The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1898-02-22
OUR POSITION DEFENDED.


The Times to enter into that NEST un-
profitable Of all things, newspaper con-
tIoversy, hut there are one or two things
in the article signed ga Toyler," and
published in Sundays edition, that seem
to demand reply. The writer never
made greater mistake than he did when
he hazards the opinion that The Times is
"a paid organ of the. Norfolk and Western
railroad" or any other corporation
Surely he could not belong to that large
class whose COMMUNICATIONS we SO often
SEQ signed "a Constant Reader" or he
would have found out long ago that The
Times is the peoples paper and has al
ways stood for such. Should there be any
doubt of this we will take pleasure in
giving him access to the files offThe
Times, which will show for themselves
If he should, however, want still further
proof, he will find it in the manner in
which it has championed the delinquent
land act. --championed it, too, when to do
so was adverse to the interests of The
Times from monetary standpoint. No,
we can assert without fear of successful
contradiction that..it cannot be shown
wherein The Times has ever in any in
stance ever lent its influence to any cor
poration as against the interest of the peo.
pie.
AS to the article referred to, which has
called forthothe criticism of GA Toyler."
we can only say that 1t was written from
what we conceived to be a com mon sense
standpoint of the situation, and that our
own views have been amply confirmed by
the many expressions OF concurrence in
them, that we have since had from some
OF Roanoke's representative men-who
have no interest In the Norfolk and Wes-
tern read, other than the general interest
which we have claimed that every man
who lives in Roanoke should have.
AS to the tabuated sheet setting forth
the comparative wages paid the employees
Of various roads, as our correspondent
has intmated 1t was ,ne that had been
gotten up by the Norfolk and Western
road, and having the wide circulation it
have fallen :.;to our hands Since the
statement was signed officially By the
road vice president, Mr.. Barr, The Times
felt that it was safe in making the asser-
.ions il did. If these assertions were incor-
rect, then there has been ample time for
correction from official quarters. We are
not sufficiently conversant with Iailroa, Il
matters to enter inl1 criticism OF the
method which either our correspondent
or the compiler of the tabulatcd sheet
has employed in arriving It the average
wages paid the operators by various Dads.
We simply took the statement as we
fodnd it, and in all good faith made as.
sertions based upon it,but as any paper in
the country that prints news would have
been justified in doing. THAT the Norfolk
md Yves tern is the one thing that has
made Roanoke, and upon which she is
dependent for her existence, there can lie
no quest on, and how the giving utter.
ance to such an opinion could he con.
strued into turning over its editorial col
umns to corporation we are at n loss
to see.
AS we said in the outset of this arti-
Gle it is not the wish of The Times to en-
ter into controversy over the Norfolk
and Western road or even any other sub
;ect. and hut for the fact that we wished
it emphatically and for all time under.
stood that The Times is not nor never
has been the tool of any corporation, we
would not have made this reply. AZ it
is, so far rs we are concerned, this closes
the question.
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