Meigs County Telegraph

Editorial Courtesy.

That our readers may see the style of reading furnished by certain papers to their patrons, we copy the following from the "Hocking Sentinel." The "Sentinel" is by no means the worst of its class. But as the subject of its essay is the Hon. N. H. Van Voorhes, known to our citizens, they may judge from this specimen, the mode of political warfare adopted by the Democratic press. As we do not propose to enter into the controversy, we will merely state the occasion which called out this precious piece of editorial courtesy.

The Democratic press have been publishing a silly and contemptible article, and telling their readers that it was an extract from a speech of Senator Wade, of Ohio. Of course the originators of the story who got it up for effect, were never expected to let their readers know that it was a sheer fabrication. But when the "Sentinel" published it, with a long string of editorial comments, Mr. Van Voorhes, supposing that the editor might, by possibility, have been deceived into a belief of its truth, furnished the full history of the extract, with the name of its author, the time, place and circumstance of its delivery, &c. and asked the editor of the "Sentinel" as a gentleman, and a christian, to correct the statement. He would no doubt have taken pleasure in correcting the error if he had fallen into it inadvertently. But instead of embracing the opportunity to do an act of magnanimous justice, he makes the following reply. It will be seen that there is no pretense that the original charge was true, but the public, or that portion of it which reads the "Sentinel," is expected to take this reply as a justification of the original wrong.

The "Sentinel" says:

The gentleman and christian? who advocates negro equality in the columns of the Athens "Messenger," and flourishes as editor of that delectable exponent of Oberlinism, gets himself into a stew, because the "Sentinel" does not see fit to deny that certain sentiments going the rounds of the Press, and attributed to nigger-thieving advocates of treason and nullification, were not uttered by their reputed authors. The sentiments are so base and villainous that no one desires to acknowledge their paternity, and their effect it is supposed will be so disastrous to Black Republicanism, at the next State election, that the advocates of that doctrine, are anxious to shirk the responsibility and escape the consequences. Like the Leprosy of Naaman which clung to the servant of the Prophet because of his dishonesty, the effects of such sentiments will be felt by nigger-equality advocates, because they are an expression of the principles entertained by the leaders of a party professing all the virtues of christianity and higher-law-ism, and yet who ostracised a man because he would not prove traitor to his country, nullify the Constitution and perjure his soul, for the purpose of satisfying the fanatical demands of the Western Reserve traitors! Yes, Mr. Messenger, you may wriggle on, and endeavor to escape the effects of such "villainous sentiments," but like the shirt of Nessus, they will cling to you and your party, despite your efforts to shed them! The idea of a negro-equality advocate and fugleman for the men who slaughtered Judge Swan, talking of what a christian or gentleman would do, is enough to "strike one hungry!" If ever "our presumption leads us to write a dissertation on liars and slanderers," we'll pitch into the Black Republican party and its advocates, as striking examples as to what depths men are capable of descending, and very pointedly and aptly refer to the editor of the "Messenger," for the purpose of pointing a moral, or adorning a tale!