San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1885-12-17
Why Jwpugn Motlyesi

tnhn Two years SINCE, We tooh NO Noty
active part either editorially or in
dividually in political, or social mat
ters here, partly because II is not our
disposition TO engage in controversy
where we can honorably avoid itor to
seek notoriety; partly because We
were new in the country and felt that
our motives were likely to DO mis-
construed and also 10 some extent
because We had o realizing sense that
there was not then apublic sentiment
which would sustain us in taking an
advanced position on the right side OF
certain oontreverted questions, such
as Temperance, Free Schools, ad-
ministrative reform in the official
business Of tho county, etc; and we
did not care to waste our time and
energies where there was no hope Of
attaining any practical results,
But as We said in our article re-
ferred to, after we had become almost
an .'old settler" and after there had
been a marked growth in public
sentiment in tho right direction as
respects the questions referred to, we
could see no reason why we should
not have our "say" about matters OF
public interest in this country, as we
had been accustomed to do elsewhere
in former years, in accordance with
what we have always recognized as
the right and duty of public
journalist. We Of course did not
expect everybody to concur in our
views, but we had no idea that we
should thus incur the personal i'll feel.
ing and business prescription it has
been our lot to meet, coupled with the
most unfounded perversions Of our
motives. For instance, MIR. Sheriff
Barber, who was the first to fall out
with us. because of mild criticism
OF his management of the old jail, in
which his name was not even men,
toned, and because Of which he has
for two years past sought to punish
us by ordering the publication of the
delinquent tax list in a paper of
confessedly less circulation than the
FREE PRHss, in violation Of the spirit
if not the letter Of the law, and the
rights of that class of tax payers, we
remember charged us as representing
what he then styled Methodist
clique" What he meant by the charge
we did not then and do not yet
know. 1t is true that many Methodists
sustained our course in speaking out
on the evils Of the times, and especi-
ally in the Local Option contest OF
1884, as the finale of which we had
the honor of being hung in effigy on
the public square by satellites Of the
saloons. But this cooperation Of
Methodists was simply the result Of an
agreement in opinion between them
and us, involving no sinister or
questionable motives whatever.
The foolishness Of this charge and
the independent course of the FREE
PREss were not long afterwards made
manifest in it's course on the Free
School question If we had sought
to please the Methodists, or been
actuated by mere considerations OF
temporary policy and self-interest,
We should certainly never have
advocated an independent free school
in San Marcos. But believing it
to be imperatively demanded by the
best interests of the town and COM
munity, much as we. regretted dis
pleasing some valued friends, we
could not hesitate to advocate it.
What followedi Why, we who had
been charged by Sheriff Barber as
being subservient to a Methodist
clique" were suddenly deemed to be
an enemy to the Methodist church,
and especially Of Coronal Institute
charge entirely baseless in both its
branches We did not and do not
believe there ia any conflict between
the public school and the Institute.
The former calls for the support OF
the entire community, the latter
should be sustained by the church
whose property and under whose
patronage it is, and its volunteer
patrons. Our only child who is
is at school has for some two years
past been a student Of the Institute.
We as heartily wish 1t success in its
appropriate sphere as We do the public
school. Yet because we advocated
the latter as an independent institu-
ton. and because few Of the saloon
men took the ssme view, we were
charged not only with hostility to the
Methodist church, but with selling