Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1881-04-30
Pocomoke City Defended.

The Herald has during its brief ex-
istence devoted itself to a series of
attacks upon the corporate authorities,
and upon the mode of doing business
in this town. Its mission has been en-
tirely iconoclastic. 1t has assumed to
attack right and left, to pull down this,
and break down that, to upset the es-
tablished order without giving or sug-
costing anything to take its place. 1t
is perfect nihilist in journalism All
of this would be only amusing were it
confined to our home people, who have
not heretofore considered that its at
tacks merited the dignity of an answer
In as much, however, as it has a read.
ing away from home and some of its
sayings have been copied by other pa
pers, longer silence might be construed
into an assent to the correctness of its
positions. We have thought il right just
now to say word. First as to the re-
port of the commissioners: we publish
ed it, the people read it, and so far as
we know there has not been a single
complaint in regard to it outside of the
editorial columns of the Herald. Its
editor, by a system Of mathematics
known only to himself, figured out a
deficiency of some hundreds of dollars,
which we suppose the editor has put in
his eye, as no one else has seen it !;
not being satisfied with his labors in
this field, he learned that some of our
business men were using trade due bills
in the prosecution of their business
This has furnished him with fertile
theme for thought, and animadversion.
We were particularly amused last week
at his calculation of the profits arising
from 5000 worth of due bills, and we
think with one of our leading mer
chants, that he could well afford to
pay him big wages, if he would make
for him in reality any such profits as
he has made on paper out of these due
bills. We defy him to explain and justi-
fY the correctness of this calculation
to any mathematician in the world. In
fact, we fear that the editor has been
wading in water little too deep for
him, and like former citizen of this
place. has gotten slightly ''confoosed."
In relation to the due-bills it fact
that they are used here to some extent,
perhaps by all of our merchants A
good deal of the trade Of this place is
for country produce such as grain.
poultry, eggs, feathers, wool, lard,
pork, shingles, slaves, hub blocks, rail-
road ties, etc. etc. These are brought
into town and sold to our merchants
who in exchange pay certain price,
always, we believe, as large as the con-
dition of the market will allow, in cash,
or somewhat larger price in trade
1t often happens that the seller wishes
the trade. and for the sake of the lar
ger price elects to sell at the trade
price; whereupon. if he only deals out
part, a due.bill, payable in goods,
is given him for the balance.
Again we have railways and ship.
yards here, the owners of which inform
us that they could not carry them on
upon cash basis That they do a
very large part of their work on a cred
it, both for repairs and in the build
ing and sale of boats, and that conse.
quently it is narrowed down to the al
Tentative of using due bills or stopping
work. Of course the mechanic in every
instance has the option to work or not
The fact is however that the fuss is not
made by the mechanics who receive
them. but by those who perhaps can't
get them. We were in Baltimore
some months ago and a merchant of
this place who also runs a railway and
shipyard told us that he had sold his
vessel. We asked if ne had made
good sale, he said not very good, but
sit would enable him to build new
boat and give the mechanics work this
winter" This will serve to illustrate
the spirit of those who issue the due
bills. For our own part we have only
been fortunate enough to get hold of
the due bills in few instances; we had
no trouble in buying anything We want
ed with them at the usual prices, and
we may say in passing that our town
is noted for selling goods at low prices.
If any of the merchants charge more
for goods when their own due bills are
rendered in payment i is matter of
which we have no personal knowledge,
but one which we will join in condemn.
ing. We will show our faith by our
works and give all indebted TO US
and there are quite number so, no.
sice now that we will take them upon
any merchant in town dollar for dol
lar for what is due us.
In its last issue the Herald takes is
sue with our statement that ship-carpen-
tiers here get from sI.so to So 90 per
day. We consider our information on
this point perfectly reliable and cannot
alter it at the Herald's dictum. He
called our attention to this before it
was published, and we asked him what
they did get and assured him that we
wanted it right. He replied that he did
not know. which was doubtless not only
true in this instance, but in others in
which he assumes to be we'll informed
As to the charge that the "Record and