Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1881-01-05
OFFIOE "PRoGREss.n

non. a. Il, UOSNOIN, CtHCtnHdU 4,
My DEAR SIR The right 10 stop a
newspaper is like the right to breathe
Gods free air. But with certain other
rights il may sometimes be abused So
| hold that no man stopping bis paper
has a right to give confidential reasons
for insulting the editor Having gone
through this business for more than q
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 a deliberate outrage
upon the American people, | claim the
full privilege to Justify myself in de.
nunciation of it.
Twenty-one years ago james Bu.
cbanan, President OF the United States,
set the example to bis army of Office
holders by stopping my paper, the
Press, because | eonscientiously 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 no " go
to church in the same cars every Sun
day. For that sincere effort ! was as.
sailed by concentrated Gordon of an.
cry clergymeD, one memorable Sabbath
day, calling upon their congregations
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
allowed the use Of the same cars, hun.
dreds of those who now amiably sit
side by side with the negro in these
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 Gen.
Hancock in July, 1863, for bis magnifi-
cent services to our great State and
city, stopped Progress because he could
not train, he said, with q party which
supported Lee in the rebellion. Still
another disco ntinued his paper because
the election Of General Hancock, in his
belief, would be decree against the
control of his special ring in this eoun.
try. Others, not quite so bold, waited
to see if General Hancock could be
elected in November, in which event
no doubt your name wonld still be in.
scribed on my books.
John Welsh was among this list. He,
like you, waited for Hancock's defeat
before he aired his anger. In addition
to his note Withdrawing his name from
Progress, he declared that he could not
stand my theory that the Empire was
certain to be successful il mere money
was hereafter permitted to crush anG
control free judgment in this country.
Now ! have your letter of the 9th
Of December. Instead of meeting the
direct issue-instead of discussing on
fair grounds the doctrine that there
can be no free untrammeled suffrage
in this country if capital is allowed to
muzzle conscience and to turn the labor
ing population into so many white
slaves, you speak of Mr.. Welsh as zone
of your (my) Oldest and best friends
than whom there is no one in Phila-
delphia who is more esteemed and
respected for the purity OF his life"
All of which | freely admit except
that which relates TO the friendship
between Mr.. Welsh and myself. That
has always been maintained by perfec:
independence of all money relations
between us. But II, in this remark,
you mean that ! went abroad under
bis invitation as Centennial Commits.
sioner, in lS7i-ls75, please remember
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 addition
to the two hundred and fifty dollars
a month allowed by the Finance Com
mittee. SO much for that. 1t is be.
cause Mr., Welsh is precisely what you
say be is, because he is 30 good man,
because bis lie heretofore has been q
model, because Of the purity of that
lie Virtues you claim for him, and |
concede) that fatal force was given
to his secret application for the money
of the millionaires to buy a man into
the Presidency, convicted by the Re.
publican party Of the United States OF
brazen corruption in the American
Congress.
The purity Of John Welshs life made
tho impurity Of that example more ter.
rible. Until he signed the monstrous
circular Of the 18th Of September, 1880,
General Hancock was the foreordained
President Of the United States. Han.
cocks friends bad Just carried Maine.
and Mr.. Garfield himself, and the
trained bands of bis party-the office.
holders and reckless managers who
have been getting rich for twenty
years from the plumber of the general
Government-saw and trembled before
that Handwriting on the wall" At