The Springdale news., 1889-05-03
SrRINGDALE, ARK, MAY 3, 1889.
WHITTIER ARE THEY DRIFTING?

xJ suprise and astonishment at the course of the Gazette and Democrat of Little Rock. To begin with those great party organs were not satisfied with denouncing the Clay. ton murder and calling for swift punishment upon the guilty parties, but they did that in such manner as to lead to the inevitable conclu- sion that the democratic party of Arkansas was in some way respon- sible for it. They furnished food for the radical, south, hating, lying journals of the North who rolled their articles under their slanderous tongues as sweet morsels. Then they took up republican-a very worthy ono we believe-and were largely instrumental Tn electing him mayor of Little Rock. But they
 were not satisfied with bestowing upon him the mead of praise due an ordinary individual but hls al- iagad virtues were extolled from day to day and from week to week
 until, if he had any modesty be must have sought refuge in seclu- sion. Then the killing of the ne gro, Joe Smith, came on and both those papers published to the world ion the statement of a negro)that 1t was a political murder and the di- rect sequence ofthe killing ofClay- ton. Their vigorous editorial de- nunciations of It as such furnished
 more, and more palatable food for the Sonth-hators of the North. The Gazette went so far as to argue, In an editorial article, that 1t Was political murder after responsible white man had given the facts 10 the contrary, and even after tbe republican Hanserd and the repub- lican Richmond, father of the boy, had written letters stating that the negro was democrat and the slay- CT a boy of l7 whose father had al- ways been a republican and the
 killing had no connection whatever with politics, we looked in vain for editorial retractlon and apology Tn
 those two papers. When that chlet of villIfiers and slanderers of the South, Murat Halstead, was rejcc- ted by the senate those two South ern. democratic journals almost had a spasn of sorrow at the result. Last bat not least much of the valu- able space of those journals IS taken up in singing the pralses of the fed eral judges at Little Rock because they haze convicted and imposed heavy penalties upon three or four democrats who had technically vlo- lated tue election laws, when one half the election judges in Washing ton conuty could be convicted un- der'the charge of that court. In view of these facts, may we not ask in all seriousness, wither are the Gazctt and Democrat drifting? Fayetteville Democrat.
 Yes. "whither are they drifling?" The Gazette and Democrat are, We believe, drifting, sadly drifting from their once solid mooriEgs 10 Democracy and truth, and if the adr.iting is kept up there will sooa be room the capital city for an honest, fearless Democratic newspaper. We believe tho Ga zette and Democrat, in their zeal to draw immigration from the North have become blind to truth and arc disposed to foul thelr own nests, thus bef@g to break down the Democratic Pa{ty-the only party that has ever gi&en us fair, honest and economlcal state government. We are as much in favor of punish ing the murderer of Clayton as any one can possibly be but 1t IS ridiculous in anyone to attribute the mnrder to the Democratic par ty of the State, either directly or in directly, and it IS simply prepostcr- ous and bom bastic monstroslty for such journals as the Gazette and Democrat to even intimate 10 the world that the killing of the negro. Jo Smith, might or could have even tho least possible politica! signiti- canoe. But the G. and D. have blln- dly trodden over their friends and supporters in their efforts to wor- ship at the Republican shrine. They have been kpccllng and kissing the garments of the Republican party, as l. were while their friends need ed their guidance and protection. 1t is bad enough for political journal 10 slander ld abuse neigh boring state and its people or to wrongfully and ma,aiSously mlsrepre- sent an opposing political party, but SeaIgrlongs'es to such papers as the ,t1th and td D. turning against thelr own friends and neighbors without truth; giving sem blance of truth to malicious islanders that have been fot yea s. and arc yet being almost daily showered upon the fair name of the ste and it's Democratic peo- pie for political purposes; stubbornly persisting n publishing to the world that certain murders which have untort4nately taken place within Inc bounds oi the State, are pollti- cal mnrders, when they have before them the best evidence to the con trary, is 2 freak of Journalistic na-