Then Jobe will flare up and say:
“The Ohio Dimicrat is a dum dirty sheet, and full of lies.”
He knows that I dont swear and wont say that about his Advercate, even if I know it is the same kind of a paper as the Ohio Dimicrat is, except in the name at the top of the fust page. Of course it gits its campaign money and public printin from the office-seekin canderdate fellers of the other party.
Now, when Jake brought them papers, I happened to pick up the Advercate (a thing I seldom do), and one of the fust things I read was a article a praisin Mr. Cleveland for workin to git a “gold basis” and “gold mortgages” and sich. I was so surprised to find a word of praise for a Dimicrat president in a Republican noosepaper that I looked twice at the headin to make sure it was the Advercate I had instid of the Dimicrat. Sure enough it was the Advercate, but I dont want you to blame Editure McIlvaine for sich a article appearin in his paper. He couldent help it. It was in that part of his paper that he dont print. It was in the patent part what is printed in Cleveland—the part, you know, which them fellers down east, the fellers what gits rich by havin on this gold basis bizness, pays to have in all papers, Dimicrat, Republican, Methodist, Prisbyterian or any other kind except them howlin Populist papers. Them Populists seem to be so sot agin that “gold basis,” and a “contractin of the money to make it scarce and hard to git,” that they wont put anything a favorin the “gold basis” in their papers for love or money. They are jist that mean.
So I dont want you to blame Mr. McIlvaine or any other feller for sich articles a bein in their papers. They cant help it. They jist have to do it or lose their rich money-lendin friends.
But the feelin I felt when I seed sich a article in a Republican noosepaper prompted me to do the thing that, as I said afore, nearly made me a weepin widder.
I jist thought Ide have some fun with Jobe.
So I went to work and cut the headin off from last week’s Tuscarawas Advercate and pasted it over the headin of this week’s Ohio Dimicrat. Then I cut the headin out of last week’s Ohio Dimicrat and pasted it on this week’s Advercate. I then folded the papers up nice like and laid them on the table in the settin-room, where I had laid them week arter week for near onto fifteen years.
“So I went to work and cut out the headin.”