Year: 1874

NEWSPAPER PERsoNALTTY.-It is no
table fact that in every controversy
opened with the DISPATCH, upon any
ground, in every assault made upon the !
town Ct Seattle and its interests. the
personality of the editor, and not the
subject matter of the dispute, has been
made the chief object of attack, and if
we say word in our own defence
against gross ard malicious defamation
Of our personal character, our anony>
nous assailants cry out "egotist!" If
in answer to direct charges. we call the
attention of the public to indisputable
facts relating to the same, it is called
"self-fattery" and ''self- glorifcation.'
We have never attempted to dissociate
our personal from our editorial charac-
ter, and are at all times ready to answer
personally for every expression which
appears in our editorial columns. We
do not deem that journal which has no
personal character, or personal respon-


sibility, entitled to any more public
consideration than anonymous letters,


or any other kind of clandestine CORES


pcndence for personal calumniation,


which is only resorted to by towards


for villainous purpose. But there are


circumstances under which it becomes


a personal if not public duty to notice


anonymous assaults which are sent forth


to public under newspaper endorsement


though the paper may have no nominal


editor or publisher of any personal re-


sponsibility, for the reason that there is


not the proper discrimination made in


the popular mind between publications


with or without personal responsibility.


The Intelligencer may assail the editor


Of the DISPATCH with all sorts of calum-
NOUS charges and vituperative epithets,


and while everybody knows precisely


who is meant, nobody knows the char


acter of his assailant, for he shoots from


ambush. If the DISPATCH repels these


assaults, he must fire at random, for his


antagonist is unseen and unknown to


the public, and may poison the atmos


phere which surrounds us with the poi
son of his own vileness without incur.


ring any personal responsibility for his


lies. This is the difference between a
responsible editor and an irresponsible
hack writer, who must not only be a
beggar, but common prostitute before
he will degrade his manhood and his
educational advantages to become the
anonymous and mendacious maligner
of personal character for mendicant
remuneration. Because we have per-
sonal character and responsibility with
which we havn invested our paper, we
have been the target of every vagabond
newspaper scribbler who could find en-
ployment and win favor with his en-
ployers by assailing US, and thereby
weaken the cause or the measures to
which our labors were devoted.


Our readers will bear us witness that
we have in no case opened a personal
controversy with any editor or other
citizen, except upon specific charges of
immediate public interest; that we have
never assailed any man but for acts and
on grounds distinctly stated, and never,
even in repelling personal abuse, med
died with any mans private affairs or
business relations.


A short time since we had occasion,
in defending the character of Seattle,
to repel an accusion of falsehood, made
by the organ of the Land Ring, upon
information furnished by the Intelli>
gencer, and by necessity was obliged to
incidentally mention the fact, which was
of frequent occurrence, that the Intelli.
gencer furnished the enemies of Seattle
ammunition with which to fight us; its
sympathies being stronger with the enc
mics of the DISPATCH than against the
enemies Of the town. This has served
rs pretext for two long editorial arti-
cles of the most violently abusive per-
sonal character, assailing US with all
manner of opprobrious epithets and
before the pnblic our business
and pecuniary liabilities, with
which the public have nothing whatever
to do. If our readers did not expect US
to make some rejoinder to these swelling
denunciations, we should not regard
them as worthy of the least notice. We
have received too many assurances of
The respect of this community to feel
that we need any other vindication. We
came here almost pennyless; have earn
ed by the labor of our hands our daily
bread; have faithfully served the inter-
ests of this community, and according
to their means have been generously sus..
tainee; in every pecuniary embarass-
ment we have had the ready aid of the
leading business men of the town, and
our credit has not been dishonored by
any, and no conditions affecting our
perfect independence or hamilieting to
our pride has ever been asked for any
favors. From our own earnings we are
now contributing over fifty dollars
month to maintain the only daily paper
in Washinton Territory which takes the
telegraphic dispatches; and yet we have
received no contribution which we are
not pledged to repay, Or ever received
bonus for the advocacy of any cause,
measure or man.


PEOPLES RAILRoAD.-Ths people of
Olympia have determined to have a |
railroad connection with the N. P. r. r.
at Tenino, fifteen miles in length, and
&lo,, bo vx, rrona 70 v-orl OF tho v,r1,oot