The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-09-14
THE ASSAULT WAS FOR A TRUM,
PED UP CHARGE.

The press of the State Except the few
sheets that never criticize Radicals, but
misrepresent Democrats twenty-five out
Of every twenty-four months) have spoken
out plainly in denunciation of the attack
upon Editor Merritt at Asheville. They
see in it an indefensib1e assault upon
a political adversary, under the pretence
of avenging an alleged insult to a lady.
Perhaps the best exposition of the dis
graceful affair, with Appropriate comment,
appears in the Wilmington Messenger.
1t is so sensible and so wise that we give
it in full here as follows:
eff Congressman Blackburn intends to
travel over the State and attack every
editor who has published the news item
about his prospective marriage he will
have his hands full and when he gets
through his pugilistic campaign he will
, have no time left to devote to politics
in his district. What q disgraceful af-
fair was that at Asheville! An editor
wayIaid by a Congressman and party
of friends. one of them United States
Senator, and assaulted in the presence
of ladies. The Senator holds off all per-
sons who desire to prevent a breach of
he peace and another friend knocks
| down and kicks while PROSTATE a man
who acts as peace maker. Is not this
a fine record for the honorable Senator
and Congressman? Besides having dis
graced themselves in the eyes of all
decent people by a cowardly attack on
Mr.. Merritt, these honorable CD gem
tlemen have dragged lady's name into
| the affair in a way that must be most
humiliating to her.
1.-THE attack on Mr.. Merritt was das-
| tardly and cowardly. 1t looks mighty
| like a conspiracy, and we hope the affair
will be thoroughly investigated and if
| there was a conspiracy that the honor
able Senator and Congressman and the
valiant assistant who knocked down a
| peace-maker and then kicked him will
be made to suffer the full penalty of the
law.
| eve cannot see that there was any
! thing insulting in The Citizens refer
tainly was not more so than similar al
lusions which have appeared in many
| newspapers. Why the Blackburn mob
should have singled out The Asheville
| Citizens editor as the one on whom to
| take revenge is unexplainable except on
| the supposition that the article referred
to was made as an excuse for an attack
on Mr.. Merritt. The Citizen has waged
an aggressive warfare on the Republicans
Of the west and has greatly angered
| the Pritchard Blackburn gang. They
knew it would not do to attack the edi-
tor for his political articles. That
would iniure the party; so they trump
feeling that public sentiment would be
with them in resenting such an act on
The part of the editor and Furnishing
him: but they over-did the thing. The
attack was so cowardly and vicious
and the alleged reason for it so fimsy
| that all unbiased minds are forced to
the conclusion that these men were
guilty of the ungentlemanly conduct of
| using lady's name and bringing it into
ldisagreeable notoriety as a shield to
protect themselves from public condem-
nation.
eve wonder if Pritchard, Blackburn
and Cowles are goin, the rounds of the
State for the purpose of attacking all
editors who copied the same article
| that appeared in the Asheville paper.
If they do they should not confine their
! labors to the North Carolina editors.
! They should not discriminate in such a
matter against those editors of papers
outside of the State who published the
same article or ones similar to it. As
we said above, if these gentlemen I'M
dertake this lthey will have their hands
full and will have no time to devote to
political affairs. We think it would be
| better for them to wait until after the
| election. They will have more time
| then to devote to each editor and will
| have the modification and disappoint-
ment of defeat at the polls to add slim
ulant to their aggressiveness and vim
| dictveness against the men of the Demo-
cratic press.
"Pritchard and Blackburn should have
put off their assault on Mr.. Merritt I'M
til the next day; then they would have
had President Roosevelt present to wit