The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-02-24
THE CAPITAL AND THE PRINTING

1 ON4 AO4SAOOAS liz NEN
cent issue made us a lecture about our
attitude toward the State printing con-
troversy. He takes occasion to do this
from something we wrote in our last
issue about the selection Of the Rail
road Commissioners. We fail to see
any connection between the appoint
ment of the Railroad Commissioners
and the State Printing contract. But
nevertheless such connection may
exist. For we make no claim to ability
to see remote resemblances; and we
have not been connected with journal
ism long enough to have acquired the
skill which a connect the State
Printing contract with every other
subject that m up. We hope the
CAPITAL will bear with us. We may
learn after awhile how to see the
State Printing matter upon the front
of what the almanac says o the
changes of the moon. But we have
not acquired that distinguished ability
vet. We + using the very best of
our poor powers to learn from the
shining examples of our n~lustrious
contemporaries, and we do not entirely
despair of success.
The Capital says, in effect, that we
have lately written one II two rose
water editorials" Really we were not
aware that we bad used rOsewater in
the editorial department Of The Pre-
GREssIvE FARMER. But we suppose we
must have done so. Well, we are glad
we used the ''rosewater." When we
were fumbling around in the labOra-
tory of journalism, in search of some
liquid with which to lubricate and
| perfume our ideas, we are glad we did
not get hold of the tincture of assa-
foetida. We make no denial of the
''rosewater' business.
Our neighbor also says we used
general platitudes about reform. -
Again we are glad. We knew that
certain of our contemporaries had a
corner on particular platitudes; and
we should have been excluded from
one Of the most comforting and extern
sive resources of journalism if we had
not felt at liberty to use the stock of
general platitudes." We are glad
that we had our resource in this in
stance without interfering with the
monopoly enjoyed by some of our
brethren of the press.
It may not be amiss to tell the Capt.
t0L that THE PROGRESSIVE FARMER dis
tlnctly stated at the opening of the
State Printing controversy that it in
tended to take no part in the fight; and
the ''rOsewater editorial" referred to
by Jul contemporary was written to
explain to our readers our reason for
not taking part in the discussion of the
printing matter. We understood that
a sharp contest would be waged over
the State Printing by two of the daily
newspapers of this city; and we had
been accused of being in a combination
with one of them, for our wv selfish
ends; and, taking all these things into
account, we thought it best to stand
aloof altogether. And we think the
style Of the fight has been the vindica-
ton of our wisdom. We have taken
no part in this unhappy fight, and we
have no intention of being drawn into
it now. The printing committee of
the legislature, and both Houses of the
General Assembly have passed upon
this matter, as we understand, after
taking testimony on both sides and lis
tening to all the arguments pro and
con. And we are not vain enough to
think that opinion upon such a
subject is more nearly right than the
expressed opinion of the men whose
business it was to look into this mat
ter, and whose sworn duty it was to
protect the people. If III contempt
rary knows that any member of the
legislature has acted corruptly in this
matter, let it call out his name and
brand him with the wrong, and we
will stand by it in the contest. But
we are not willing to use our place as a
journalist to cover the names of honest
men with reproach upon the mere If
responsible whisperings and inuendoes
of the parties who are smarting under
a sense of defeat In this contest.
The PROGRESSIVE FARMER has had
no selfish end to secure in this matter.
It did not want the printing for itself.
It did not want the printing for any of
it's friends. It did not want to break
anybody down, Or build anybody up,
by means of the printing contract.
And it does not intend to be made a
party to any sort of contest in connec-