The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-11-20
Far-Fetchod Sarcasm.
Charleston UOrll.

I The following clipping Is taken from the cd
! itorial columns of Inc National DrInocrat. Il
paper lately started in Washington, Which
heads its editorial page with the policy, "AH
aggressive party newspaper" but devOtes the
rest OF the pa per To the undemOcraLic denun'
Citations of those who dare 10 hold different
! views from il. Here IS the clipping:
| "AmoSt every city has some dirty, shabby.
cheap and scarcely respectable lodging house
which does business under the nam" Of the
Windsor, or the Brunswick. or the Victoria,
or some other pnatial hotel in the metropolis.
This suggests why u certain publication In
Charleston, =. C., is called The UOrld.
No doubt it would nr interesting TO oEI
readers to know what H. is that has brought
about this ungcntcInanly abuse.
| Some time ago, noticing that the paper gave
more space To the maligniug of prominent
men than To the objective principles OF true
! Democracy we criticised it, and showed how
unjustly 1t dcporicd itself towards it's Oppo-
nents. Unable 10 defend itself against the
criticism IT reSOrted, as Is usual In such cases
| to undcservcd abuse.
The WORLD WAS called "dirty' because IT
protested against the vile caumnicS which
this National Democrat heaped upon Murat
| HalStead, Il man upright In his principles,
honest in his convictions and manly in his
actions.
| The WORLD was called shabby and cheap
because III its outward appearance and the
| cXtenSivencSS Of It's news it is not equal to the
great llailcS OF the metropolis, but Thoughts
as high, opinions as respectable and beliefs as
honest are to bc found in .pnpcrS that number
| their readers by the thousands as i'm those
mighty journals, whose columns hundreds ol
| thousands Of people pcruSc daily. 4 soul rs
| great can exist beneath rags as beneath pur.
pie and gold. Tie Bibles truths would not
suffer in value If they were bound in the poor
| est covering; they would not bc increased In
value if bound i'll the highest style or the
| book bindcrSS art.
The WORLD was called "scarccly rcspecta.
consider Itself infaliblc, for lis unjust treat.
mcnt of any and every one who darcS to hold
views contrary 10 It's own.
| The editor or the National Democrat must
| he so intent upon following his questionable
Interpretation Of san aggressive party poll
cy," that he entirely forgets the first principle
OF a free cOuntry-liberty Of thought-and II
he had been gifted with an understanding
able to keep pace with the inclinations anu
principles OF his heart. lie would be one OF the
| most formidable men ever employed by Il fac,
ton to accomplish the total suppression ol
free speech and to dclame the characters ol
| honest men.
We think 1t very probable that we can stand
this abuse. as every coXcomb In this state who
LignitieS himself with the name of editor. has
done nothing but abuse us for every decided
utterancc we have made. We have. few
| friends among our country exchanges; they
do not like our independence of thought;
they cannot bear our praising and cr!tiGisine.
| indiscrimin inatcly, Republicans and Demo
Gratis. who deserve applause or censure.
| Their school OF politics having taught them
| that one party must be always right and the
| OLnef always WGOIip.
| 1t is not the abuse of the National Democrat
| that has caused us to notice this paragraph,
as from the above IL can be seen that we are
accustomed 10 the TRADES of unreasonable
partisans, but 1t Is that we wish to correct the
utter miSconception of the adjectivcS so free
ly Showered on us. That there is nothing so
"dirty" as continual attacks on persons when
one knows the attacks to be false; that there
is nothing so "shabby" as the abuse OF public
men for no other reason than that they up
hold opposite political opinions; that there is
nothing more cheap than when paper has
to gi We away thousands OF free copies to give
IL circulation; that there Is nothing so de-
void of respectabiity as an endeavor TO re-
gain lost power by the mean slander of oppo.
nents, no one can deny. While the National
Democrat may not be guilty of all these Of
fenScS, it still may lay some claims 10 the
dirty, shabby, cheap and scarcely rcSpecta-
BILE" journalism of which II accuses others.
TIE WORLD, however, will continue at the
old stand, II Democratic paper; honest IN It's
utternnces; laying no claim to In alibility
ready TO cenSure either Democrat or Repubi-
can If II considers them 70 be wrong; prCpar-
cd TO recognize the virtues of an opponent or
the faults of IL friend; to praise what 1T con-
siders right; to rebuke what 1t deems to be
wrong
We naturally expect that such course will
bring upon us abuse from scheming politi-
clans and unreasonable editors, but we will
at least have the satisfaction of knowing that
we are doing our best To educate The people to
encourage free expressions of opinion and to
be fair and just to all men, without regard to
their religious or political belief.