consciousness of his own perfec-
ton, guarded on every side by
the three graces OF Faith, Hope and
Charity-faith in his own immaculate
goodness, hope that he would yet get
the county printing, charity toward
everybody except the wretches who
denied him delinquent tax lists--the
editor of the Ledger gracefully leaned
his marble brow upon his sledge ham
mer fist, and perused his editorial of
Feb. 18th with the conviction that it
was indeed most unanswerable pro-
duction.
But turning back to the Ledger of
Feb. IA, we find an editorial that con-
tains not only the six "pOints" which
he sandwiched into his article of the
18th, but also various other "points"
that his article OF the 18th never re-
ferred to. For instance, he said on
the 18th:
"With the attorney General for an
ally the big-bellied editor of the NEWS
now becomes bellicose"-
Now that's very refined and courteous
language, particularly when used
by the editor of the Ledger, and we
wonder why he didn't sandwich that
into his article of the 18th.
"They (the editors of the NEWS es-
poused the cause of the Commissioners,
and by personal abuse of the editor OF
this paper and misrepresentation
| sought to divert the attention of the
public from the facts in the case and
to perpetuate the steal which for two
years had been perpetrated upon the
county for their benefit. We say a
SteGl--it cannot be more fifty named"
No slurring inueHdoes or personal
abuse there. 1t simply charges the
editors of the NEWS and the couu-
ty commissioners with stealing from
the county treasury. 1t merely stig-
matizes them as thieves. Nothing
vituperative or scurrilous about that,
though it charges them with peni-
Tertiary offence.
| "But be the cost to the county great
or little, the county was robbed of sew
eral hundred dollars all the same, last
year, and the same parties are plan
ming to saCindle the county in the same
way this year."
Here the editors of the NEWS are
also credited by the Ledger with being
robbers and swindlers. Decidedly
kind, courteous, calm, and dispassion-
ate, and clearly illustrating the Ledg-
er's claim to popular sympathy when
it is answered by a "maligna1t on
slaught."
Then after making his six "points, y
the injured innocent closed his high
toned editorial of the 18th as follows:
"With these few stat ements we will
let the subject rest for week, with
the assurance that, whether "ntne-
tenths of the county advertising comes
out of individuals" or not, we propose
to show that the county is bled to the
extent of several hundred dollars 9
year, in this one matter, unnecessarily
and COrruptly."
His undertaking then is to show
that the county is not only "bled,'
unnecessarily, but "corruptly," This
is what we have been waiting for him
TO do, before considering those won
derful SIX "points" and this is how he
did it s'next week"-Feb. 81:
"Newspapers are entitled to no more
consideration at the hands of county
boards than any other class of business
men, and it is disgrace to the pro.
. fessiOn that there are men in it of able
bodies and vigorous minds who are 81
deficient in manly principle as Il
claim, like common pGupers, the spec
ial protection of the State"
: Thieves, robbers, swIndlers, etc.
/ were not sufficiently savory epithet
3 to satisfy the calm and dispassion 1T
feelings which the dis interested and fai
minded editor of the Ledger entertain
toward the editors of the NEWS or o
any other paper which is awarded
4 county printing at legal rates
! He adds the epithet of "paupers," an,
then after some remarkably cheap ad
vice to that kind of an editor who I'D
, vocates the awarding of public print
I ing at legal rates to the paper whic
Y has the largest circulation, winds u
J, his harangue of the 2lst with these deli
q cate inuendoes:
ave would suggest that he Nigh
= SECURE position as clerk on q prsiri
: schooner, or as the engineer of saw
: buck without any prejudice to hi
9 manhood or dignity, but he cannot re
tain these characteristics In the news
t paper business and give such proofs a
e the above of his dependence on publ
e charity for support"
: And the injured INNOCENT who IL
g dulged In all this kind Of slang and "
: tuperation now comes up before th
q confiding public, and displaying hi
s pharisaical robes soiIed and his glas
T house fractured, wants to know
: abuse is argument, and scurrility
. proves anything.
# If we could presume to suggest any
g thing TO our contemporary, it would /
], that the people of Lyon county are tn
; well acquainted with the habits
,. newspaper men to become excited ovt
: the mere personal chickering's whic
d newspapers are apt to indulge in. The
l. can hardly fail to see that upon tn
= very question of public printing, tt