Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1885-02-04
Wednesday, FsO. 4. 1885.
Wrongs to be Righted.

stitutlon, we have the right to bespeal
the attention for few moments o
the fair-minded journalists of tn
country. We print q reputable pa
per, and try to keep the rules of hon
orable journalism. We have some
reputation for earnestness and sinceri
ty and honest purposes. This will
have not been worth the winning if il
fails now to secure us a hearing from
the journalists who value country
above party and truth above SANDER
Since the election of Gov. Cleveland
a few northern papers have been fill
ed with outrageous stories concerning
the south. As rule, these stories APP
pear anonymously, and therefore ir-
responsible. They are oftener inven-
tons and exaggerations They are
printed, however, and reprinted, and
one is made to complement another.
In spite of their absurdity they COM
mand more or less credence from peo-
pie still excited over the late cam
paign and sore over its result.
Had these stories been printed be-
fore the election we should have ac-
cepted them as necessary evils of a
campaign. But appearing after the
election is over, they exhibit wan
ton and wretched malice, a mean and
impotent rage, from which we feel we
can reasonably appeal to the public
sense of justice. We are not moved
by any fear of their political result.
If in the four years that must inter-
vene before another election the south
has not demonstrated that she can
safely be admitted to some participa-
ton in the administration Of our COM
mon government she will deserve to
be shut out forever. The injury these
anonymous slanderers may work us
goes very much deeper than political
hap or mishap can reach. We have
millions of fertile acres lying idle for
the lack of men to work them. We
have forests untouched, mines unde-
veloped, and water powers running
wanton for lack of capital. We have
q climate that would be an everyday
blessing for those who now brave the
terrible winters of the northwest, and
legitimate opportunity for investment
that would give a competence to those
who arc now eking an income on. the
low interest and narrow margins al
lowed for money in the east. The
tide of immigration and of investment
is turned away from the southern
States by these outrageous lies, to the
detriment of all concerned.
1t is manifestly impossible to an
swer all the SANDERS that malignity
can invent and anonymity cover. 1t
is even impossible to follow the course
of one SANDER through all the avenues
into which it travels by ignorance or
malice. But we will take three cases
that have occurred within our juris-
diction, and that may be taken as
samples of the whole dirty brook.
We take them seriatim
1. The Dublin Riot.-A dispatch
was sent to several papers announcing
that there had been a deadly riot at
Dublin, Ga, between the races, in
which several were killed, and that
Dublin was place of 5000 people.
Investigation, from all quarters demon
strates that there was not only no riot
in Dublin Ga place of $50 inhabitants)
but no disturbance whatever The
people there were as much astonished
at the inquiries as the people of
Springfield, Mass, would be at inquir-
les as to how many witches were burn
ed in that city yesterday. There was
literally no foundation for the story.
No local suggestion on which it could
have been built. And yet it was
started on its infamous round. 1t is
still travelling. 1t is still being pub
lished. And there are thousands of
people who believe that negroes were
slaughtered in Dublin by the score on
the day after election.
2. The Rebel Flag.-After Allan
ta's first jubilee, inquiries began to
pour into the city asking if rebel flags
were hoated from the State capitol.
The inquiries were met with solemn
and official denial from the governor,
the mayor, and from every citizen
who was approached on the subject.
The United States flag was flying
from the capitol and from hundreds
of other points in Atlanta. Three
thousand United States flags were
sold by one dealer here in few hours.
Not single confederate flag was
seen in Atlanta, and none has been
seen since the election. In spite Of
this the story of the rebel flag
still travels, and the last copy Of
the Iowa State Register, received here,
ha, a picture of our capitol drawn
with confederate flag flying there
from.