Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1914-07-24
COL. 4. ID. WILLIAMS.

he so strenuously cautioned against,
as likely to occur in the campaign for
Statewide Prohibition, viz: vitupcra-
ton and Objectionable, imprudent per
sonalities. a Baptist minister in Nor
folk, according to newspaper despat-
ches, charged in Il recent sermon, that
the editor of the Roanoke Times was
paid representative of the liquor
interests of the State. The reply is Il
suit for Islander, brought against the
minister, who will be given an oppor-
tunity to prove his charges before the
Court, or failing to do so will "take
it all back" and apologize, and CON
fcss that he 'was talking through his
hat" or i'll his enthusiasm repeating
either loose rGmor or drawing Il
hasty conclusion without facts to sup
port it. What surprises us is, that
Mr.. Williams should have taken the
matter so seriously, and not left the
charge in the hands of that great jury
composed of multitude of his broth
rem in this and other States, for dcc.
sion. We believe this would have
been a sufficient and preferable
course.
Another surprise: That one who is
capable of striking such hard blows.
and has struck so many of them,
should vince when struck by an an
tagonist. Everybody knows-that is,
everybody who reads the Roanoke
Tlmcs-that the editor-in chief knows
how to hit, and when he hits Il fellow
that fellow knows he is hit. He may
have been smashed with what appear
ed to be heavy, gloved fist, but it
was clear afterwards that there was
an awful hard and wonderfully skilled
fist inside the glove. Numbers OF
men in this State and as far as to
South arolina and Washington and
New York, have felt the heavy thuds
of this champion editorial gladiator
of the South.
And it is also true, on the other
hand, that he has himself been pelted
maulcd and stoned, times often, and
heaten with many stripes, right and
left, ut home and abroad. and alwav..
has he maintained calm, serene de
meanor, warding off blows with the
Skill of great fighter, and mt the
same time, delivering when least en-
pected, an upper cut on the law of
ms presumptuous opponent, and send
ing him tumbling against the ropes.
all the while wearing a confident air
and smile which betokencd delight
and pleasure in his work-an utter
absence OF even suggestion of anger
or temper-until now. Why Now?
1t should be said further, that never
so far as we have seen or heard. has
our champion struck an antagonist
below the belt, or taken undue advan-
tage. His blows have been in the
face. He has fought, if not strictly
within the jurisdiction of the decalog
certainly according to Quesenberry
rules. He has, perhaps, delivered a
blow occasionally in the back, but if
so 1t was because this was the only
part fothe anatomy of fleeing, fly.
ing antagonist exposed and within
reach. In fact, on the other hand, no,
only has he fought fair" but he
seems to have possessed the peculiar
faculty of mauling a fellow in a man
ner to make the maulee like the maui
ing and the mauler the more he
mauled. On more than one occasion
the victim has returned for anothc..
bout and got it. AS proof, among the
legions of friends and admirers of thn
editor-in-chief none are more cnthus
lastic for him or loyal to him than
many who have received the jolts and
bear the cars of themailed fist on
the end of his long and far-reachinc
arm. In this there is shown consun,.
mate skill and wisdom.
Hence and therefore, we confess to
degree of disappointment that our
friend, who has shown such abijity
and delight in delivering as well as
receiving hard knocks and telling
blows, should cry out when struck
even below the belt, by the softly
gloved antagonist of Norfolk. We saw
"soft-gloved" advisedly. So it an
pears from our angle, and we believe
Col. Williams brethren of the press
and outside so regard it, and, as stat
ed above, depressing only private
opinion) instead of an appeal to the
courts, an appeal to the great public
would have brought an acceptable
verdict.
The preacher charged openly. that
Mr.. Williams tours of inquiry and
investigation through the South, by
which means he hoped to arrive at
the truth of the worth or worthless
ness, success OF failure of Statewide
prohibition, were made in the inter
est of the liquor traffic, and paid for
by the liquor interests. Well, what of
it? If he was not paid, at least his
travelling expenses, he should have
bnan Tc on EI,to,. - NJ.