The Meridional. (Abbeville, La.) 1856-1906, 1891-06-27
PERSONALLY PERSONAL.

On January l, 1891, having acquired
a proprietary interest in the MERI-
DIoNAL I made public announcement
through its columns of the fact of my
assuming charge of the paper. That
no name is paraded before the public
as editor is a matter of little moment.
All but one of the city dailies and a
large percentage of the country papers
have discarded the luxury of a nominal
editor. People do not are WHO writes
for a paper; it is WHAT is written that
concerns them most. Not a line has
appeared in this paper since IhaVe had
charge of it, for which | will not upon
application cheerfully produce the au-
thor. That any one should indulge in
idle conjecture and senseless %vitupera-
ton IN preference to adopting a more
manly course is suspicious. If S. P.
Watts, o any one else, feels aggrieVed
. 'rH '.=
the door of redress stands wide open.
Before dismissing the subject | take
occasion to say that / am wholly averse
to resting even constructively under the
faintest shadow of an unjust imputation,
and that if, lacking the courage to
charge directly, it be the intention of
S. P. Watts ~covertly to insinuate that
the %opprobious epithets employed by
him are in anywise applicable to me,
I unreservedly brand him as a foul
ealumniator and a despicable wretch
whom it would be rank fattery to call
a coward. c.. j. EDwARDRs.
Editor Meridional !:
Dear Sir-Through the kindness of
a friend, | was handed q copy of the
Vermilion Star of the 10th inst, on
tanning a statement derogatory to my
character and reputation, which / can
not pass unnoticed.
In order that no injustice may be
done, I have inserted the Objectionable
statement:
Many of our good friends have long
wondered how it was that we could so
tamely submit to the yillalnous assaults
made on us by the Meridional. When
RAYMOND Breaux had his name up as
Editor, he was legally, but not morally
responsible for what went into the paper;
for others did their dirty werk behind the
scene, thus making a tool of him.
= Now, it seems quite singular that as
long as / was conducting the editorial
department of the MERIDIoNAL, and
residing almost within stones throw of
Watts, that he, under the charges pre-
ferred against him by myself, main
tanned the most ~vociferous silence,
which silence was only broken when he
presumed that I was at a safe distance
from him and would probably never
hear of his vicious and knavish attempts
to assasinate my reputation. For nine
months 7 have never seen a copy of his
contemplate sheet, and naturally sup
posed that Wattsy was still vegetating
astride the fence, too puslllanimous to
take either side of any question, Which
graceful position he has adorned from
the first issue of his puny sheet.
Without occupying further space, |
hereby pronounce the statements Of
Watts in regard to myself to be MALI
cious and WillfUl fabrieations, only pro-
voked by the supposition that | would
never hear of his attack upon me; and
his silence during my stay in AbbeVille,
was prompted by a conscientious regard
for the welfare of his own precious car
cass, and not by any consideration of
nmoral responsibility as he would
have one believe. The cur knows that
Twas both legally and moralIyresponsible
for every line inserted in the MERI-
DIoNAL during my editorial manage
ment of that paper, and while some as
sistance may have been occasionally
rendered by friends, I am ready and
willing to identify the author of every
article appearing in the paper,
during the time mentioned, and
hereby guarantee personal satisfaction
to this %poltroon at any timo, and in any
manner he may select.
Apologizing for this intrusion upon
your space and the patience OF your
readers, / beg to remain,
Yours truly,
RAYMOND BRE4UX.
Rayne, June %, 1891.