The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-06-01
Wednesday, June l, 1892
Higher Plane.

The Columbia Register announces desire
to conduct the political campaign on high
er plane than one Of mud.slingng.
In that proposition we fully concur. and, in
so far as this newspaper is concerned. we ex
pect to try to be respectful and just to all.
Viewing the situation from our standpoint
there is absolutely nothing in this campaign
except the Offices and we care very little
as to who gets them.
This newspaper expects no Office, and OK
poets nothing from anybody which its editor
does not earn by hard work.
1t will make o difference to us, or our kin
dred, whether Tillman or Sheppard is elected
but We reserve the right to vote as we please
in the primary.
If our contemporary, the Register, will al
low the suggestion, we would express the be-
lief that that paper would raise itself In the
estimation OF many people in every walk o.
life, IL 1t treated political opponents with
little respect and some courtesy. The candi
dates in the field against the office-holding
gentlemen ure OF at least fair character, and
their supporters are men not entirely devoid
OF respectability.
Our contemporary being man of good abil
ity himself and having had n large expe
rience In journalism, certainly knows that
the calling OF names Is not a commendable
practice.
We will not characterize the act OF gentle,
man in calling brother editor. "Old
Granny" "Me Too" and such other pet
names, nor is it necessary to speak of the ha'
bitual practice OF speaking of the opposition
candidates supporters as "Sheep," and the
"Ring-rule crowd
We presume in court Of justice. If the
question of respectability was made between
the two parties that neither party would be
awarded a monopoly OF the decency or re-
spectability Of the country.
The Registers warfare on the unoffendinG
portion OF our citizens, and It's appeal to the
prejudice Of the many against the few may
avail for little while, but such course is
ruinous in the end. All the people cannot he
fooled all the time, and there may be time
when the Register might be glad to have the
patronage or some OF the very people that it
is now SO vigorously insulting.
AS an object lesson, we would cite our broth
er editor to the career of the Charleston
World. For awhile that paper pursued very
much the line Of policy which is outlined by
the Reg lister. For while the subscriptions
poured in, and the Governor and other Of
ficers gave it their support for short time.
When the Government withdrew its support,
the Alliancemen bad to do as their lead
ers directed, and so the World went down as
quickly as it rose. Having already array ed
itself against one portion of the people, it was
without a constituency when the Alliance
men withdrew.
The only way TO make newspaper sue
cess is to print paper for all the people in It's
legitimate field.
The territory and the population is not
large enough in this State TO make a success
OF paper that fights one-half the people. and
is printed for a single faction or coterie Of any
party.
And even If 1t were large enough and the
population sufficiently numerous, where is
the sense, the propriety or the policy OF array
ing one-half the people against a paper?
The public have not only right TO know
an editors political bias, but they should de-
mand an expression Of his opinions. This
does not necessarily involve an insult to po-
litical opponents.
The expressions OF political views, or the
advocacy Of a particular line Of policy is quite
another thing from offering insult and ridi-
cule 10 those who do not agree with the edi.
tor.