Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-10-28
BURNING ISSUES.

that 1t be printed In our issue ol this
Sunday morning.
| Ordinarily communications are pub
lished in our columns without COM
ment, but inasmuch as the one here
given Is addressed to the Leader, and
signed, "Yours to discuss" we feel
that the proprieties of the occasion
permit us to say at least a few words
concerning it. But first let us have
the communication, and here 1t is
verbatim, including punctuation and
quotation marks:
Marietta, Ohio, Oct. 27, 1900.
Editor Marietta Leader.
My Dear Sir
Having full confidence in the intel
ilgence of the people of this Congress
sional district and believing that they
were tired of machine politics." with
which we have been so sorely afflicted
for the past eight years, and that the
independent voters of all parties were
ready and determined to retire the po-
litical bosses, and by enthroning the
people compel the bureau of prom
ises" to cease doing business Nov. 6
1900, and to declare by their ballot
that four successive terms were quite
sufficient to honor any man and afford
ample opportunity for one of genius
and ability to do his country lasting
and creditable service: l have been
content to leave my cause to their
calm, deliberate and dispassionate
judgment, and am now ready for their
verdict without further comment; but
inasmuch as you and few other lead
ing papers have so often intimated a
desire to "hear me" publicly discuss
my claims to the suffrage of my fellow
voters, and as other papers are pub
licly charging that my opponent is
afraid to appear before an audience in
his home city, now, if this charge is,
as l sincerely trust, untrue, and you
really do desire to hear me, and you
can Induce my opponent, your candi-
date, to do 30, ] will gladly meet your
Mr.. VanVoorhis in GAINESVILLE and Ma
rietta, our homes, land, II possible, in
each of the other county seats Of the
district and there publicly discuss
our respective claims to the suffrage
of the voters of this the 18th Congress
sional district of Ohio. You, no doubt,
have noticed that such a 'joint de-
bate" has already been suggested in
two. other papers Of the district. II
you will kindly aid In bringing this
about, will cancel all conflicting en-
gagements and assure you that your
desire CD to "hear me" shall be as full
ly gratified as the occasion and my
ability will permit. l am,
Most truly,
Yours to discuss,
L. w. ELLENWOOD.
P. S. Beverly Dispatch" McCon-
nelsville Herald" and Post Master
Barr's Paper" please copy.
Inasmuch as the Leader is not
candidate for any political office, it is
somewhat difficult to figure out as to
just why Mr.. Ellenwood has chosen to
address us. However, we are indeed
pleased to know that he has done so,
and we are delighted beyond measure
because of the beautiful, dignified arg
yes, the sublime language
in which his note is couched. An ad-
miring public is always proud of
genius, and the strong arguments
above presented prove beyond perad-
venture that Mr.. Ellenwood is a gen.
ius of the highest order. 1t must be
gratifying to his partisan friends to
know that he is desirous, in the last
hours of the campaign, to discuss the
great questions of the hour, such as
machine politics" political Bosses"
bureau of promises etc, and it must
be equally as gratifying to know that
such small questions as free silver"
imperialism" trusts" and the many
other Democratic paramount issues"
are too Insignificant for his august no.
tice, A man, especially a candidate
for public favor, who indicates his de-
sires to enter into a TRADE of persol-
alities rather than to discuss the perth
inent issues of the campaign shows
that he surely has a high conception
of the eternal fitness of things"
Yes, Mr.. Ellenwood, the Leader, rec
ognlzed as the straight Republican
paper of Washington county, is an ar
dent supporter of Mr.. VanVoorhls in
his candidacy for Congress, just as it
is a supporter of the entire Republi-