Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1880-03-27
TO MIR. ID. F. Wallg

You say Iseem exceedingly anxious to ihl
duce somebody to step on my coat tail, In
this assertion you are far from the truth
The trouble is yop have been on my coat
tail in two instances by willfully mssrepre-
senting the STANDARD while it was under
my administration, and thus attempting to
prejudice the public against it in order to
get them to withheld their patronage from
it. The first instance was in your issue of
Jan. 2Sth, where you copy from the STAND.
ARD small local item in reference to the
disbandment of the Grange organization in
this county land which was written by DR..
Paine, former editor of the paper and place
itin juxtaposition with another item (Which
was clipped from an exchange and publish.
ed in the STANDARD y which showed the evil
effects upon the Democratic party through
out the nation, of the demoralizing doctrine
of reputation which you and others were
preaching. You placed them together in
,.yonr columns and tried TO make the impress
sion that the STANDARD classed the Grang-
ers and repudiators in the same category,
when you knew nothing of the kind was in
tended.
The next time you were on my coat tail
was when you said:
ave presume the STANDARD thinks 1t all
right to call the low-tax party 'repudiation-
ists,' dishonest fools and all manner OF
billingsgate," &c.
In this you tried to make the impression
that theSTANDARD, under my administration,
had abused the low-tax party, as you call it,
and used such epithets as the above, in ref.
erence to it, when you knew the STANDARD
had done nothing of the kind.
You ask me what l mean when said
'Has the Era become so demoralized with
the infamous doctrine of repudiation that il
cannot tolerate the opinions of those who
favor honesty in the discharge OF just debts. u
meant this: You had willfully missrep
resented the STANDARD and tried to preju
dice the public against it until desired tc
know if you had become $50 demoralized" by
reputation that you could not allow a word
said in favor of paying honest debts, and
hence asked the question, and you have MOI
had the manliness to answer it. 1t depends
upon how you answer the question as t
whether apply the epithet to you or not
And in case / should have to apply it t,
you, |, by no means, intend to apply it t,
those you call the "low-tax party" the mos
of whom are honest and are in favor Of pay
ing honest debts if not misled by your falls
doctrine.
You say you believe l edited high.ta
State credit. paper at Jasper, Tenn, durin
the 50.4 canvass, and that the Clevelan
Banner accused me of being Gepublica
in disguise. Yes, did edit State credi
paper (minus the high-tax, which is misnC
mer, and is always stuck in by you to give
false coloring to every body who happens
, favor honesty in the discharge of public oil
ligations) there and advocated the 50-4 meas
ure, and when the election came round
didn't turn traitor and vote against it.
The charge of the Banner was made q yea
previous to the 5O-4 canvass. denounce
it as a malicious taLSehood, which was admit
: ted by the writer by his failure to produc
the proof to establish the charge. hav
the same answer TO make to you or anybod
else who may wish to repeat the charge.
Now let me say to you, don't go int
spasms because dared to come to McMinr
vile and set up another paper-try TO coo
off before the dog days come or you nigh
work yourself into bad case of hydrophc
= bia and then the whole community would b
under tie necessity of quarantiaing again.
you. Respectfully,
r. P. BAKER.