Birmingham state herald., 1897-04-09
THE SILLY ADVERTISER.

- THE SILLY ADVERTISER. Of all newspapers in America claiming to be state papers the Montgomery Ad- vertiser takes the cake for inconsistency. For several years the people have thought when the Advertiser would make "nineonpoop" of itself that it was playing the people for fools. and that it really knew better The State Herald must acknowledge that it also has been led into such belief and has so stated on different occasions. Our suspicious were aroused when the Advertiser made its silly attack on the Jacksonville Demo- crat when it claimed that because there had been no hanging in Calhoun county argued that crime had been allowed to go unpunished on account of the loose- ness in enforcing the law, and not that the morals were any better or that crime had been any less for the lack of hang ings.
 It will be remembered that the Adver- tiser has taken special pains to call at- tention to the fact that the tax com mission law would work a great hardship on the taxpayers and the commissioners would quit their jobs retired bondhold- CTS, without anything to do in the future but clip coupons and enjoy the luxuries of life. The pigmies who would make such a law were as small in the eyes of the Advertiser as those described in Gull livcr's travels, and the political giants to crush them cut were equally as large as those noted in the same familiar tales.
 The resignation of Mir. Aubrey Har- we'll chief clerk to the State Commission CT, because he could not see where his pay was to come in, and which first ap- peared in the Advertiser, rather quieted that journal on the tax commission question; and when the Butler county commissioner resigned for similar reas- ons and abused the law as unjust because it failed to carry out the Advertisers idea that it would feather the commits sioners- nest for all time to come, and caused that paper to close up like ter rapin on the tax commission law.
 The next recourse was to strike the ad- minstration over the shoulders of the oil inspectors. This was the law of all laws to fix fat offices, and thus aid in the reelection of Gov. Johnston. Day in and day out that paper has been harp ing on the great advance in the price of coal oil, the result of the new law.
 
 law would also work a hardship on the people greater than could have been brought about by the free coinage of silver
 Now in the face of all these assertions the Advertiser yesterday published the following editorial which not only an- swers every argument offered against the law but brands the writer silly 'nincompoop," whose stock in trade is malice without judgment. and assertions without proof or argument.
 We reproduce the editorial in full not that it merits the space but simply to show why in the past we have only re- ferred to these articles without burden ing the reader with such silly utterances or to give publicity to the fact that Ala bama has such weak newspaper claim ing to represent the state whose only claim to so high a rank in truth and in fact is that it is the only morning paper published at the capital:
 MT. Bellamy, coal oil inspector for the Third District reports against the oil inspected at Dothan and Abbevillc Now what IS going to be done with the oil? Perhaps they will do it like they do vine gar up in Pennsylvania, as we are told by the New York Times that "acting un- der the pure food law of Pennsylvania, a Pittsburg inspector some weeks ago seized large quantities of vinegar that did not come up to the State require ments and emptied it into convenient gutters.' Some of the vinegar had not been paid for by the dealers when it was confiscated, and the result is an interest," ing legal question which will turn on the responsibility of storekeepers who order goods from another state and then tell tho manufacturers to look for payment to officers of the law who destroy those goods in the performance of their sworn duty. This is what some of the Pitts burg dealers have done, and a St. Louis vinegar maker expresses fierce deter mination to get his money from some- body or other. "The rights of property are sacred" runs his lett<r to the attor- neys whom he has employed to push the case. and these goods were not sold subject to the standard or local laws of subject to the technicalities of the stand ard or local laws of Pennsylvania We inclose the original order on which we. in good faith, shipped the vinegar. We pro- pose to obtain our property or payment therefor from some one. We do not be- lieve that the inspector had any authori- ty whatever to destroy the property and we are confident no court of justice or equity would uphold him in such &C., tion." The. inspector shows no anxiety as to the result of the suit, and says the manufacturer cannot collect a cent either from him or the dealers on whose premises the vinegar was seized
 This is the first case reported in this State where oil has not far exceeded the proof of the test required by law, and there may be yet some explanation of it. It is said that kerosene oil exposed to light and weather very soon loses It's strength. B i