The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-09-16


claim of 5000 had a perfect right to
sign that petition and no one has
questioned that right Why that sheet
should come out with a long-winded
defense on the first page of its EDITION,
and with an attack on The Statesman
from Oscar cain when they had not
been accused of anything wrong is
rather a peculiar incident.
As far as appears Oh the surface
there is nothing wrong about their ac-
tons in he bankruptcy matter. They
have been accused of nothing wrong
and. unless they have guilty con-
science, their defense is uncalled Tor
In fact there would be no defense 10
make unless they have been guilty OF
something questionable and the mere
fact that they felt called upon to
make a defense without having been
accused of anything would cast sus-
picion on their actions.
The Statesman knows of nothing
the Bulletin has done in the bank
ruptcy matter that it did not have
perfect right to do. and was surprised
at the implied admission that there
was something questionable. Can 1T
be possible that the business men
have not approved of man with a
5000 claim being the first one to
sign a petition to have Mr.. Dimmitt
and wife declared bankrupts, and is
it possible that they have expressed
their condemnation of such actions?
We do not know, but the uncalled for
explanation and unnecessary defense
would indicate that there is a mig
ger III the wood pile" somewhere. The
Statesman is a small creditor in this
matter but they We're not called upon
made no fuss about their claim so the
attack upon this paper in the matter
appears to be uncalled for except from
the fact that the Bulletin wanted an
opportunity to misrepresent things.
for we do lot believe that oscar Cain
ever made the statements, regarding
he managers of this paper, with which
he is credited.
The Statesman never censured Mr..
Cain nor the Bulletin for having FLED
that petition. When men jump into
print to defend themselves for actions
which have never been questioned,
they must be admitting that the act
ions are subject to censure. However,
he 70 M orif n
fer. Mr.. Lorton had perfect right,
in view of the fact that he held
claim of 5000, to be the first to sign
that petition for bankruptcy and they
had a right to ask that Mr.. Funk, of
the Union Savings bank, be appointed
receiver. However, if the parties insti-
eating the bankrupt proceedings think
they made mistake, they have a
right to defend themselves and we
have no objections to their doing so.
They may even make their defense an
opportunity to attack The Statesman,
which has had no part whatever in
any of the proceedings, if they care to,
and We will not fear an investigation
us thai oscar Cain should be credited
with the statement that IF the vari-
Gus managers of The Statesman were
as honorable and upright in their
business dealings and in their con-
duct of a newspaper as Eugene LOr-
ton that this community would be a
gamer We do not believe Oscar
Cain said it in the first place; and in
the second place we did not know that
Mr.. Lorton had been accused of any
thing crooked and were surprised that
he should think it necessary to ge. an
attorney to defend him against charges
which he thought We're going to be
made or which he might have thought
should be made.