The Donaldsonville Chief

A CARD

When I washed my hands of all further connection with the faction of hungry office-seekers commonly designated as the Custom-house ring, and announced my new departure through the columns of the St. James Sentinel, I fully expected to be assailed and maligned, with more or less violence and untruth, by the newspapers belonging to the faction I had cut loose from. In anticipation of this, I inserted the following paragraph in the card which announced that my connection with the Sentinel had ceased:

And I consider him a narrow minded man who would persist in a wrong course for fear of the slanderers who infest all communities, and are ever ready to gossip and lie about the affairs and motives of others.

True to my expectations, some of the slanderers have commenced their dirty work, and two of the newspapers referred to above, have led off in the inevitable attack. I say inevitable because it is not to be supposed that men--be they editors or otherwise--who possess no principle themselves can appreciate it in others. The first of the pack to come howling at my heels was the Ascension Leader, published here in Donaldsonville, but its tone was merely insinuating and not attracting or deserving of much notice. The second howl is of a louder and more malignant tone, and comes from just the source such a slander might be expected to emanate from--the Lafourche Republican, Mr. D. H. Reese, editor and proprietor. In its issue of the 6th instant, that paper publishes an article which its editor announces had been written for the former issue, and in which the "new departure" of the Sentinel was noticed and characterized in plain terms, as a "sell out" on the part of its conductors. The editor of the Republican then proceeds to state that Mr. Bovee's card will be found upon our first page," and explains that his ideas seem to coincide with those of Mr. Bovee in the matter, which is not material for wonderment, as Mr. Bovee espouses the same rotten cause that Mr. Reese does, while I denounce it. The editor finally concludes: "We would also publish the card of Mr. L. E. Bentley in this issue if space allowed, but as it is a very lame attempt to exonerate himself from the natural verdict, we consider it not important."

With the usual narrow mindedness of men of his class, the editor declines to publish both sides of the question. Of all men, Mr. D. H. Reese should be the last one to accuse another of "selling out," or to prate of "remaining steadfast" by the principles of Republicanism or principles of any other kind. It is a matter of history that Mr. Reese bolted from the party last year, because he failed to get the nomination as Senator from the Republicans of his district, and entertaining no hopes of election for himself used every means in his small power to defeat the regular Republican nominee for that position, and secure the election of the Democratic candidate. This statement is abundantly proved by the fact that, after the contest was over, Mr. Reese spoke in terms of the highest eulogy of the Democratic candidate, claiming his election, and denounced the successful Republican in his usual slanderous style, declaring the latter to have been illegally and fraudulently elected.

To this gentleman's demoralizing influence--which, happily, is on the wane--may be attributed the defeat of the Republicans of Lafourche last election, and the success of the Democratic ticket in a parish which has a Republican majority.

If I felt disposed to enter into the gentleman's personal affairs--but I will not so demean myself--I could easily show him to possess the same characteristics in his business relations as in politics.

In conclusion, I beg the indulgence of the readers of the Chief for occupying its space with this matter. But when I am attacked and accused of selling out my principles, by the editor of a newspaper, I feel justified in using my own paper to defend myself; and when that attack is made by an editor so entirely devoid of any political principle whatever, as the one I have referred to, I cannot refrain from holding him up to the public gaze, that his slanders may fall harmless when their worthless and unreliable source is discovered.

LINDEN E. BENTLEY.