New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-02-06

rt IL OF our CRIMINAL reports, Inc WFgrr Id lnr
fret place protects in behalf Of l." moral sense aud
decpncy" sgans. reporting the evidence in criminal
triais. He will be good enough u remember that
tbs evidence IS forced upon the press; ibatwe are
bOt allowed "a go about searching for the pOtess
snd p'en.antest things 10 put into our columns;
that ue must take the dsstars and dirty III ~. of
Nh, world u. We find them. A newspaper should
mean ,he pew: and unless il gives all the news, it
il probable tbs. ia circulation viii be extremely
limited.
in the next place il ia not part Of the report
e1s duty 70 decide what is pertinent or wh. ia not.
Reporters have little time for splitting moral hairs.
Their duty is 10 rerord what they hear oar own
experience proves to US that they do il with re-
markabe fidelity, and with great deal Of dscrim.
ina;ion. II is the legal province Of the presiding
judicial officer to decide what is proper for publ
cation sid what is DOT. Should he please, be can
perd oil the reporters packing out Of the room, aud
be can supsde at once into Masonic secrecy. The
reporter has surely night to know what the Court
(be il Cor0ner's or another tribunaD considers
should be published, and what the judicial author
i,its think rhould be suppre.sed. We do think
that IL s little squeamish 20 talk of decency of
pIud.shness in the reports connected vita the
Bon f. street murder. The whole thing is 80 bad
the whoe thing grows much worse IN detail
we nave such an avalanche Of filth and such ioOi
of scalfa-that The only question must be Of
cuoiDg the whole thing from the columns of THE
TRBUSF. Whe'her the Coroner should have
restrained "morbid prurency is not our business,
but his. Admitting the case 10 be morbidlS pruri-
en- We do not see how any report of it cOnd have
been absolutely decorOus. Our correspondent aso
eouplsius that much Of The testimony published 10
relation to this murder is foreign to the case"
May We not remind hun that such irreleyancy i,
The bus ne.s II the CorOper, and not ours
The same correspondent, if he would carefully
consider the province Of newspaper, would either
make UP his mind 20 criticise them no LOGGER, or
else to embark IN crusade for their extermniton.
The Whole question must, We think. go 10 the
qq.ry ~hehe or not newspapers, spreading con-
III ually before the people he mos. recent informs
ten Of events, picking ny here and there, IN the
exercise Of their eDerpnso, hundred curious
iuctr, showing by the kuo siedge watch they COM
Ike public can arrive at just conclusion, are to
be, by some censorship not known 10 the Coasiltu-
ton altogether suppressed. Unless this is decided
unon; unless these million sheets continually dying
IN MI directions are TO be by aS arrested, we must
take them, with all thslr good and III, as Va fad
them; ard if they quick, pertinaclous aud
Scsudaloos, reader 10 repJr; tale than 10 exam
inr with the scumen of Chef Justice mo lis
truth-ibese faults must be carried 10 the account
of d-praved socle.y, and not 10 that OF tia news
paper yress, which having a certain work to do,
is in the habit OF doing t, we think, with great
deal of Judgment and fOir ess.
Whether or not we are justified in publishing
these deia,ls of crime is no, the question. The
only question (as we have sadly is wae:hes We are
justin. d in publishing newspapes a; all. We csu-
not txpureate every thing tina. Is unwho!esome from
oar columns. Their immense variety. the VARIOUS
iocicen's which they record. the ~akedness of the
wofd l.eit, AL consPne IL prcveat this. Whether
or not pubic morale are dePrayed BY printing what
is rile upon the public lips, is something which We
leave 10 toe god nature and sense OF our CORE
spoDdtnt & DECIDE.
Our correspondent refers tO another case, the
details of which he considers 10 be Indecent. There
srr many things which We could say of this, but We
prefer to say only two.
/. A newspaper has no choice Of what It shall
report. 1t is chronicle of events. II must take
things as they appear on the surface Of social hfe,
and in thclr onSpsl dignity or deP'aVity. At the
same tune, il should be understood that all things
aiming verbally or by indlrectOn sgsnst publc
morals should De vigorously suppressed Wnateyer
by is very nstuTe suggests wrong should be mcrci-
.tssy discarded. Everything depends upon the
zone; sui tie tone OF TIE TRIBUNE, We trust, has
rever been mer,trcicus one.
H. The pubic,ton Of the perpeirsion Of crimes
IA III the last oegree important because il tends 10
toresarn the pubic. Ii there be = h,bi. OF out
rsspg women. either up our streets, 10 Cur
ho,es or upon bosts FROM Philsdelp hia, We DO not
know WHY women iraveiay upon those Routes,
walking in these thor, u2hisres or sojou-ainc IN
Those public houses, should M. be put upon the.r
AUard: should uo! know tbs, dragged vine Is sOcle-
tues eupoyed by scoundre's OF Tie SPACIOUS
tescrip;ion; should not understand the mOizs
cp,randi Of the machinery pa, by wretcaes intO
play sgsins, iems'e virtue. We do not see why
Is hers sholld not hear Of he d4lnus6le devices
plsrucd against ihti. daughters. We Do nor see
why Unprotected women should not De fOreSa7nej.
We 60 hot why the press should no; s'a:e, and
prove its statement BY sc.s, that IN hundred ways
ibe woves are after the sneeP-thsE s hundred
scouudrels ale watching Tor single lDnoceni-th1t
Ibis Is an evil world. and that We are al under
ere Necessity of keeping our eyes open-