Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-12-23

ilIuSt lt'IiCSt YOU W tlSCOllllIuc Scuu-
ing me the Progress from this date.
Yours respectfully,
\. T. GoSuoRN.
OFFICE PROGRESS
PHILADELPHIA, Pa, Dec. II, 80.
Hon 4. T. G0shorR, Cincinnati:
MY DEAR SIR: The right to stop a
newspaper is like the right to breathe
Gods air. But with certain other
rights it may sometimes be abused.
So | hold that no man stopping his
paper has n right to give confidential
reasons insulting the editor. Having
gone through this business for more
than generation, | propose to discuss
the question with perfect candor in
this public reply to your letter of the
9th of December, 1880. As the wrong
condemned was deliberate outrage
upon the American people, | claim
the full privilege to justify myself in
denunciation of it.
Twenty-one years ago Jas. Buchan-
an, president of the United States, set
the example to his army Of office
holders by stopping my paper, the
Press, because | conscientiously de-
clared for the freedom of Kansas. |
boldly exposed his prescription to the
people, and with their aid broke down
his administration at the polls. When
! advocated, almost alone among my
contemporaries in Philadelphia, the
movement in favor Of letting the cars
run over our streets on the first day of
the week for the benefit of the labor
ing poor Of this great city, my paper
was stopped by thousands who now 90
to church in the same cars every Sun
day. For that sincere effort | was
> ecsaled by concentrated Gordon of
angry clergymen, one memorable Sab
bath day, calling upon the congrega-
4 tions to stop the Press; and now most
Of these men of God frequently ride to
and from church on Sunday. When,
equally solitary and alone, | pleaded
that the colored people should be al
lowed the use of the same cars, hun
dreds of those who now amably sit
side by side with the negro in thos,
cars, also stopped the Press.
But my last and crowning crime
was that of declaring for General Han
cock for president. One man with
drew his subscription because he de-
clared | was dishonoring the fame of
the dead General Meade, the most OF
the survivors Of whose family voted
in the presidential election for the
living hero of Gettysburg. Another,
who was one of the loudest to applaud
General Hancock in July, 1868, for
his magnificent services to our State
and city, stopped Progress because he
could not train, he said, with the
party which supported Lee in the re.
bellion. Still another discontinued
his paper because the election of Gen
Hancock, in his belief, would be de.
cree against the control of his special
ring in this country. Others, not quite
so bold, waited to see if General Han.
cock could be elected in November
in which event no doubt your name
would still be inscribed on my books
John Welsh was among the list
He, like you, waited for Hancock:
defeat before he aired his anger. In
addition to his note Withdrawing his
name from Progress, he declared thai
he could not stand my theory that the
empire was certain to be successful i
mere money was hereafter permitted
to crush and control free judgment il
this country.
Now | have your letter Of the 6tf
of December. Instead of meeting tho
direct issue-instead of discussing OF
fair grounds the doctrine that there
can be no free untrammeled suffrage
in this country if capital is allowed tC
muzzle conscience and to turn the Ia
boring population into so many white
slaves, you speak of Mr.. Welsh a
zone Of your (my) oldest and bes
friends, than whom there is no one il
Philadel phia who is more esteemed
and respected for the purity Of hi
life"
All of which | freely admit excep
that which relates to the friendship
between Mr.. Welsh and myself Tha
has always been maintained by perfec
independence of all money relation
between US. But if, in this remark
you mean that went abroad unde
his invitation as Centennial commits
sioner, in 1S74-75, please remembe
that, besides doing my duty honestly
according to your records and the pub
lie judgment, spent thousands of dol
lars out of my own pocket, in addtio