Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-06-23

faith in the Queen City, now comes
with dismal croakings-of the dull
city. OF the dead and dying city. We
| could not believe 1t but for the pages
before US. That is not like the Char
lotte Observer. and in all friendliness
we say. 80. We respect that papers
convictions, and we hope It will repent
Of Its unworthy way of expressing
them. The want Of bar-rooms never
yet destroyed a city. But croakins
will inJure any place. How iii II be-.
comes Charlotte!"
We should think after this that even
charity and children would begin to
smell little smoke.
OF course, the Wilmington Messen-
ger quotes the Observer with giee.
Wilmington has the open saloon, has
Wilnkngton-the source Of prosperity
and editorial NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
Charlotte was prospecting before II
abolished saloons, just as Wilmington
is today. But there [. hardly any bus
iness, unless perhaps that of the saloon
newspaper. that has not felt the good
effects Of turning the saloon money In
to other channels.
Not content with this exhibition Of
spite against a city In which the OBJ
server has totally lost its leadership.
the Observer has begun a malicious and
outrageous course Of persecution Of
the city administration that It twice
tried In vain to defeat. It has charged
II with wastefulness, extravagance, In
competency and covertly with graft.
The editor Of the Standard gave
whole day to the investigation Of these
charges and the answers Of the on
cials to them. Their answer was abso-
lutely conclusive, and absolutely prov
ed by the facts. After the publication
Of the answer. there was nothing left
for the Observer to do but to make the
poor reparation Of an apology to Of
ficials and the public. No honorable
newspaper would have attempted any
thing else, and, In saying that, the
Standard is only echoing the deliberate
Judgment of fair-minded men, former
ly counted friends Of the Observer.
That the Observer should have 20 far
degenerated from its former position
as fair-minded paper Is a melan-
choly example indeed.
simultaneously with the charge In
the Observer against these city ON
ciais, whose real objectionable offence
was their bold stand against the saloon
and all its works. foreman Of the
grand jury himself disappointed of.
fice-seeker of the perpetual kind, who
was defeated In his latest, though we
fear not his last, aspirations by the
present mayor Of the city. grew extra
ordinarily solicitous as to the sale to
the city of certain commodities. There
is no allegation that the city paid an
unfair price for these commodities.
AS to the question OF law we profess
ignorance. But that nothing wrong
was done we can confidently afirm
after full investigations.
And the charges OF the Observer
have only succeeded In bringing out the
facts that during the last saloon admin
istration the city had been mulcted TO
the extent Of some $4,000 In single
deal. A mayor and an alderman put
their own price on water-works sys-
tenn which they sold to the city, that
is, to themselves. And the Obser-
yer applauded.
The Observer confessed Its own In
competency in handling the matter OF
the city's finances by admitting that
II had gotten its figures from an un-
named individual who made the trt-
fling mistake Of $4,000 In one item.
In fact, the Observer Is incompetent
to do any such work. And we say to
1t again that while people are proven
bially patient with Its infirmity, the as
saults on the character Of good and
true msn must stop, In the name OF
common decency. Such men have a
ready retort that Is all that would be
needed as an explanation Of the Obser-
vers erratic course. 1t Ii monument
to their patience that they have not
come out and said why the Observer Is
no longer to be seriously considered In
regard to Its statements. But the OBJ
server must not be allowed to run
amuck continuously. And plain speak
ing may be a duty, just as silence has
been a charity. TO-"