Dudley, March 31st, 1854.
ELECTION OF GUARDIANS.
TO THE RATE-PAYERS OF THE PARISH OF DUDLEY.
Gentlemen,
A Handbill, headed “Election of Guardians,” and signed “another Quiet Observer,” has been published, which contains a number of insinuations so disgraceful and false in reference to several public matters in which individually I take great interest, that however reluctant I may be to intrude myself personally upon you, I feel I should be wanting in a sense of public honor, if I were to allow it to remain without a distinct and indignant denial of its truth.
Had it confined itself to the ensuing Election of Guardians I should not have thought it necessary to reply to its insinuations, because it would be an insult to the Rate-payers to suppose for a moment that they could be deceived by its one-sided statements—statements, every one of which, if not false in fact, are false and knowingly false in the inferences drawn from them. But it goes beyond the Election of Guardians, and insinuates that all the Public Institutions, which some amongst you are now endeavouring to establish and to support, are to be paid for by Public Rates.
I suppose the writer of the Handbill thought that by throwing this paragraph into the form of an insinuation, and not a positive assertion, he would escape from being branded with the charge of Falsehood, but surely he cannot be ignorant of the fact, that to deceive by the insinuation of a Falsehood is as great a breach of Truth, as to deceive by an actual falsehood itself.
The writer of that Handbill, whoever he may be, knows very well that the Model Lodging Houses—the Public Hall—the School of Design—and the Mechanics’ Institute—are all supported, and supported with one exception, exclusively by Private Enterprise, and not by Public Rates. The exception to which I allude is the assistance of Government to the School of Design, to the extent of £10 during the first year of its establishment, whilst Private Enterprise alone has raised for its support during this time upwards of £400. I regret, exceedingly, that any one should have attempted thus to injure these Institutions, which are so much needed in this town, and which are so rapidly placing it on a more equal footing with the neighbouring Towns of the District.
From the falsehood of the insinuations thrown out, you may judge how far the actual assertions which the writer of this Handbill ventures to make, are to be depended upon.