The Dewsbury Chronicle, and West Riding Advertiser. — 1875-12-24 (Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England)

SQUARING ON HIS BACK."  TO THE EDITOR OF THE DEWSBURY CHRONICLE.  SIR,—In looking over the report in your issue of the 18th just., and that of your contemporary of the 'Mass Meeting "held on the 11th bast., whore from 200 to 300 people were present, out of a population of somewhat near 130,000, I could not help smiling to see myself in the very dignified (?) position as represented by the quotation at the bead of this letter. But as I read on and saw what words, for words they were only I suppose, and not blows that laid mein the dust, my smile was changed to laughter. From what my friend, Dr. Peter Thornton, is reported to have said, I must have been very angry with Mr. Fleming for throwing me on toy back, for I commenced "squaring." I understand this to mean that I put myself into a fighting attitude. If this was so, I think it says something for my English pluck, at any rate, for I neither confessed nor gave in when I was so ignominiously floored. Dr. Thornton is reported to have said, 'the first thing that Mr. Fleming did, he got up and made a very nice begining, but as soon as he spoke of the dietary table, he knocked the props from under the feet of Mr. Kilner at once and left him square on his back."—Dewsbury Reporter, December 18th, The Chronicle says, " squaring on his back." It is a very easy thing for a person who is at all accustomed to public speaking to make assertions in a public meeting whic will make people laugh and make an individual look veiy ridiculous in his absence, but it is quite another thing, and sometimes very much more difficult, to prove the assertions to be true. Let me possess what courage I may whea "squaring on my back," I have no desire to "fight as one that beateth the air," and hence I must ask the Doctor, at his convenience to inform the public what were the statements I made to the Board of Guardians in reference to the "Dietary table," which caused Mr. Fleming to pounce down upon me with such murderous effect as to bring me to "my back, and leave we squaring there." I am not aware that Mr. Fleming dealt out to me such tremendous blows as the Doctor would have the public believe he did, but, perhaps, I am case-hardened and cannot feel, or it may be I am very much in need of the " gift " that will enable me to see myself as others see me, at any rate, to enable the public to form a correct judgement on this matter, and say whether what took place at the guardians' meeting referred to by the Doctor, fairly called for snob remarks from him I must ask him to inform the public through the press of all that I said and all that Mr. Fleming said in reply. If he will not, or cannot, do so, then I shall take the liberty to ask you to allow me to supply the requisite information as correctly as I can, and then I shall reply to the whole of his speech which had particular reference to myself. I have no objection whatever for the public to know what I have done and said in the matter of Mrs. Pearson's pension nor the reasons why , I did it, because a guardian, being a public officer, his sayings and doings in public matters are fairly open to public criticism. If I said anything at the meeting of guardians in question that was at all calculated to place me in such an unenviable position in the eyes of the public as is represented by Dr. Thornton, I have no objection vali %ievor that a good l•iugh should be indulged  in at my expense. If I make a mistake, I hope I have the courage to patiently bear its consequences, but before the laugh is enjoyed I must ask those who were at the " mass meeting," I should rather be inclined to call it a " mess meeting," and also those who have read the reports, to have the kindness to restrain their hilarity until they have all the facts of the case before them.