The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1909-09-03
DISSECTING A GOOSE
WITHOUT A SCALPEL
Rev. w. H. wild BilD Said,
Aint That a Sight.
In an Issue of the Obion Enter
prise, Published by Arch John
son, There Appeared an Edito-
rial Under the Caption,
LETS BUILD A TOWN."

When my eyes flashed over these
four words, paused to reflect, because
| have been engaged in this business
for the last thirty years. After few
moments careful study the text struck
me with such force that | proceeded to
read the editorial, some parts of which
corresponded with my ideas of the sub
iect under consideration, while other
parts of the production were repugnant
in the extreme. So much so that a
conference was called and held in
which it was agreed that | prepare at
once a paper notifying the readers of
the Enterprise that the publication of
my letters giving a history of Obion
County would be suspended until the
bond question raised by said editor
should be settled. The editor agreed
to insert this notice in the next issue of
the Enterprise, which came out yester-
day, Aug. 81, 1909, with no notice.
Thereupon | requested the editor to re-
turn the manuscript, but he said he de-
stroyed it. Very well, said |. Fearing
as | did that it would be lost took the
precaution to retain a copy OF the no.
tice, which / shall insert in history of
Obion County and have it published in
another paper, which he agreed to.
The conversation then turned on that
part of the editorial bearing on the
meeting of the Commercial Club Mon
day night, to which everybody and his
daddy were invited to come and Lets
Build Town." and after discussing
the very unusual performances upon
that occasion the conversation drifted
to my answer to said editorial which |
gave Mr.. Johnson Tuesday morning af-
ter the meeting time Monday night.
Now instead of publishing the answer
Mr.. Johnson picked, punctured and
patched it to such an extent that if I
had met it in the road in open daylight
/ could not have recognized it as the
manuscript l gave him last Tuesday
morning. Dsposing of this, l asked
the editor to give me back my manu-
script He said he had destroyed it
same as he had the notice week ago.
What next? Mr.. Johnson, Tom and
myself went posthaste to Union City
and consulted Marshall & Baird, editors
of the Union City Commercial, relative
to previous understanding with Mr..
Johnson to transmit the message con-
tanned in my answer (Which the editor
destroyed to the columns of the Obion
Enterprise, but as the answer failed to
appear in yesterdays issue of the En-
terprise, the only course left for me to
pursue in order to get my message be-
fore the people, in reply to said edito-
rial, was to negotiate with other pub
lishers
Thereupon we boarded the train in
company with Sir Thomas, the medi-
ator, and arranged with Marshall &
Baird to transmit from the Enterprise to
the Union City Commercial the mat
ter relating to my answer to said edi-
torial and the bond issue.
The above was written last Saturdas.
This is Monday. After retiring SAT-
day night, sleeping soundly and drey
ing pleasant dreams, Sunday eaN
At IL a. M, taking with me my severn
year-old grandson, Herbert Morris, to
hear the expounding of the Scriptures
by pioneer of Obion County, Brother
Ellis, of Martin, Tenn, who for the
past thirty years has been warming the
sinners Of Obion to flee from the wrath
10 come. Brother Ellis, hearing Of the
at Obion and the inroads His
Majesty has been making for
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