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THE COUNTRYMAN.
TURNWOLD, GA., OCTOBER 13, 1862.
The Comity Printing.
The sheriff and the clerks o{ the Superior
aud Inferior coiuts of Putnam County have
agreed to do all their advertising with The
Countryman—for which they have my
thanks. $he ordinary has concluded to
divide his patronage between this paper
and the Recorder, and he has my divided
thanks.
Before beginning the publication of this
journal, I asked the ordinary if lie would
give me his printing. I understood him to
say he would, unless specially instructed
to adveitise elsewhere. With this I was
satisfied.
But soon I saw so many of his advertise
ments were kept out of my paper, that I
concluded surely the people of the county
who gave The Countryman such universal
patronage by subscription, did not intend
to withhold from it their advertising patron
age. and so I approached the ordinary the
second time. Exactly what words passed
between us, I am not sure, but the result
was entirely satisfactory, and I thought
there could be no mistake in the future, es
pecially as a large run of patronage for
awhile flowed in upon me from the ordina
ry’s office. Lately, though, that patron
age has flowed in the opposite direction.
I could not help being astonished at this,
for many reasons, and so I went to the or
dinary the 3rd time, and told him it seemed
that he and I could not understand each
other, and I made a final call upon him, so
that we might understand each other. The
result of this interview was that I under
stand from" the ordinary that it has been his
intention all the while to divide his patron
age between, this journal and the Recorder.
I understood him to give 3 reasons for this
determination. I condense those reasons,
as i understood them :
1. —No journal of the non-age of The
Countryman, could expect to do all the
printing of a county. When this journal
gets older, it will have more patronage.
2. —Some people who do not take The
Countryman in the county, do take the Re
corder. A few have taken the Recorder
for 30 or 40 years, and hence desire still to
advertise in it.
3. — The county patronage should be di
vided between two journals representing
the two old paities.
Now as to the. 1st objection. I told the or
dinary that what a paper could not expeet
was no reason why it should not have pat
ronage bestowed upon it, even without ex
pecting it: and that what always controll
ed, or should control in the matter, was the
circulation, and not the age of the paper.
The Countryman has a much larger circu
lation. and is much more universally read
in the county than any other paper taken
in it : and this, of itself, is a sufficient rea
son why it should do the county printing.
As to the 2nd objection, I told the ordi
nary that if (here were a few old men in
the county who had taken the Recorder
the number of years he says, and who were
so much attached to it on that account,
that they still desired to advertise with it,
I was the last man who would fail to rec
ognize that kind of feeling. It was one to
which I delighted to do honor.—And here
it is a convenient place for me to say that
the Recorder need not be told that I have
no disposition to injure it. The relations
between myself and the editors have been
one of uniform kindness, and they have
done me too mai y favors, to allow of any
effort on my part against its interest. I
think, too, there are none who would more
readily admit the force of my cause as set
forth in this article than the editors of the
Recorder.
As to the 3rd objection, no action what
ever ought now to be based upon the idea
of old party divisions. And one thing is
certain—that even if the Recorder repre
sents one old party division, The Country
man never did, does not now, and never
will. It is no party paper, and would not
be for any consideration.
So far as past party divisions are concern
ed, my personal friends and relations have
always been against me in politics, and
while they uphold me in everything eke,
never did in party matters. These are
the men now, who above all others, are
sustaining The Countryman : and more men
who were in the old party against me, have
advertised with me than of those of the old
party with which I was once aligned.
This is a testimonial of personal esteem and
friendship for which I sincerely thank my
friends. Adi esteem it the more, be
cause neither politics nor selfish interest of
any kind, has anything whatever to do
with it.
There was no valid reason given by the
ordinary why all, or nearly all of his ad
vertising should not be done with me. It
is my due, really, because I have the larg
est circulation in the county, and because
it has been, and will continue to be the ob
ject of this journal to represent, and ad
vance all the local interests of the county.
A journal for this purpose is really needed
in our midst.
I told the ordinary that the golden rule,
by which both of us, as good Christians,
professed to be governed, required him to
advertise with me. He is a merchant. I
and my friends, and my father and father’s
friends before me, had done a good deal of
trading with him, and had supported him,
too, for the office which he holds. Why
not then advertise with The Countryman ?
.What would he think of me if I were to
pass by his store, and send down to Mil-
ledgeville to get goods which I could buy
on as good terms from him ? Would it be
a neighborly act ? Would it be accoiding
to the golden rule? No. Then tor the
ordinary to pass me by, and go,to Milledge-
ville to have his printing 'done, is neither
neighborly nor golden-rulish. I told the
ordinary, besides, that if I saw a man go
ing from home to trade, and I knew he
could ’do as well in the ordinary’s store, I
would “speak a good word” for him, the
ordinary. And so I think if the ordinaiy
sees a man disposed to go to Milledgeville
for his printing, and can turn him to The
| Countryman office, where he can get it
| done just as well and as cheaply, neighbor-
! lv kindness, and the.golden rule both re-
quire him to “speak a good word for The
Countryman.” It is with the ordinaiy, as
with all otherhuinan beings. Where there
is a will there is a way. When a man
wishes to do a thing, "he can always find
the means to do it. When he does not
wish to do a thing, there are always a plen
ty of excuses, to prevent action.—1 leave
this whole matter with the ordinary, and
shall not urge it upon his attention again,
either publicly or privately. In what I
have said to him, heretofore, I have acted
upon the presumption that he was rny
friend, and willing to accommodate me. If
I am in error, the ' sooner I am undeceived
the better. I neither ask. nor will receive
unwilling favors, at the hand of any man,
woman, child, demon, or devil. I ask
my friends, though, to give their attention
to this matter, and do all their advertising
with me. ' They have the right to select
the journal in which to publish their orders,
citations, sales, &c.
While a few enemies in the county have
been very busily engaged in trying to keep
advertising patronage out of The Country
man, there has not been a corresponding
effort on the part of my friends to supply
that patronage. In fact, my friends have
several times allowed my enemies to draw
their favors away from The Countryman.
A remarkable instance of this occurred in
publishing the contributions iu this county