Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-11-13

Macon cOnLempOIdIy Says NCAJ dUys
that this spirit, II INDUCED in, must re-
suit in the destruction of the influence Of
any paper, and that its tendency is to
the degradation of journalism. Having
delivered itself of this most sapient con-
clusion, however, it goes out of its way
to remark as follows:
s'During the campaign not yet closed,
we have witnessed, in one case, the
taking down of a candidate, a pub
Usher of a prominent journal, be-
cause the party would not support him,
though he was nominated under circum-
stances of great peril to the party. The
reason given for this was that his Journal
had not reflected the sentiments and the
wishes of the people. And now we have
the publisher of another prominent jour
nal censured by public meeting for
similar reasons"
1t is so plainly manifest that this re-
mark was intended as a thrust at the
proprietor of this paper, who, as is well
known, withdrew from the Assembly
ticket in this county during the recent
legislative campaign, that it cannot be
permitted to pass unnoticed. If this
surmise is true, and our Macon contem-
porary does make reference to the occur
renee in the above quotation, it displays
throughout the most woeful ignorance Of
the case upon which it presumes to
speak, for no such reason as it states has
ever been given for that taking down.
In the first place, it stands, in
every way, convicted out of its
own mouth. 1t intimates that the
NEWS does not reflect the sentiments
of its readers, but that it INDUCES IN
that personalism in journalism which is
so absolutely and irrevocably destructive
of the power and influence Of the press.
But it does this in seeming forgetfulness
of the fact that the ticket which was
warmly and heartily supported by the
NEWS in the recent legislative campaign
in Chatham county, was the ticket which
was Endorsed by a majority of the people
CT the county, and was successful. This
did not look very much either as if the
NEWS did not reflect the sentiments of the
community in which it is published, or
that it had lost its influence. Our Macon
contemporary should either read up and
post itself in regard to passing events in
the State, or cultivate a more retentive
memory.
In the next place, the with
drawal of the proprietor of the
News from the legislative ticket of
Chatham county had-as is we'll known
in this COMMUNICATING whatever to
do with the course of his journal. He
withdrew from the contest of his own
volitlon, and mainly because it was nee
essary for the good of the party that a
public meeting should be called, both
to pass upon the action of the
delegates from Chatham to the
Senatorial convention at Eden, Ef1ng-
ham county, and to arouse the
Democracy of the county from fatal
apathy into which it was rapidly laps
ing. The Chairman of the Democratic
Executive Committee of the county took
the ground that, in view of the fact that
a majority of his committee did not wish
auy public meeting whatever held, he
had no individual authority to call one,
and declined to do so. The recognition
of the boilers at the Eden convention
had threatened to bring defeat upon the
Democratic ticket of Chatham county,
and it was imperative that something
decisive should be done, and done
quickly. In this emergency Messrs. Es-
till and Ballantyne determined to resign
from the ticket so that a meeting to
nominate their successors might be call
ed, and thus public feeling might be
aroused afresh. They acted upon their
determination, and the result was a new
ticket placed in the field, Democratic
enthusiasm rekindled and brilliant vic
tory.
This is a true and concise statement of
the circumstances connected with the
withdrawal of the gentleman referred to
by our Macon contemporary in the above
quoted extract from its article. The
reason given by our contemporary for
the withdrawal is, it will be seen, wholly
wrong, and it has plainly jumped at
conclusions without taking time to in
form Itself as to the correctness OF its
assertions. AS far as the United
States Senatorship is concerned, the
NEWS has expressed no preference for
any of the candidates who have been
prominently mentioned in connection
with that high office. All ii has ever
said regarding the rival aspirants
for the position is that should the Legis-
lature see fit to consider the just claims
of this section of the State, and confer
the office upon General Lawton-who
was recently Endorsed for the honor by
the Democracy of the county in mass
meeting assembled-the State would
be represented Witha bility and
dignity in the higher house OF
the Federal Legislature. This is the only
part the News has taken in the Senate
rial contest, further than to deprecate
personalism being lugged into that con-
test. and its being waged on the ''any-
thingto- beat Colquitt" principle. Ger
tainly if success is any criterion of the
influence of a journal, or that 1t is
in accord with the community in which
it is published, the News has little cause
to complain, for the candidates it has
befriended so far, whether in State, Con-
gressional or county elections, have been
uniformly successful. Its readers there
fore must think pretty much as it does,
or they would not indorse its views so
heartily as they have steadily done.
Tho Cincinnati Times Star gives the