Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-04-21

ht'cal purposes. The accuser should
specify, not insinuate; no such thing
was ever laid at our door, and
if done We never knew it. We
challenge the proof. Aud, delving
still lower, the vicious (insane, ire
sponsible is more chsritable) propen.
sity of the last writer for the News
slurs on this wise: Its editor
and proprietor has never advocated
local option in its columns while a
candidate for office, and yet assured
the element controlling a certain
summer resort that he did not sign
the petition for "a local option cleo.
ton, and that he was opposed TO
making the local option fight"
Which means that the editor of the
CITIZEN has done these things. Dis
robed of the mean inference that he,
she or them CIT would probably
have struck the critter) would convey
to the public, the charge in the main
is true. 1t has never been secret
that Editor Lee at the beginning OPP
posed the local option move; he had
STAYED it off for three years already;
he foresaw the ruptures and the hard
work ahead. But when Evangelist
Lee sprung the movement here, Editor
Lee never hesitated one moment;
when the issue came he did not strad-
die (and continue straddling as some
are yet doiDg); he threw his paper
into the breach; and we think the
CITIZEN did a little gcod-anyhow
we have been getting the "cussing"
and the whacks ever since (and some
of the unregenerate are still "a GUS
sing" as, vide Warsaw News of
April l4. When the petition was
circulated in his church here
Editor Lee would have signed
but the pastor and others suggested
that as he was a political leader and
county chairman they perferred not
lending a political significance to
the movement. These things are
known here, never been hidden and
never before held up for censure. 1t
remained for some of the News close
friends few years later at Montross
to bring up the issue of temperance
against Editor Lee-some of the same
crowd, doubtless, that had perpetrated
the robbery on the political highway
at Warsaw the year before. Editor
Lee was a candidate for the Sena-
torial nomination; the upper district
of Westmoreland came down in sup
port of Lee. Before the assembling
in the Courthouse some gentlemen
from up the county who were in
clined to support Lee approached
him with the information that the
other side had told men he (Lee) had
started this temperance move in Ian
caster which was sweeping over the
Neck. 1t was evident an attempt
had been made to confuse their minds
with the two Lees. Editor Lee pro-
tested that he was not the man who
started the movement, and that he
had not signed the first local option
petition, as they had been told. He
told them, however, that be aud his
paper were local option advocates
thing entirely unnecessary as all will
agree. Editor Lee was astounded al
the methods used by men who pro-
fessed to be with the temperance sen.
timent; so much so that he did no,
try 20 argue with these people
and the gentlemen returned home
without voting. Only a vicious
mind could gloat over such
tactics as were pursued at Warsaw
and Montross, and only depraved
writer would attempt to traduct
the temperance record of man OF
paper that have lived above such
aspersions. And, mark ye, this in
paper that is lauding itself and try
ing to crawl from under prima facit
advertisements. To cap the china,
the News has sought to circulate
the malicious Islander in the mos
underhand way known to journalism
by getting lists of names of per
sons that do not take the News and
sending to them sample copies.
But pshaw, why protract this
When one writer on the News says ont
thing another has to shoot into thu
air or at another target to keep from
colliding. They should get together
and commune, and then follow tn.
course of decent journalism. Friend
the medicine you have to sometimes
take is bitter, and all your babies
don't take it alike-some get frac.
tious and call hard names, while
others whine. We don't know whict
is preferable, but both are charac,
teristic of our contemporaries as
sociates. 1t says: "The News il
but poorly equipped itself for cam
paign of billingsgate," and it thinks
the public is going to believe it.
whimper after it has opened and in.
dulged in such campaign. Dear
dear old News! your plea is too veal
and delicate to stand alone. Bottl,
up your paper and ink else the COW,