The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1894-02-16
CAN'T STAND FIRE.
The BAPTIST WITNESS AND THE
OCALA BANNER.
Manuscript Rejected on the Ground that
it Attac4sits Job 0fioe-A Sample
ieoe of Unfairness.


I ieoe of Unfairness.
In its issue Of February 7th, the
Baptist Witness published the follow
ing about the Banner and its
editor.
THE BIBLE MIsAPPLIED.-H Hon. L, +. Harris, of
Ocala in a unique article published IN the lines
Union aud the Ocala Banner last week compared
the two thugs who pounded each other in Jack
sonville for the entertainment of crowd of
gamblers and for a purse Of $4,000, to Samson
aud David. two famous Bible characters, who
pended their best strength, both physical and
mental IN glontying God and improving the
ciety of the times. According to our judgment
he could just as well compare Wilkes Booth,
Ciuitcau aud Prendegast to Geo Washington. [,
; Grant and Robt. +. Lee
We are surprised that Mr. Harris, standing in
the front rank of the editorial fraternity of the
state aud all honorel member of the Board of
Trustees of our state College at Lake City, would
come out over his own signature in OF
Fioridas great tl1lies and prostitute the Bible to
a level with prize lighting and mold up such
character as the brutal Jim Corbett as an ex-
ample to our young men The following are his
closing words ana clearly show which side he is
ON;
We must not to harshly censure those who
are just now engaged in showering praises and
adulations on the victor of the hand tohand
combat that SO recently occurred in the metro
polls Of our state 1t is the natural and neces
sary outgrowth OF tle moral intellectual aud
religious lessons ofthe ages and will not be
stopped as long our civilization is as it is.
According to the Citizen, editor Frank Harris
sees no harm i'll the establishment Of the lottery's
prntshops' at Port Tampa City. We are afraid
that Nr Harris reputation gained by many
years OF brave. honest aud liberal journalism
will he seriously impaired if not totally wrecked,
if he does not stop eXcusing prize fights and
lotteries Baptist Witness.
To which the editor of the Banner
made the reply appended hereto but
which the editor of the Witness re-
turned unpublished on the ground
that it was san attack on the Witness
job office and the Florida Citizen"
This point we shall not argue, but will
permit our fair minded readers to
Judge for themselves.
TUE EDITOR OF THE BANNERS ) REPLY.
OCALA, FLA, Feb. s, 1894.
rothe Editor ofthe Baptist Witness
Mr.. Horace Greeley, the most emil
nenU journalist of his times, had fire.
quent occasion to criticise the pubic
utterances of hs contemporaries, but
along with his criticisms appeared the
utterances of the man he criticised.
This was simple fairness. 1t was fair
to the man who excited the vig0r and
fierceness of his pen, and was fair to
his readers, and yet it helped to lift
the American press to the high plane
of journalism it has since occupied.
However roughly his adversary was
handled he could not complain be-
cause his ugterances appeared in the
columns of the same paper in which he
was criticised. And Mr.. Greeley's pa
per was not exceptional in this re-
gard. 1t is the settled policy, was
then and is now, OF many of the lead
irg secular newspapers of the country,
and the religious press should not be
less fair. Indeed, it should set the
example for fairness. The veriest
criminal is not condemned before the