Durango semi-weekly herald., 1902-04-03
ANOTHER EPISTLE
FROM GRAHAM

Editor Durango Herald;
e Dear Sir:-I am too busy man to
act as assistant editor even with the
collaboration OF Jakway NJ. P. (which
suppose means either member of
parliament or mixed pricesl. Nor.
indeed. would | care to again assume
the role you assign me unless | could
alsp act as proof reader" for my
laA article was SO badly mutilated
that If any readers thereof had asked
me what | meant | would either have
had to refer to memory or manu-
script in order to enlighten them.
But there are a few things would
like to say. l suppose this man Day
is chuckling over the opportunity to
work his jaw in efforts to belittle, and
to utter falsehoods concerning one
who has always. at least. tried to do
his duty both as clerk, merchant and
citizen, and | see that Jakway, NJ. r.,
is evidently jubilant over the present
apparent success of his cheek and
gall in his efforts to usurp and mo-
hopolize the entire plumbing trade of
Durango. All right Let the one ex-
ercise his untruthful attempts at wit
and prostitute his socalled Demo
cratic paper into an organ for venting
<is personal spite upon those who
have not approved, and do not ap-
prove of his course (for | am only one
of many who have felt and been sub
jected to his uncalled for venomous
attacks.) Let him prate of his play
ing no favorites, and of his impair
fn1 al.
the cause of the people" for most of
his readers know that Hot Air, and
an intense desire for notoriety, and
an overweening idea of his ability and
Importance, and not justice fairness
or right, are the guiding motives of
all his talk and writing AS for in
stance he has made much talk of tax
dodgers, his utter adherence and de
testSWlon of all such, and that Prov-
dence had specially ordained him to
lS}nt them up; and when a body of
citizens met to form an association
whose sole purpose was to endeavor
to secure fairer and more even tax
alton, he must needs villify them all |
and cast slurs upon them day after
day in his scurrilous sheet, both indi- |
vidually and as an organization, even |
stating in his supreme self conceit |
that damning him was the main thing |
done at their meetings, when as a
fact | wish to assure him that his
name was never even mentioned. |
The association was formed in the
spirit of having no particular friends
nor enemies but to endeavor to do
oil hn .,ffa IN, hnt1 1,
county and city management. We
had other ideas in view than listen
ing to the barking of a cur at our
heels. Now when put to the test
what does this self appointed guar
dian of the peoples rights do? Why,
he ISLANDERS many of the largest tax
payers in the county and would lead
his readers, by inference and distort-
ed statements, to believe that they,
We're the tax dodgers and responsible
for the high per cent of taxation.
But when it comes to his "Pet" who
he is always stating has the largest
stock and does the most business in
his varied lines, does he make any re-
mark about, or allusion to, the sched
ule which he put in. and by some ho
GUS pocus got passed by both asses
sor and county commissioners? No
he does not play any favorites, he just
simply plays false to the county
whose interests he claims to uphold,
plays false to the party to which he
claims to belong, plays false to the
friends who We're deceived by his
plausible ways, playse false to even
= l., 10. al ,rt
plays the mischief generally, but
plays no favorites. Can this man
think that / dread his evil tongue, or
that malicious utterances from him,
in which he uses just sfiicient truth
to make the entire assertion all the
more damnably false, can injure me
in a community that has known me
and my actions for many years. AT
one time | did give him credit for
shrewdness and astuteness, but can't
do so any more. He compares the
efforts of his "Pet" to monopolZe and
control the entire plumbing trade OF
this city, to certain makes of articles
carried by different merchants. He
Asks, why should my "Pet" be asked
to give up the sole right to do plumb
ing here any more than Graden or
Kruschke be asked to give up their
best lines of shoes to some one else?
Or the Whitehall Co. be asked to
give up their Dunlap hat, etc? That
is what he calls "comparison'-
and what a comparison. Does Graden
or Kruschke claim the exclusive right
to sell shoes?
Does Whitehall Co. claim the ex-
elusive right to sell Hats?.. But
does not his "Pet" claim, or rather
wish and strive to claim the exclusive |
right to do all or any plumbing done |
here, and again after calling me many |
a time a hardware robber (even though |
t1had four other competitors,) he now
compares me to the man with knife |
up his sleeve to cut his one competi- !
tors prices. So his "Pet" has bus
mess agency" which he owns and
pAd for. That is news to me, | sim
ply supposed he joined the M. p. as
sociation and paid the customary
dues and fees, did not know he had
bought and paid for the exclusive