Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-06-21

Lame Specification.
The Messenger favors US with its specifca-
tions of "facts and communications in favor
Of Mr. Barlow which the FREE PRRss has
Suppressed They amount to tirO- one
fact" which may not be fact, and one
''commanication' which was not a commu-
nication.
We quote from the Messenger the sup
pressed fact:
"We have been assured by one of the
leading men of Sheldon that he thereupon
in reply TO a communication from Sheldon,
stating that public opinion in that town IA
vored Mr.. SOwles wrote a note to the FREE
PRES, saying that most people in Sheldon
favored Mr.. Barlow instead of Mr.. Sowles,
ard that the Messenger did correctly repre-
sent public sentiment on this question. The
note was published. but with the part defen-
size Of the Messenger stricken out
We received and published, some months
ago, two communications from Sheldon, one
saying that Sheldon was for Mr.. Sowles,
and another claiming that Sheldon was for
Mr.. Barlow. We condensed each slightly
las every editor often has to do with
eOmmuricatiOns) for publication but we
gave as much space, and as prominent
position lin fact a more prominent one) in
our columns, to the communication in favor
of Mr. BirlOw, as We did to the other. We
do not remember striking out the sentence
20 81 I,,t ,
our offence in the matter appears to have
been the heinous one Of withholding not a
" fact 10 favor of Mr.. Barlow. bat an opin-
ION in favor of the Messenger
Now, as to the suppressed communica-
ton The Messenger says
Rev. Z. ii. Sayles, of Enosburgh, writes
us under date Of June 9th, that as long ago
as June Bird, lie sent the editor of TIE FREE
Pass letter, stating that he graduated at
the University in 1899 (Which ought, GER
tsiIiy. to have secured him a hearing in the
FREE Pass, commenced preaching in Fair
field, where Mr.. Barlow lived in 1910, knew
him intimately and has known him ever
since and knows him to be worthy man,
etc, etc and asked the editor to oblige him
by stating the fact edtorially.
We received a private note from Mr..
Say les, aging that gentleman named,
who is stoutly opposed to Mr. Barlow, had
expressed wish to see an editorial in the
FREE Pass about Mr. Sayles's coming to
this county TO advocate the nomination of
Mr.. Barlow. lie tMr. Sayles) thereupon
proceeded to give some "heads" for the pro-
posed editorial, mentioning divers facts, as
his acquaintance with and friendship for
Mr.. Barlow,-as that he buried Mr.. Barlow's |
mother and was paid ten dollars therefor
aiding that for his present exertions in Mr.. |
Barlow behalf he expected mo further |
compensation than the oiling of the car |
wheels and keeping the hotel men good |
natartd," and closing with the remark |
that if We would construct an edi- |
iorial' on the facts and opinions men
toned, no one would he better pleased |
than he As We had not received from any
other source any request to devote an edi-
torial To Mr.. Styles and as we saw 10 &C.
casiin to construct an editorial on that
doubtless well-neaning bot not overwise
gentleman, jnst to please him, We paid no
attention to his note. We could not pub
lish it, because it was clearly private note,
and We give the Messenger our candid opin-
ion, that if We had done so, it would not
have helped Mr.. Barlow or Mr.. Sayles
particle in the estimation Of any discerning
person, but rather the contrary.
And now Is not the Messenger pretty
hard up, when it makes such tribes the
ground Of a formal Indictment of n con.em-
p prary Tor supprcssing facts and communica-
tion@ III favor Of Mr.. Barlow? What the
Messenger is driving at, in the rest of its
column, about "squirt- Of yitrioI' and dirty
dogs, we do not clearly understand. 1t
has no r,iertnce to US the Messenger ad
mits that the worst We have said about Mr..
Barlow has been copied from its columns
and we need not even refer to it. But we
may express little wonder over the Ms
senger'S obvious and extreme irritation, at
any refusal to jbin in its laudation of Mr.. Bar
1w, or question Of that gentleman's uni
Ter-al popularity l. not this part of free
country? l. the Third District absolutely
nortgaged to Bradley Barlow, before
my convention has met, or nomination been
made? J. not any citizen Who happens to
hink that there are better men than Bar
low in the District t. represent it in Con- A.,
yress, or WHO, moving outside Of the wire ,
oullers and professional politicians, finds 8
,lenty uf honest AID straightforward men
who sgrce with him, entitled to his opinion
nd information, and at liberty to mention
t, without asking permission Of the Nesscn-
,r?
If the MsSsRqer really had strong faith
o the growing favor Of its candidate before =
be people, it strikes us that it would be a
title less touchy, when any doubt of his
uccess is suggested.