Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-09-04

that there is connected with the newspa
per profession, a great many disreputable
persons. They include men who are
smart, bright and quick; but utterly de-
void of principle, and who look upon
public men as their choicest and most
profitable prey. A common practice
among them is to join the crowd in the
applause of popular candidate. For in
stance, they publish nice things to please
the people, and. incidentally, the candi-
date. And then, when its all over and the
candidate gets there, it is not an unusual
thing for them to put a very high esti.
mate on their supposed services and de-
mand compensation on their own terms.
Very often these terms amount to the levy
of blackmail, and when the candidate re-
fuses to be blackmailed, it is not surprising
that the shyster journalist should stoop to
anything, even to deliberate lying, to
blast the reputation and standing of his
intended victim.
During long experience in the news.
paper business, large number OF these
kind of journalists have come under our
observation. We have seen them in pol
itics, business and other vocations. Up
on reading the communication of Mr..
Gibson in The Register, from the circum-
stantial account he gave, it dawped upon
us that he was probably a journalist of the
kind described. We could not say posi-
lively yet, for we are not possessed OF the
facts; but when the same communication
reappeared in The Register, with the
word advertisement" over it, indicating
that it was paid for at so much line, we
were convinced, to a moral certainty, that
the whole thing was a diabolical concoc-
ton of rascality, which easily took place
as the leader of all the Infamous lies that
were introduced in the campaign.
For instance, take Gibson's story on its
merits. He says he run his paper in the
interest of McLaurin. If he did that, he
was all the while deliberately deceiving
his subscribers, for they had reason to
suppose that the paper was being run in
their interest. And if he lied to his
subscribers for Mr.. McLaurin, is 1t
surprising that he would lie to the people
of the whole state against him, especially ?
after Mr.. McLaurin had refused to pay
an assessed price for his previous lying =?
And then again, as to The Mountaineer's
suggestion as to ingratitude, etc. We do
not like that much. Mr.. McLaurin is
under obligations for his election; but it
is not to any individual or any news
paper. 1t is to the whole state. Though
many of the newspapers supported him
earnestly, he does not owe one OF them
thing. They are not supposed to have
been actuated in the matter so much on
account of consideration for him, as for
their subscribers, and this being the case,
no matter how much service any of them
might have been the means of rendering,
the bill is settled. So let us not hold Mr..
McLaurin to too strict account just yet.
He is in a very conspicuous position,
where he is easily watched, and let us
watch him. If he develops ''ingratitude"
to individuals or newspapers, let US pay
no attention to it; but if he should finally
develop ingratitude to the whole people,
or if he should commit any of those
crimes so freely predicted by his oppo-
nents on the stump, let us take him down.
In the meantime, however, let us give
him chance and see if he will not do all
that we are expecting of him.