The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1910-08-26

It is very distateful to have to 60
into public print about matter that
is so very personal as this is; but
there is no alternative. The Herald
and News refers of course to the Oo-
server; there is no other paper here
to which it could refer. It would have
been more manly to have said so
openly than in this sneaking way.
Suppose some newspaper has been
trying to get his reporter, what has
that to do with this papers views OF
public questions? Why lug them in?
Why not confne the complaint to the
alleged grievance. How one runs his
newspaper has nothing to do with his
getting a newspaper reporter. So that
The Herald and News might have said
all it wanted to say on that line with
out bringing in the reporter" incl
dent at all. We long ago despaired OF
running the Observer to please our CO.
temporary, and do not try.
The mean and spiteful inuendoes
and insinuations only reveal its ami
mus, and show how the Observers
darts against deadheadism and the Ii
uuor traffic, etc., though not aimed at
so insignificant a mark, yet reach the
spot and rankle in the heart. But to
the case in point: let's see what there
is in it:
Some months ago a gentleman came
from another town to NeWberry and
applied for a position as reporter on
the Observer. We were not then IN a
position to offer him a place, and he
secured place on The Herald and
News. Some days ago a gentleman
who had been doing some reporting
for the Observer was elected to a po-
sition in the State Farmers Union
that would require him to be absent
from Newberry the greater part of the
time; and he told the Observer that he
would not be able to keep up his work
for it. We then asked one of the men
in the office to SOUND the gentleman
first referred to when it came in his
way and see if he were open to prop
osition from the Observer, at the same
zine asking that he tell him that we
wanted the matter mentioned to his
present employer before he took any
steps. This was done. Some days
after, meeting this gentleman on the
street, we asked him if he had spoken
to his present employer. He replied
that he had but that he had not come
to any decision in the matter. We re-
piled that if It we're agreeable all
round we would like to make him a
proposition, and that he could let US
know and We could then take the mat
ter up.
That was certainly as much cour-
tesv and consideration as The Herald
and News had any right to expect.
There is a law in this State, found
ed no doubt on reason and good policy,
whereby one may not "entice" away
the "laborer" of another and law
that puts negroes in jail for violating
their contracts; but there is no law
that says one white man may not en-
ploy another white man without the
consent of his present employer. That
would be a species Of serfdom and
"peonage" to which white men of this
part of the world would hardly sub
nit.
A nuIrhr Of men have left this Of
fee in the course Of time for posi-
tons that paid them more than We
were able TO pay, and we have not
only never complained about it but
have always been willing to see them
better themselves. anc would not have
objected even if We had had the right
asking nothing more than that they
would not leave us in the lurch, but
give US as much time to fill the va