The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-04-11
THURSDAY......... APRIL II, 1901
Weather fO' ecGSt for Fred
qrtckS6urg and Vicinity
Fair THESdGy aoith fresh
10 brisk north aoiRdS.
THE VOICE FROM THE DEPTHS.


the knight OF The FREE LANCE. 1t
makes reference TO what it says was
an editorial in this paper on March
18th. THERE'S no copy of The FREE
LANCE of such date; but on March
26th we took the Warsaw paper to
task for its repeated iibes at THE
FREE LANCE anent the gubernatorial
contest. We presume thisi the issue
it refers TO, as this is about as near
to correctness as our contemporary
usually gets. An illustration oil uli-
fairness. too, is seen when it charges
that we had asserted that the News
had declared hands off in the guber-
material fight. Nosuch language can
be found in Oureditorial. Any words
used i'm such a connection were In
terms used by the News itself. These
are only few OF the incorrect state
mentsin its arrangement of THE FREE
LANCE. There are many other glar-
ing ones. but these will suffice to
break its arguments.
In the venOmOus and testy spirit II
displays when crossed it INDUCES Ill
gutter parlance, epithets and spit
tings that characterize those who re-
sort to abuse when at "A loss for argu-
ment. Its copyrighted aud thread
worn illustration of brick and pack
of dogs-the dernier resort OF sell
constituted censorship when brought
to bay-is again brought into action.
Truly its numerous throws OF late
must have been OF the pebble calibre
to have elected no earlier notice.
And Just here We are reminded OF an
answer. found in the columns OF the
News a few months back, to a similar
allusion-"While that may be true it
is no evidence that the injured man
deserved the blow, or that the
thrower elevated his social standing
by the act, or strengthened his cause
by committing it under the cover OF
darkness. Now, throw on.
Nevertheless we waive all excep-
tons TO the many breeches OF veracity
and courtesy-which have their place
only in low journalism, and which
usually debar such papers from the
notice Observation-Disclosures
as dispassionately as the aggrava-
ton and acquaintance with the writer
will permit. The editorial which we
must infer ourcontempOrary has ref
erence to was called forth by the
Warsaw papers persistent and windy
challenges, which presumably be-
cause OF their vituperative spirit, or,
possibly, lack OF dissemination, were
ignored by the State press, and would
have been passed over by THE FREE
LANCE but for the fact that the News
was continually and personally bring
ing it to our attention. Also, the
rantings had become so ludicrous
that we were enticed into giving them
prominence-Or, that is, the purport
of them, which was Mr.. Montague's
laudation made second only to Con-
gresham Jones boosting. Nopaper
that we know of had transcribed
legitimate bounds in arraigning Mr..
Jones in his campaigning for MOnta-
que, but his home paper thought he
needed defending, and so it saw to it
that he was studiously pulled, going
even to the extent, it would appear,
of envying honors attributed to
others for the political advancement
OF Mr.. Montague. 1t insisted that
Mr.. Jones deserved more credit than
did Mr.. Swanson for securing the
prize of Acknowledgement for Mr..
Montague; so his paper forced the is
sue into the gubernatorial fight, in
which other men and not he were
candidates. Credulous enoughto be-
lieve that there was some foundation
for the claim and that it twas informa-
ton received from headquarters we be-
gan disseminating it, when 10, and be-
hold we are taken to task for bring
ing Mr.. Jones into a fracas into
which he had himself iumpedl
The writer OF the editorial in the
News-which editorial, by the way,
was quite tardy in appearing, prob
ably because of the itinerancy of the
chief-has again as the burden Of his
tune of woe the discovery Of
filings" at Mr.. Jones. Wecrave per-
mission, to remind these sticking
plasters and the coterie Of writer's on
that paper-from the "big" man
down to the shriveled shrimp-that
the one made the subject OF the dis
cussion is the Congressman OF this
District, and as such is a public serv-
ant; that when his acts are brought
topublic noticeno repulsive language
or curtained insinuations shall keep
US from paying our respects to
him. He should face without a
whimper the music that he is so fond
OF piping for others who do not fall
into his ranks. The anti-Jones man
agement behind TIE FREE LANCE,
which the News takes such delight in
attempting to hold up topublic gaze,
has piyen the man behind the War