The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-08-05
A Disgruntied Editor.
August LIST, 1882.

S0cIlS " udNe DSCIl III IuA'S " D't'
way. While the people of the county
are generally well satisfied with the
conduct ofthe County Commissioners,
its editor has poured out on them the
walls of his wrath, week after week,
because they demurred to the pay
ment of his "little bill"
They had his rates of advertising,
he says, and should have paid his
account for publishing the levy list
without question. But when they
saw that it had been printed in large
type, covering nearly an entire page
of the paper, apparently on purpose
to make big bill, and when his bill
was found to be twice the amount
charged for the same service either
of the two years preceding, they, as
custodians of the county finances, did
what every honest man, irrespective
of party, applauds them for doing, III
asking him to reduce his bill to
a more reasonable figure. Having
abused the Board in general, to his
hearts content, he singles out the
Democratic member, and proceeds to
read him special moral lucture. He
seems profoundly astonished that
Democrat should have the upright
ness and the independence to do his
duty as a public servant. fearlessly
and faithfully, regardless of the
crack of the party whip,
In his official capacity, Mr.. Mat
tingly has been actuated by higher
motives than mere petty partisan
ship. He has the proud distinction
of being the only Democratic official
having the moral courage to place
duty above party By his manly
course he has earned the gratitude
and the confidence of the people, re-
guardless Of the adverse criticisms of
the Democrat.
The reason assigned for making such
fuss about the reduction of the bill
for publishing the levy list, was. he
could not submit to 1t without a cur
tailment of dignity, or something to
that effect.
Queer notions some people have
about dignity To person of diff.
ferent temperament, and different
habits of thought, it might have been
mistaken for avarice, but on mature
consideration, I'VE must conclude, after
all, that it was dignity" that sug-
gested the idea of spreading the levy
list over page of the paper, so there
would be an excuse for making a bill
of respectable dimensions.
The Commissioners were accus-
toned to seeing ordinary business
notices in small type, even in the
Democrat. and had no means of jude-
ing of the munificent style in which
it would spread the levy list before
its readers. 1t might have been
printed in capitals and made to cover
the four pages of the Democrat and
a good sized supplement besides, and
have justified charge of thousand
dollars, if only there had been a suffi-
cheney of dignity.
Besides the Democrats boss trouble,
about the levy list, it manifests tone
OF general infelicity. 1t bemoans its
meagre share of the loayes and fishes.
and asserts in it's Characteristic way,
with tears in its voice, that it has not
had a mouthful out of the public crib,
only what the law compels. This
turns out to be mistake, but after
all. very natural mistake. 1t evil
IDENTIFY estimates what 1t has had, not
by the facts and figures exactly, but
by the condition of its stomach, with.
out reference to mere external evil
dence. Its facts appear strange, and
sometimes quite contrary to what we
are accustomed to reguard as positive
knowledge. but this may be account
ed for by suppossing that. instead of
examining books and papers, the
truths of the Democrat are evolved
from process called inner conscious
ness, which is said to be much simp-
Ter, and is therefore preferred by
some to the old fashioned routine
method of acquiring knowledge by
observation. 1t is great pity that
the commissioners don't give the
Democrat all it wants, but then, it has
probably occurred to them that if
they did, there would be nothing left
in the county but the Democrat.
The Democrat will have to console
itself with the reflection that few
mortals get all they want. These app
pear to be troublous times. Its lines
don't appear to have fallen in pleas
ant places. The time is short, indeed
80 short that person young in years
can remember it, when at each ses-
sion of the Maryland Legislature,
some 100000 to $4,000 was donated
to the Democratic press. ostehsihly