Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-06-30
ENGENDERING BAD COMMUNITY
FEELING.
(Fourth in the Series.)

d. an aggressive newspaper, can Gre
ate more havoc in a month by en-
gendering i'll feeling between COM
munities than can be cured in a
year. What politicians say is too
often taken as an index to local SEN
timent. Their aim is to create SEN
timent favorable to their particular
interests without regard to the effect
on the community. The i'll feeling
between the city of Medford and the
towns around it is traceable directly
that splendid town, it is invested
with as daring and conscienceless a
coterie of political buccaneers as
ever scuttled ship. And they are
seconded by an editor who is narrow
and unfair, whose structures upon
the rights and character of his neigh
bors have been so persistent and un-
true, and his mouthings so continued
and loud, that they have been mis-
takenly accepted as the sentiment of
that community until other towns of
the valley are, bitterly prejudiced
against Medford. These politicians,
true to type, insist on being always
in the limelight. They create an ar
tificial halo about themselves resem-
bling civic spirit and local zeal, but
which, in fact, is but an effluence
I from rotten sinister design, clothed
in pretended local good. The land
grafter-he who plants hardpan to
apples and unfit ground to pears
whose only interest in the valley is
to use it as an instrument of eX-
these unjustifiable lamentations,
alongside of those who advise public
officers to disregard laws made to
govern their acts, when illegal ma
! nipulation helps them forward in
their private schemes, and those who
prepare sumptuous banquets to ac-
complish an end, inviting guests
from every part of the valley and
privately insulting them twenty times
during the repast. These, though
few they be, create so much bitter
ness and i'll feeling that unanimity
of action on any particular valley
project is hindered and made we'll.
nigh impossible. This spirit, emf
mating alone from such gamesters
has resulted in setting at varianc,
with Medford hundreds of prospect
i've patrons in its trade territory. L
has created endless discord and wan
ton rivalry. 1t has destroyed a pre-
dominant and rightful community in
fluence and broken friendly inter
course. Insulting rebuke comm,
from those learned in exploitation
such as 'mossbackism, "back-step
ping" and like epithets, will neveI
set with ease on the shoulders o
honest and worthy citizens, nor will
it conduce to a solidarity so neces
sary to the prosperity and proper de
velopment OF the valley. Nor will
unjust and insinuating appellation
be tolerated coming from those wht
use public funds for their own ag
grandizement, upon a town becaus,
1t insists only on it's legal rights
Not only that; these adventurer!
have gained enough ground in theii
own city to array man against mar
and neighbor against neighbor
Through their unholy machination
the house is divided against itself
Prosperity in house so divided can
not long endure. Happy indeed viii
be the day when our splendid neigh
boring city shakes off the contami
mating shackles of that witherins
group; when it makes clear to it:
local press that it can only hope fol
patronage by cultivating feelings Of
amity and good will and changing
its thankless policy to one of genera
beneficence. Then. and not till then
will the city of Medford assume and
maintain its proper position in the
affairs of the Rogue River Valley.
BY reason of it's geographical To-
cation Medford is the commercial
hub, and by virtue of its size il
should be big brother to the other
cities and towns in the valley. Not
a contentious, quarrelsome bully, as
its resident enemies would have it
but big, generous, wholesome
! brother with CHEEKY good will fol
all and helping hand outstretched
TO all; the good will that builds up;
not the selfish sort that tears down
for no town can build up except on
the broad principle of general neigh
borhood prosperity. The policy
should be live and let live, so each
community may rise to its proper
sphere of influence in the valley
|, There is no good reason why Med.
/, ford should not be on the best terms
with everyone in its trade territory
. Ihe prosperity of the valley, ant