Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1898-12-24
CORRESPONDENTS.
Something Better than Nothing.
RATION Mn doc Il ISoS

| o"titu my arg uH1eulS. Inc cOnSter-
nation of defeat has confounded YOUR
Judgment. When robber attempts
to steal my purse the law juslliies me
IN using all necessary force. even to
resort to the use of dangerous and
deadly weapons to repel his assaults.
Should the offender be manned or
wounded by my resistance of his un-
lawful action, the law would hold me
guil;less, and the community would
rejoice and praise me for offending
and maintaining my rights. If this
be true, how much more important If
Is, and how much more justified | am
IN using every instrument aud every
power OF language to repel, in this in
tellectual contest, the hypocriical at
tacks and pretenslons of an educated
fraud-the worst of all frauds upon
earth, because gifted with an Intel
hgence capable of doing such immense
damage. The highway robber at least
makes his attack in the open and
stands ready to suffer the consequences
of his crime if caught, while Won.
"Jackson.' fighting like a bushwback
err, attempt to steal away the minds of
the people from the true issue by
covert queries and rob the members Of
the Allegany delegation to the last
Legislature of their just honor and
reputation, and then cry like u licked
puppy because man, in the exercise
OF constitutional liberty, uses proper
means to repel your insldous attacks.
Sir, let me tell you. when you ATTEMPT
to brand the mem bers of the last legis-
lative delegation from this county as
devoid of the characteristics of true
men, as recreants to public trusts. as
traitors to their cause, by asserting.
among other things, that they sold the
elective clause OF the mining bill to
the operators, you should not crv
aloud with lugubrious wall when Won
are properly labeled before the eyes of
an intelligent community. If YOU
have concentrated all the resources of
your ingenious brain upon the manu-
facture of lies, why complain of "uply
insinuations p If you have exhaust
ed the fertility of your mind in en-
deavorlng to make the English Ian
guage express the connections of your
imagination, why do you now, with
the child-like blandness of an idiot.
complain that the English language
contains the proper words to describe
the contempt and detestation in which
all honest men hold all such dishonest.
undetermined and contemplate meth
DDS!
Let us again attempt to reason with
you; let us again see what the pure
light of truth discloses in your posi-
ton and contentious.
FIRST, you state that Senator Dick
promised the miners an elective clause
in the mining bill. True, he did: and
this is the only truthful assertion YOU
have made, and the only apparent
reason for telling the truth once is
that you might hold up Senator Dick
as a violntor of his pledge. But when
the official record of the last Legisla-
ture was produced and showed that
Senator Dick kept his pledge to the
very letter, | asked if you knew YOU
were lying in stating the contrary.
and you now virtually acknowledge
that you did know you were lying by
saying that you ''knew better,n that
you knew it was not lost in the Senate
Out OF your own mouth proceeds YOUR
own condemnation on this point.
But, like gambler detected in
cheating, you must find some way to
bolster up your shattered reputation,
and, therefore, you say, fo1sooth, that
the mining bill Is no good without the
elective clause. 1t seems almost idle
to state that this is another instance
where your Annanlas proclivities pre-
dominate. Are you aware that, with
the exception OF clause making the
Mine Inspector elective, not one word
or sentence OF the present mining bill
would be changed to give the miners
everything they asked. The present
Mine Inspector is vested with the au-
thorlty and powers that he would have
received had the elective clause been
inserted, and had he been elected bv
the voters of Garrett and Allegany
counties. This iSnot mere assertion,
An examination of the mining bill
will substantlate my position. That
the mining bill Is worthless without
the elective clause is Us false as anv
other foul fabrication of your diseased
imagination. If the Mine Inspector
has not put the law in operation, If he
is neglectlng his duties, if he is violat-
ing his oath, he can be indicted by the
incoming grand jury and removed
from office. ",Iackson,n you would
be an excellent man to lead in secur-
Ing such an indictment; you, who in
quirea why delegation of miners
was not called to Annapolis to be
heard on the elective clause - would
be an excellent man to lead them.
Had delegation of miners been sent
to Annapolis the probabilities are,
Judging by past experiences, that
every member of the delegation upon
his return would have been discharged
from his employment. But it is evil
dent that you, Jackson" miner,
loaded down with the assumed defence
and championship of the cause of your
brother miners, would be eager to act
upon suggestion and lead in move
ment that entails no such risk. The
miners incur no risk IN having the
gland jury summons the Mine In
spector into their presence and in in
vestigatlng his actions. Lead them.
"Jackson,' and see whether the min
ing bill is mo good with the elective
clause left out"
Again, you have, with poll parrot
reiteration, stated that James Camp
bell says, IN substance, that the cleo
tive clause was compromised to satisfy
the coal operators. You would lead