The Washington bee., 1890-07-05
HOLD, VIPER, YOU BITE A
FILE.

H.C. Smith of the Cleveland
Gazette, the neuter gender IN
Journalism, but whom for couven>
fence we shall treat as of the mas
culine gender, is at it again. Don
Quixote, the hero of Oervantes,
once had a little difficulty with
a windmill in which Don lost some
of his manly beauty, but gained a
great deal of wisdom, and rs re-
corded thai during his subsequent
perambulations he never felt espe-
cislly called upon TO get mixed up
with another windmill. But not
so with the infantile editor of the
Gazette: he seems to learn nothing
by experience. He has tackled
any number of wind-mills IN the
form of successful cOlored gentle
men been knocked out by every
one of them, but after lying up a
few days for repairs has renewed
the fight. He will probably con-
tinue to do this sort of thing as
long as men of the race show their
heads above the dead level upon
which be, the young editor, moves
and has his being. He was born
this way and cannot help it. He
attacked and DETAINED Hon. Freder-
ick Douglass, Rev. James POindex-
ter (the later covertly) Hon. John
p. Green, Hon. r. Lynch, Rev. DR..
Arnett, Col. NJ. M. Holland, Mr.. r.
A. Jones, editor of the Cleveland
Globe and host of others whose
success in life has aroused ais
jealousy. In his madness he has
not hesitated to enter the sacred
precincts of the church and defame
its members. His pet aversion just
now is Hon. B. K. Bruce. He hates
him with satanic intensity. In the
other cases referred to, he was act.
uated by childish jealousy and a
consciousness of his own unwOrth-
ness, but here he had what he con-
sldered a real grievance and was
moved by au additional motive,
that of unallOyed "SOrdineSs." He
had candidate of his own for Re-
cOrder of Deeds of the District of
Columbia, who was not a citizen
of OHIO either, in whose appoint
ment he had more than ordinary
interest, an interest which did not
appear upon the surface.
For months he jealouSly urged
his appointment through the col
umns of the Gazette, going so far
as to say that no matter how many
appointments might be given to
the colOred people, if this one
should be withheld, the race would
not be satisfied. When the ap-
pointment Of Mr.. BIuce TO this
very Office was announced, it al
most killed our young editor. He
became more sullen and worse
than ever, and from that day 10
this he has pursued the Recorder
with the instinct of a blood hound,
purpOSely magnifying every insig-
nifcent tritfle, grossly misrepresent
ing every fact, publishing the
most unbluShing talsehOodS, and
brutally villifylng the man whose
appointment he could not defeat.
Again and again have the two
cOlored journals published in this
city, assured the young editor that
there was absolutely no foundation
TO his stories about the employees
In tue Recorders Office; that there
were actually four more colored
clerks employed by Mr.. Bruce than
by any of his predecessors, and
that the talk about coIOTed clerks
being removed from the front office
was mere mOonShine, but he has
gone on week after week repeating
the same stale falSehOOds.
Is it any wonder that such
man, living in CuyahOga County,
Ohio, a county that has three Oh
four times sent representative col
ored men to the Legislature, has
never been able to crown for him
self a position above that of a pet
ty coal oil inspector? a chronic
and pestiferous Office seeker, with
both hands against every man OF
marked success, he has never been
able to rise above the contempti-
BILE otScurity to which his selfish
ness, jealousy and unworthineSs
have assigned bin. We assure the
young man of our pity. He is the
victim of his own conduct.