The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1886-02-20
JOURNALISTIC DIsCOURTESY,

JOURNALISTIC DISCOURTESY.
We were very much surprised this
week to read in one of our valued con-
temporaries an editorial paragraph writ
ten in a tone of bitterness against the
Elkton correspondent of one of Balti-
more'S most influential daily papers.
The paragraph IN question took the
Elkton correspondent severely to task
misconstruing in his dispatch to
the Baltimore paper the sense of the
Temperance Convention held in Odd
Fellows Hall on Saturday last. When
at the same time the author of the par
agraph, if he were an editor in the true
sense of the word, would have been
aware, as was the fact, of the cores
pondent's utter truthfulness in his re-
port. THE WING, since the organiza-
ton of this grand new movement in the
temperance cause Of Cecil county, has
strongly sided with those men who adj
vocate total prohibition through the
avenue CT an amended local option
law. 1t has spent more time and care
upon the part of the local optionists
and done sincerer work for them than
any other newspaper in the county, re-
ceiving by the way no credit for its
labor, yet its representative who was
present at the convention on Saturday
last could easily discern how strongly
the issues of the meeting were drifting
directly into the arms of high license
sentiment. The local optionists present
lacked YIN and push they were not
afraid, but they were not inspired.
This event will undoubtedly cause them
to loose ground, and we bitterly deplore
the fact, but after that dark cloud even
the sun of their hopes has still a chance
to shine forth brightly and serenely, for
we earnestly think that the sentiment
Of the majority of temperance men in
Cecil county is turned in favor of the
local option amendment bill, and that
a majority vote will be accorded it when
the two bills are placed before the peo-
pie for their choice, as must inevitably
be the result of these conventions. Not
from any personal motive of friendship
for the Elkton correspondent Of the
Baltimore paper or professional spirit OF
enmity towards our contemporary we
feel it almost duty, as representative
of advanced journalism, to severely con-
denim the editorial paragraph to which
we referred above and corrobate the re-
port which it accuses of falsity. We
know the correspondent in question to
be man who holds truth as sacred as
lllC anu SlluSdNOlS Will
success to abide by its principles. We
know the author of the paragraph in
question to have had little experiece in
newspaper work therefore he cannot be
expected to be familiar with the Cour
tesy due one journalist to another. In
accordance with the views of The WIG
he has ably advocated the local option
cause and worked for temperance in
Cecil county with all possible bravery,
but we do not think that he does JUS
tice to his cause by claiming that the
result of Saturdays convention tended
favorably for total prohibition when all
who were present were impressed with
its strong high license tendency. But
apart from anything that occurred at
the meeting of Saturday we believe
there is still a powerful element in
Cecil county that will come forward to
roll up a majority vote for our amended
local option law in preference to high
license system when the proper time
arrives. The people of Cecil county
have now heard these two methods for
the suppression of the rum evil frankly
and COMPREHENSIVE discussed, and 1t
is our opinion that they are possessed
of SO much wisdom as will permit them
to see the extreme fallacies of high
license. The meeting of Saturday last
was supposed to represent the opinion
of Cecil county on this temperance
| question, bu; we contend that as it
elected a high license system to the
first place in the consideration of the
audience present it did not express the
wishes of large majority who were
not present but who will make their
opinion felt when the time for a CON
elusive decision arrives. As one of our
exchanges suggests, never the history
of our noble old county lave its citi-
zens come forth to battle so earnestly
against the demon of alcohol. Righteous
indignation against herum- drinker and
the rum-seller is the order of the day,
and that it may ever he SO until total
prohibition is effected is our earnest
wish. Leaving this more important