The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-06-23
The Press and Banner.
Wednesday, June %, 1886.
The "Register'' md it's 1'Bad Brefh'
ren.S

We are but human brother, and when we
find that we can't bring the had brethren 10 M Il
sense of becoming decency by SOBER reason
ing, persuasive words anu timriy cantion,
then, like the farmer with the boy IN the up
'ple tree, I've try the effect OF stones on iie IT,
corrigfbles. And we have observed ihet
when we corner tirese offenders their either
shut up or resort to a subterfuGe to case their
yliscomfiture.-Cohtmbi Register
We do not know to whom the Register re-
fets as being "the bad brethren" and we are
inclined to the opinion that the Register efrs
in assuming that "deccncy by sober reason
ing. persuasive words,'' or "tirnely caution"
is clothed In abusive terms, and irrelevant
cpthcts. If the Register sns ever treated
the Press and Banner with any degree
of respect, the fact has been completely bt
ried in the vaStamount Of ill hammered ana
unbecomihg personalities which that paper
has thrown at us. Vixen did the Regis
Yer ever Great the Press ard Banner with de
Eercy:"'or Sesober reasoning" or "persuasiVe
wordsS" 1t is;an error to say the Press ana
Banner ever shuts up" except in cases
where persona, attacks are made upon us.
when an editor lacks the ability to discuss
n subject without substituting personalities
fer argument the field is his own so
Itr as the Press and Banner is concerned.
We will not handy words with man
who forgets to observe the common
courtesics which govern gentlemen, and
IL the Register has gained victory over
us and caused us to "shut up" il has been be-
cause of its lack of civility, and not because
of its arguments. 1t Is mistake to say that
we "resort to n subterfuge" under any cir
cumstances. The Register, we hopes did not
Intend to do us an injustice In uttcring that
sentence, and we also hope that the Register
will not forget that the exhibition OF temper
is no special evidence Of superior ability. 1t
is, us a Iule, the losing brother that gets
vexed.
The Register made a personal attack
upon the Press end Banner because we
are opposed to the Columbia ditch,
which is by courtesy called canal
+ThGt paper seems to take any remarks
which are 9nfavorable to the further
wasting of the peoples money in that enter
.prise as q personal insult. In one breath 1t
denies that 1t is a Columbia enterprise and In
the next construes any opposition to the ca
nal MS untriendliness to the city Of Columbia.
If the Big Ditch is State enterprise every
paper in South Carolina has an equal right to
speak to the subject. If it is a Columbia en-.
teTplsS, llCb SNSiS PopS' AZ WV 'DS>~NN -'N~
n right to protest against taking of our mon
.cyto build it. If it is State enterprise why
do not other corporations than Columbia
advance money to it: Even the Register it.
:self has never asked any other town council
than that of Columbia to contribute cent to
the canal.
Another matter which we hope the Register
will not further argueis, that the canal Will
he of profit TO the State. Such an idea Is pre-
posterous. Suppose the State had been under
bond to furnish water power at present.
Would we not have suffered?
And stin there is another delusive argu-
ment which should be abandoned: that
the convicts employed on the canal are
not 1ust so much loss to the State. Instead of
bringing In handsome revenue, as before
the commencement Of work on the canal. the
penitentiary Is now draft on the State
treasury. Every days work on the canal is
forty or fifty cents cost to the taxpayers of
the State.