FREE INVESTIGATION by James H. Waggoner

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 26, 1860

“FREE INVESTIGATION.”

By James H. Waggoner

MANY seem to think that we are opposed to free investigation because we are unwilling to publish all they may choose to write, or to enter into public discussions whenever and with whomsoever they shall see fit to say. We pity their ignorance. The freedom they would like to see us have would be to be bound to their skirts, and obliged to spend our time and strength to gratify their ambition and self-esteem. We have a choice in what we publish—otherwise we should be unfit to publish anything—and we shall hold to the right to exercise this choice.

It sometimes happens that a person gets strongly imbued with the idea that he has a special duty to correct our errors. We have seen several such. As a consequence the office is soon flooded with manuscripts on exploded theories, and so-called arguments that have so often been answered that we sometimes fear our readers will grow weary with the repetition, and unless these are laid out in full before our readers, the cry is raised that we are afraid of investigation! And for fear this cry will not affect the purpose, they frequently add that the circulation of our paper would be greatly increased if we would only change our course in this respect, and sometimes vile, insulting language is used to express their feelings toward us.

We wish these remarks might be read by a few of these self-willed spirits, and that they would take to themselves the assurance that we are not moved by their cries nor threats. We have been in the service too long to regard the clamors of those who are so lost to principle themselves as to think to sway us by appealing to our selfishness or our fears. Some thousands of readers, who have known our course for years in the past, can testify that we have never shrunk from an open, fair investigation of principles. And when it has been deemed proper to enter into the field of controversy, we have as far as possible chosen an honorable, candid opponent, and only deemed it proper when we felt that the cause of truth demanded it.

We will only add, that if any are very desirous of extending the circulation of a paper, and helping the publishers to public favor by the weight and influence of their productions, we would advise them to send them to some paper published for such purposes.

J. H. W.