Show JOURNALISTIC PERSONALITIES We have to apologize to our readers for again referring to our vituperative morning contemporary It has come to the defence of Judge Williams whom it avows The Herald has attacked at-tacked But instead of setting up any real defence or apology for that gentleman gen-tleman it devotes nearly a column to a personal attack on somebody who it assumes to bethe editor of The Herald Her-ald When will our discourteous contemporary contem-porary learn the simple lesson in polemics po-lemics that abuse of an opponent whether based on fact or falsehood is no answer to an argument or refutation refu-tation of a statement Whatever the editor of The Herald is or may have been has nothing to do with the course of Judge Williams whoever he maybe may-be Avoidance of the point of controversy contro-versy and pelting an opponent is equivalent equiv-alent to a confession of defeat The Herald knows nothing of Judge Williams and has said nothing about him The chairman of the Utah Commission Com-mission in his official capacity has been criticized by this paper We suppose sup-pose he Is the Judge Williams whom the Tribune appears to be so much in love with We have not mentioned him by name All that The Herald has said concerning that official is true The Herald has falsified no fact and has attacked no person in his private character The statement about the Utah Commission Com-mission to which our agitated and slanderous slan-derous contemporary refers as a falsification fal-sification of facts was this There are two staunch Democrats Demo-crats in the body ready to do what is right for their party before the law There is one alleged Democrat Demo-crat who has commonly and persistently persist-ently acted with the Republicans whether in the Liberal or Republican interest and that is where the matter hinges The two Democrats voted for the plain common sense proposition that Seeley was in the office and was ineligible the third man voted with the Republicans to give Seeley the certificate cer-tificate This is shown on the record Every word in that statement is exactly ex-actly correct The record shows that the two Democrats voted as we stated and that the member who is an alleged al-leged Democratr who is kept on the Commission because he is supposed to be a Democrat and who has in times past voted usually with Republicans voted with them on the occasion related re-lated And the Tribune after rambling ramb-ling around the question in 13 manner denoting rage and irrelevance winds up Us attempted explanation by confirming con-firming the facts presented by The Herald What happened before the r < > it I > t < fo f J < fJ > final vote was taken does not count The record shows the facts as we have stated them beyond a doubt It is quite in accordance with the nature na-ture of things that the Tribune should stand up for the alleged Democrat because be-cause he could be counted on invariably invari-ably to side with the Republican Commissioners Com-missioners on anything favoring the Liberals But that does not justify its personalities either for him or against anybody else It is The Herald that has criticized a Utah Commissioner whose public acts are open to public criticism The Tribune has a right if it chooses to defend the official and find fault with The Herald but it gets down to the level of the lowest pettifogger petti-fogger and the toughest bar room brawler when it drops controversy which it cannot fairly maintain with the paper and casts up mire and dirt at the editor or the person supposed to have written what the Tribune cannot refute If it were proper there is ample room for retort But The Herald is not published to carry on a personal warfare The editor will be found ready to take his own part personally if it becomes necessary but does not consider The Herald the right vehicle for that kind of defence The slanderous slander-ous course of the Tribune is rendered the more contemptible from the fact that it knows from experience that the object of its cowardly spite will not respond in kind The Tribune is in a state of fluctuation fluc-tuation One day it is meek and mild and distils benedictions like the dew Next day it storms and scolds like a fishfag and curses like a pirate When it utters nonsense on the topics of the times The Herald may have a tilt wJth it When it steps out off the plane of journalism to the mud flat of personal invective we shall decline to follow it but leave it to wallow in its congenial mire |