Milford chronicle., 1918-07-05

tldn WNeu IL - dppAASN ~
ial writer's, and space correspondents
who furnish news for the Democratic
press of Delaware, from the State
Capitol, and from the county seats Oh
Kent and Sussex counties. For some
months the Democratic papers oi
Dover have especially lauded the
moral character and abilities OF the
cecretarv of State. and Of Governor
Townsend. and their policies OF au-
ministering the affairs OF state. Ihe
dizziest heights OF glory have been
the pedestals upon which they nave
been placed, and the golden clouds Oh
honor and glory have been wrapped
about their forms as models OF fair
and honest dealing. In the eulogies
which have been heaped in profusion
nv the editors of the Dover Democrat
ic napers on all of the State officials
domiciled at the State House in Dover
il was made plain that no matter
what mistakes they might make, II
could never be truthfully charged
that they stopped to petty political
dirt and dishonorable acts of a parti-
zan character. 1t may have been that
the desire TO secure either patronage,
or favors of either a financial or per-
sonal character was the actuating
motive of these editorial writers; and
it may have been the same motive
which actuated the professional cor
respondents who write from Dover TO
the Wilmington and Philadelphia pa
pers. Be that as it may, the result
which is now history, and which has
torn the mask from their faces proves
that the sentence with which we start
this editorial is the truth, in their
case. In the consideration of the
case for a pardon for a cOlOred preach
er, which was before the Board of
Pardons last month, the correspond
ents all had opportunity to attend the
sessions of that body, and to hear the
arguments and read the papers filed,
as well as ITO learn just who made a
motion and the character of that mo-
ton, with the reasons for its presen-
tation, and. even further, they had ac-
cess, if they desired, to the minutes
of the Board of PardOns, which is a
public record, and they could have
presented verbatim any resolution,
and the action thereon, to show the
real motive behind the members in
voting pro and con. But they knew
all of this, and on the other hand
showed the cloven hoof of partizan
Misrepresentation. by telling only
garbled statement to the public. which
suited the purpose of party advan-
tage by giving the people at large
wrong idea of the true facts under
living the case. In other words, they
deliberately made a report which
would reflect upon the men whom
they had for months been lauding to
the skies as saints, and at one full
swoop. dragging them down from
their pedestals of glory upon which
they had so persistently placed them
and trailed them in the mire of dis
honorable methods, and branded them
as men below and unworthy of the
respect of honorable citizens. They
deliberately lied that the Democratic
party might be benefited through
prejudice of the public mind as to the
facts involved Had these writer's
stated that Chancellor Curtis had
written and presented the resolution
which recommended the pardon OF
the colored preacher. who happened
to be the individual involved in the
case, and printed the came resolu-
ton, the whole case would have been
understood fully by the whole people
J Y ct, WITH lile Every AAH0hlhsf u va
mington, almost daily commenting
from a partizan standpoint upon the
case. and adjuring Governor Town
send to refuse to grant the pardon
neither the editors of the Dover Dem
oeratic papers, nor the professional
Democratic correspondent for the
city papers, went to inspect. or make
inquiries as to what the action Of the
Governor had been IN the case-and
the record in the case is open to al
newspaper men or the public in gen
eral for inspection at any time in Of
flee hours. This~is the practice o.
correspondents of like political affili
alton who send out news from the
county seats, and most of the larger
towns in Delaware. 1t has become
so we'll known that the people arr
familiar with the real situation il
most cases, and in this especial case
the effort to belittle the officials o
the State of Delaware who happen t,