Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1880-03-26
The County Censor.

Mr.. Editor BESIDES having decided, posi-
tive objections to sitting quietly by whilst my
Heighbors and very good friends are being
publicly condemned and reviled-whether by
a resident of the county or some other place
| have grave doubts Of the power for good in
such methods. They help neither the reviler
nor the revied, and of necessity must proceed
from bad to worse. Differing in degree, tLey
are precisely like, in kind, the repressive meas
ures recently had by the autocrat of Russia.
Exciting the anger of the reviled, and pres
emily their contempt for the reviler, they act
and react upon him, until presently he can
find nothing right and nothing good in all
the world save what lie centered in himself
alone, and he becomes his own idol. There
is, therefore, no worse habit for man to fall
into than that of fault-fnding and scoldng.
In letter published by you some two years
since and signed "A. B. Davis" there occur
red for him this unfortunate sentence "The
hope Of reward or fear OF punishment are the
governing influences which control human
nature as we find it" &c. Having assumed
the censorship of the county, he can hardly
hope to escape the consequences of his own
philosophical (2) conclusion, and yet claim 10
be OF the human race. What chopped for re-
ward" or what cleared punishment has
controlled" him in his long-continued con-
Jennings and revilings2 From publicly con-
temning and reviling each and every county
official, he has come now quite naturally, to
include, by implication and insinuation, pretty
much every citizen in the county, as thus in
his last letter can we ask is that all con-
nected with public schools) whether as pat
rons, teachers, trustees, taxpayers, (ah y,
tax-collectors or critics, shall come up 10 the
requirements of the law" &c, implying
thereby that none of these have done so here
tofore, and equally implying that he has, and
that by continuing him in office we shall have
a sort of Aristei0es to rule over US. As the
chopped for reward for saying this, and SO
much more in former letters, does not appear,
neither the cleared punishment for leaving
this and the Other unsaid, it would seem that
there is some other governing influence
at least for him. Especially does il seem Sc
since the citizens ofthe county have repeatedly
refused to elect him to office.
In his reply to ar. L. Herche," who ac-
cuses him of favoring 90 free education only in a
curtdiled and restricted form; and of bold ana
Out-spoten opposition 10 the Normal School,
he nowhere denies either accusation, but sim
| ply evades the questions by telling what he
did in the Reform Convention" of 1850
Are We to hear forever from himself, Of what
he did years ago2 As ''the hope of reward
or fear of punishment are the governing inhu
ences which control human nature it is easy
enough to find reasons for his actions thirty
years ago hope of increased popularity
speedy political advancement, &c. Is tina
governing influence" still al work AND
does he think to help it forward by holding
an Office against the popular will Or is thu
possession of This Office, in defiance of the pop
ular will, the "height OF his ambilion2 p"
There are other more powerful motives in th
world than hope and fear--for some people
| hand it over for the people to consider
N..B.