The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1889-05-10

In commenting upon a recent state
ment of this paper that it was Congress-
man Dunnell's duty to endorse Editor
Sinclair's application for the Winona
postoffice, if such had been made, the
Albert Lea Standard expresses surprise
that We should give such advice, and
says:
Mr.. Sinclair is in all respects an ex-
cellent man, but he is not entitled to
the Winona postofice" nor to any other
government office, and 80 long as he con-
tinues as the editor of the Republican he
cannot consistently, with honor and self
respect, accept one. If through Mr..
DunnelPs endorsement he is appointed
postmaster at Winona, he will be bound
to endorse Dunnells course in congress,
and to support him for reelection. No
mar in the First district has so indig-
nantly assailed Mr.. Dunnell and exposed
and denounced his official record as has
Editor Daniel Sinclair, of the Winona
Republican, and no man better under
stands Mr.. Dunnell's rotten character.
Will Mr.. Sinclair sell himself, will he
now shackle his opinions and barter his
honor TO Dunnell for II paItry office ?
Perhaps so, but We believe and hope
not.
The above is a fair sample of a kind of
opinion which various virtuous editors
hereabouts are copiously expressing,
and which shows that they are either
very narrow-minded or are judging their
brethren by their own standards. The
assumption that an editor who for years
has been outspoken and fearless IN his
opinions and criticism of officials and i'd
ministrations should, the minute he is
endorsed or appointed 10 an honorable
public position, lose all his independ-
ence and ~seif-respect and be bound to
dishonor himself by Withholding criti-
cism of the evil acts of such officials or
administration as endorse or appoint
him, is, to Say the least, n which does
not do credit to the breadth of mind of
the person who makes it. We fail to
see why Bro. Day should be surprised
that the FREE Press refuses TO judge its
journalistic neighbors by such standard.
Mr.. Sinclair is everywhere recognized
as one OF the most honorable of men,
and one who never fails to denounce the
wrong as he sees it, regardless of who is
hurt thereby. 1t IS little short of an in
suit to him to assert that If his long SER
vice as a Republican editor should be re-
warded by his appointment to the office
in question, he would thereby lose those
ideas of honor and duty which would
prompt MIN to condemn whatever wrong
he might see in the present administra-
ton. Through his honor and devotion
to his party he is required to support
the nominees thereof, but the duty he
owes to his own honor and s~elf-respect
as well as to the public compels him to
condemn evil whether in his own party
or another. And these conditions are
in no way changed when he accepts q
public office. According to the Standards
own statement, Mr.. Sinclair roundly
criticised Dunnell in times past. But
was he not at that very time holding the
public office of which 1t is asserted that
his acceptance at this time would be the
sale of his honor and independence? 1t
seems to us that right here is a strong
refutatlon of these ill~y-conceived notions
that an editor who holds Office al have
no freedom of opinion. We do not sup
pose Mr.. Sinclair has applied to Con-
gresham Dunnell for the office, or even
asked his endorsement. What we said
was that if the:Winona editor wanted
the place it was Dunnell's duty to sup
port him; Mr.. Sinclair's services for the
party entitle HIM to it. The TRADE OF
Bro. Day against Mr. Dunnell is largely
a personal matter, and it should not
keep the Standard from recognizing that
he is and has been one of the most eff
Gent congressman the state has had.
The FREE Press as well as the Winona
Republican has had occasion to c~riticise
some of the methods of this congress-
man, but that has not prevented those
papers from supporting him when the
the Republican candidate, nor from re-
copnizing his great ability. 1t is a good
deal as our friend of the Fairmont NeWS
suggests, it would be dangerous for the
amounting power to offer an office to one
al these yirtuous editors who criticise
their neighbors for ''selling ~out'-unless
! ready for an acceptance by telegraph.