The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1914-01-30

!. The following communication was
submitted to the editor OF the Union
Bridge Pilot and was rejected. This
! IS another evidence OF the unfairness.
folly and prejudice of this paper which
has persistently tried to keep its
readers in ignorance
There came recently to my notice
the editorial Of January End i'm the
Union Bridge Pilot on the subject
of the Tidewater Portland Cement
Plant. The editorial is made up OF
abuse and misrepresentation. Ii was
evidently conceived and born in ignor-
ance and prejudice. IL is impossible
TO take up and answer in detail the
false statements and misrepresenta-
tons in it. Evidently the editor dis
trusts his own statements which he
gives as facts and In order to raise a
dust he calls names, he impugnr mo
tfves and he tries to malign the char
acter OF the men who are responsible
for the existence and management Of
this industry He characterizes ii as
a "Heartless corporation" established
To satiate the selfish greed" of its
promoters. This kind OF talk reflects
only On the writer. People don't be-
lleve 1t. 1t is question whether the
writer himself believes it. He writes
to make his paper interesting. He
has probably not reflected what the
cost would be to himself and the citi-
zens Of Union Bridge were he to be
taken seriously.
Had the efforts OF the editor and
few other persons in Union Bridge
Deen successful the Cement Plant
would have long since been closed
down with the result that hundreds OF
men would have been thrown out of
employment, and the business, the
professions and the churches of Union
Bridge would have been seriously ar
fected. 1t is time for some one to
take up not the defense of the Cement
Plant, but the defense Of laburing
men and their wives and children. 1t
is time for some one to call the arten-
ton Of few selfish people Of Union
Bridge to the fact that it is fortunate
for them that their efforts have 81 far
failed. Had they succeeded they
would in short time have been de-
nounced as undesirable citizens and
the enemies Of their community. There
are some people SO thoroughly selfish
that having enough for themselves
they do not care whether or not their
nelghbors have chance to live. These
ag1tators say in their defense that
they don't want this industry closed
down. They are compelled to admit
rnat II has increased the value of
property, promoted the industrial vel
fare Of the community and given work
to many people and that they themsel-
yes have made money because of it.
/ They say that they only want the dust
abated. So do the managers or the
Cement Plant. These men are not
fools. They want to save the dust
just as much as the citizens Of Union
Bridge want to be rid of it. But sup
pose that it has so far been impossible
to do this, as il evidently the fact, the
wise editor Of the Pilot to the contrary
notwithstanding. Better a little dis
comfort at times for few than that a
great number shall be put to the dis
comfort OF moving away to earn their
daily bread.
| have an interest in the Cement
Plant, but according to the editor OF
the Pilot l am deserving of no con-
sideration. | belong to a selfish and
heartless corporation. But it was
solely because this is home industry
established in our midst and that con-
tributes to the living and welfare OF
our citizens that | became interested
I'm It, We want industries at home
that will give our. people work and
improve business. As citizen OF Car
roll county | am as much interested
In the welfare and prosperity OF its
people as | am in the Cement Plant.
But we can not have manufactures
without smoke and dust and noise and
other disagreeable effects. Even a
farmer can't thrash his wheat without
making dust. Why l have seen more
dust in Union Bridge caused by the
wind and by automobiles than | ever
saw there from the cement plant.
Altoona and Pittsburgh are usually
black with dust and smoke But men
are finding honest labor there and
wives and children are being fed. 1t
Is not in the interests of the Cement
Plant that | write but it is in the in
terests Of the common people whom,
Lincoln said, the Lord must love much |
because He made 50 many of them.
And word Of warning to the editor |
and his fellow agitators, who are try
ing to raise more dust than the
Cement Plant does, may not be amiss. |
II you were to succeed in your eff
forts to cripple or stifie this industry !
Union Bridge would be more uncom- |
Portable than the dust has ever made |
It. The very men who are now ap-
plauding your efforts would denounce
you as undesirable citizens and the
enemies OF their fellow men, and
the man in Carroll county who has
been busy gathering stones for the
Union Bridge people to throw and
seeking to use them as his puppets |
would then be the first to desert them
in their extremity. 1t would be far
better for you to cooperate with the
management OF this industry with !
whose success the welfare of the COM
munity is becoming linked more close |
~ every day than embarass, oppose
and misrepresent it,
A CARROLL COUNTIAN.