Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1913-06-05
Fair Play :?

Free Press was not given the
advertisement by the County
Court. 81
Last week when the County
Court had to advertise the forth
coming Election in Charles Town
District, the contract was given
to both the other Charles Town
papers but not to the Free Press.
We are advised by those who
were present, that an officer of the
Court drew the attention of the
Commissioners to the fact, stat
ing that this year the Free Press
was entitled to the advertisements
not having had it last year--and,
that, to his knowledge, at least
one of the other papers had no
expectation of getting it again
this year.
The Court however disregarded
this patent discrimination, and
let the order stand. On Monday,
we by letter drew the attention
of the Commissioners to the facts
above stated, but they stood
pato and the Free Press is thus
cut out of its fair share of this
legal advertising.
Why
It is true that we have opposed
the action of the Court in certain
matters-Saloon license, Road
policy, the Bridge, getaways
in a proper manner and apparent
~ with the approval of a large
number of our best citizens and
Taxpayers.
If silence, or tacit acquiescense
in the action of the Court-when
we conscientiously believe it to
be wrong is to be the price Of it's
patronage, then we refuse to pay
it.. We can get along without
the amount we are equitab1y en-
titled to in County advertising
and decline to surrender our prin-
c1ples at any cost, much less for
-
any such mess of political pottage.
The members of the County
Court who singled the Free Press
out for what they evidently re-
garded as condign punishment,
: have legal right, to Withhold
their DUN advertising from the
Free Press and place it where
they please-as in fact they do
but it should be remembered that
in County expenditures they are
not .dlsbursing their GUN money
but that of the Taxpayers and that
they have no moral right to use
the control of the County finances
to vent their personal disp1easure.
We have no apology to offer
for anything these columns have
contained in the past in the way
of comment of the County Court.
Under like circumstances we will
do so again refusing to be
muzzled at any cost.
Our front page bears the legend
The Freedom of the Press is the
Palladium of all Our Liberties, =
written by the Author of the
Declaration of independence and
the Father of Democracy.
So long as we have the APPROX
al of our own conscience and that
OF the many splendid men and
women who think as we do, as
promised in the announcement
when we took control of the paper
our spear shall know no BROTHER
and we shall speak out and fear
not whenever conditions demand
= an honest and unafraid expression
of what we may regard as honest,
enlightened, and unsubsidized
public opinion.
A much bigger question than
that Of the award of an ,advertis-
ing contract is involved in this
action of the County Commits
sioners.
The principle of free speech is
at stake, and the people of the
County can draw their own con.
illusions as to whether good gov.
ernment is conserved by the ac-
ton of their representatives in
using the taxpayers money-or
the Withholding of ito punish
those who decline to bow the knee,
We wish it expressly under
stood that we have no criticism to
make of our contemporaries in
whose columns the advertising in
question appears.
They, as we are informed, were
not applicants for it, but having
received it in the course of BUSH
ness. will of course print II &c