The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-01-24
DAILY NATIONAL WING,
WASHINGTON, d. G.
MORNING, JANUARY "a. 1919
TELEGRAPHIC FICTION.

I surface VI lHs ~ uiteu StatSsJ are Cdpuule VI
being made eminenty useful instruments
in communicating the truth from one point
to another, nobody viii pretend to deny,
but that they have been, since their inven-
ton, or are now employed in conveying
nothing but the truth, newspaper telegra-
pho intelligence furnishes abundant evil
dence 10 the contrary The utility Of the
invention, under the present system Of re-
ceiving and transmitting telegraphic intell,-
gence for the public press, is almost entirely
destroyed by the errors and fiction which are
daily and hourly unravelled at the various
stations. This improper use OF the wires
has risen into an evil Of such magnitude that
| ii ought 10 be quickly abandoned, if those
who own the lines would prevent their pro-
peny from becoming proftless, for it takes
no seer to ioretel that, if it is persisted in,
the public confidence in the invention will
be utterly destroyed in few years more.
The Magnetic Telegraph is now little more
than astupendous mandatory Of fiction and
error, so far as the public are concerned.
People are everywhere beginning to dis
trust even the contents Of private commune
cations, and it is natural consequence Of
the gross errors which il is the means of
communicating for the public press. Indeed,
the instances Of serious Inconvenience TO in
dividuals BY the carclessness, to say the
least Of it, which the present system is the
author of, are by no means few.
Oar attention has been particularly called
TO this subject by the Telegraphic reports
that have been flying about the country Of
a,e,, pretending 10 give accounts Of the
movements of the President elect and Hem
~ Clay, in relation to each other. First, it
came 10 US that these two distinguished in
dlviduals had invited each other to share the
Inequalities Of their respective abodes. No
sooner was il ascertained, by due course Of
mail intelligence, that this report was not
confirmed, than the wires brought the news
that Mr. Clay, on his way to New Orleans,
had visited the President elect at his resi-
dence at Baton Rouge that their interview
was of the most ardent character; and that
Mr., Clay intended to accompany General
Taylor to Washington The latest mail
adviees not only disprove this report, but
show that there was scarcely foundation
upon which it could be based The. rela-
tons between the President elect and Mr..
Clay are matters of natural interest to the
public generally, and il does injustice to
both gentlemen to promugate erroneous
statements respecting them. When the
wires undertake to give news respecting
personal matters, the operators ought either
to be assured Of the entire correctness Of
the intelligence before communicating it, or
the name OF the person communicating il
ought always to be published. In this way
alone, we think, can the wires be made the
meana Of disseminating truth instead Of fc-
ti0n
The newspaper press is the vehicle Of err
TOR enough, Of fiction enough, without call
ing to its assistance the Aladdin-hke powers
Of the magnetic wires When it is remem-
bered how difficult it is 70 fix the truth Of
given event, by witnesses Of the most acute
observation, and how prone the human mind
IS To run into exaggeration in recording the
simplest transaction, it is the bounden duty
Of the Telegraph system to use the utmost
eyertion in winnowing the wheat from the
chat; and unless the event OF which it may
speak Is VIGOROUSLY true, il ought to provide
the means OF holding the person commune
eating intelligence for the public responsible
BY name. 1t is personal responsibility alone
that prevents the newspaper press from de-
generating entirely into a vehicle of error
and fiction.
While on this subject, we cannot refrain
from condemning the habit, into which the
press has Of late years fallen, Of pretending
with an affected stenographic minuteness.
Great injustice is thus done to innocent par
ties, in order 10 crafty the prurient curiosity
Of the public. We were never more struck
win thf lollv OF TINS system OF news-gather-
ing, than in the reported account Of the in
terview between Gen. TAYLOR and Mr.. Clay
in the New Orleans Delta Of the 18th inst,
Apart from the fact that the meeting bel
tween Gen. Taylor and Mr.. Clay was en-
Iirely accidental, and that the interview was
such as would, under any circumstances, &C
cur between two gentlemen similarly situa
ted, the whole account is so full Of mproba-
billties, as TO render it ridiculous. Mr.. Clay
is made 10 permit Gen. Taylor 10 pass him
without recognising him-an improbable, III
not an impossible thing-and he is further
made TO salute the President elect with an
unworthy sarcasm,-a still more improbable |
thing, and one Of which We think, that Mr.. |
Clay would not be guilty. Ii is a bunglng
OF a simple fact, without even
the merit OF the remotest probability.