San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1885-05-28
Exceedingly Small aud Superlatiyely
Silly.

The names OF the present Board may b'
seen in our official directory ON our frs
page. Our County Judge presides at thei
meetings, and we believe IL generally cred
tied with having potential II not decisive
influence with their deliberations We DO
lieve too, there is generally understood Il
DO another powerful influence. which NIGH
be regarded A. illustrating the saying. ''th'
power behind the throne, greater than the
throne itself"
When. recently, We made some criticisms
on the gross neglect Of duty Of the Com
missioners with respect to putting in pre-
sentable shape the Court House grounds. sc
as to make them equal to the average Of
those Of private citizens, we gave them
credit for too much good sense to take um-
bragg at well-intended criticism, coming,
as they knew, from friendly and disinter-
ested source. Men do not fail TO act from
motives, and the Commissioners must have
known that We had no motive to incur their
ill-will or dc. them injustice. II was there
fore genuine surprise to us to find the
court, on assembling, ~ mad" as the pro-
verbal "wet hen" or "March hare" And
for what? Only because We had presumed
70 dissent from some Of their views and nc
tions, and so differing had, as was our clear
right and duty ms public journalist, owing
our first allegiance to the PEOPLE Of the
county, to express that difference in le-
gitimate manner, through our columns.
We made no charge against the integrity Of
the Commissioners, but freely questioned
the propriety Of their acts, or rather omis-
SONS of duty, not supposing they considered
themselves infallible and would take sug-
gestion as personal offense.
Here lot w remark that one Of the most
surprising things in this world is to find so
many people who cannot tolerate simple
difference of opinion, but make personal
matter of it, We cannot understand this.
We can differ with any ono on any subject
as wide as the poles without On unkind
feeling, knowing that he has precisely the
same right to his opinion that We have to
ours, and knowing also that it is from such
collisions of intellect that the sparks of
truth are elected. The opposite policy of
shutting down on free discussion leads di-
rectly to popery in religion and despotism
in civil government, and is especially ont of
place in any community protesting demo-
cratic principles, with the spirit of which it
is utterly at war.
Everybody here knows that personally no
one in this community makes it a point to at
tend more strictly to his own business than
we. But as tho editor of public journal,
the case is widely different I; there we feel
it to be not only our right but our duty to
speak out on all subjects involving the pub
lie interest. and when that right is called in
question, from any quarter, we shall not bo
slow to resent such interference.
Before commenting further, some person.
al determinations would seem to be
in order so that our past and
present criticisms may not be misapplied.
Commissioner Iightfoot we have no per-
that he has as yet been much involved in
the former complications of the Board.
And Messrs. Schmitt and Burleson, we had
no idea until the late meeting of the
court, would be found hostile to us. They
came to US some time ago and asked to set
the mares nest of the failure of the court
house roof right through our columns, and
we verify thought it had begun to dawn on
their minds that they properly represented
the people of Hays county, instead of
certain influence at the county seat. If they
had made us friendly call, as they had often
done before, instead of staying away, ''nurs-
ing their wrath to keep it warm" we feel
sure we could soon have satisfied them not
only that we meant no offence in our criti-
cisms, but that we were actually right, and
deserving of their cooperation instead Of
enmity.
TERRIBLE REVENGE.
Having settled these preliminaries, let us
now look little at the punishment" to be
inflicted on the FREE PRESS for daring to
criticise their public acts-to administer
less agreeable than an unbroken
stream of "taffy." For this il had been re-
solved to deprive us OF the invaluable coun-
ty printing, worth the enormous amount of
$50 year, and to transfer the same to the
young journalist, Mr.. JEFF
McLemore, of the Kyle News. Now word
as to this prin ting. During Mr.. Green's ad-
ministration as clerk it was nearly all ordered
from st. Louis, at rates which it was then
thought TO home office could afford to do it
at. The clerk said he had to pay it out Of
his own pocket, and so felt bound to econ
omize, and we could not blame him. Since
that time the County Commissioners have
passed on such accounts, but the prices re-
manned the same. II was only since the
present year that we concluded we might
afford to do the work at these rates. Hav-
ing fitted up q good job Office, and
having a superior job printer whose
time was not all otherwise engaged,
we accepted proposition from the clerk to
do it at St. Louis rates. Our bill at the last
term was some S25, about twice what it
had usually beeu per quarter, from which
the cost of paper and work being de-
Quoted left very small profit. Now in
most of the States, the county commission
ers, knowing that the newspapers have to
do a great deal of public service for moth
ing, are liberal in allowing them fair prices
for their work But here, after grinding US