San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1885-10-01
somn Measurements Set RIght.

Woulu nouco US no more thouBht ooNof
OF H." and last week devoted about two col
umns and half to our benefit. He deals
for the most part In immaterial issues, aud
II will require comparatively small space
for us 10 dispose Of his article.
In response 20 our charge that his paper
Ia low and vulgar in its tone, and calculated
TO WELD bad influence among young peo-
Pile, he addnces certificate TO the contrary
from fifteen respectable citizens OF his town.
In regard TO which We will say, that II these
gentlemen, as they say, have found nothing
low or vulgar or not in keeping with legiti'
mate journalism In the News, they must
have been singularly careless readers, or
have very REGULAR Ideas on the subject.
Verify, there Is no accounting for tastes /!
We could readily compile column or 80
from the editorials OF the News in proof Of
our statement, but We have no space for II,
and besides our readers would not thank US
for thus defiling our columns.
The News man next introduces certif-
cato from tho business manager Of the San
Antonio Times stating that he had made
satisfactory settlement with that Office. In
regard to which we have to say, that we did
not intend any charge to the contrary; we
meant the San Antonio EXPRESS In our for
mer article, but by slip Of the pencil, TO
which any one writing in haste is liable, we
wrote Times instead of Express, and the
error was overlooked in the proof. An au-
thorized agent of the Express, informed US,
in the bookstore at this place, in the pres
ence of Others, that he had TO threaten Nc
Lemore with the terrors of the law to in
duce him to fork over what he owed that
Office as an agent at Kyle. That is the
charge we intended making. We knew the
Times was of the same feather as the News,
and that it was to that paper that McLemore
sent his famous special comparing San
Marcos to hell. He had good reason to
know we did not mean the Times, and
hence felt remarkably safe in introducing
certificate of reliability from that quar-
ter. A slick dodge.
The News man copies our statement to
the Commissioners with regard to the coun-
ty printing when it was proposed to take
bids on the subject. For this we thank
him, for it demonstrates that there was no
call for that shabby and slippery transaction.
Although McLemore styles it bid, itspeaks
for itself that it was declaration of de-
termination not to vary from the terms up
ON which we had for some time been doing
the work. We stated expressly that the
rates we were receiving were as low as the
work could be done to afford fair profit,
and that we would not vary from said rates.
1t was not bid, but square refusal to bid
at any lower rates.
The Commissioners, by way of excuse
for their shabby course towards us, are in
the habit of saying that we had harped SO
much on their failure to let out buildings,
etc., to the lowest bidder, that they thought
they would extend that rule to US. But this
is mere subterfuge. We had said very
little on this subject, though the facts war
ranted much. And then what was gain of
five per cent to the county, when the work
had to be sent away from the county seat,
and poorly done? All the facts show that
the Commissioners were actuated by pet
ty and contemplate spite because we had
presumed to criticise them, though in
mild and decorous manner.
Now McLemore improves on this subter-
fuge of the Commissioners, and asserts that |
we had ,tually besought them to let out
the printing by bid And that, too, when
we already had it, at as low rates as we
could afford When man starts out to lie, |
he should look ahead so as not to entrap
himself.
When the News man says that his work
for the county has been well done. we
set it down as ''whopper", and pass on.
He might do passable hand-bill, but can
not possibly do o. creditable legal blank.
Again, he charges us with claiming a
monopoly of the printing, yet squirms at
The idea of sharing with the Cresset.
1t will be recollected that in the article of
Sept. 10th to which that from the News pur-
ports to be a reply, we made some eight
specific charges against McLemore, to
only two or three of which he essays to reply,
.hus tacitly confessing the truth of the re-
But enough on this subject. It some
times occurs that in the accomplishment of
IN end of some importance, it becomes nee
,ssary to refer to individuals who in them
selves are beneath contempt. Such we have
.ound to be the case in this instance. But
having accomplished the end we had in
view, of fixing the responsibility on the
Court of sustaining this
nan, simply as an intended punishment to
Is for the independent course of the FREE
PRESS, we gladly drop the matter in its
merely personal aspects; intending, how
'ver, in due time, making the facts we have
the basis of an article of diff
erent character.
The Kyle News attempts to come to the
escue of our neighbor of the Cresset in re-
,ard to what we lately said as to the COM
'licity of newspapers which advertise sa-
oons in the evil fruits of these institutions.
{ raises the foolish point, that because we
dvertise patent medicines, some of which
nay be frauds, we are equally guilty. We
eply, that many patent medicines have