Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-06-04


The Enquirer, Of Sunday, reprehended,
and with justice, the practice in which the
Commercial so often indulges, Of imparting
TO the public its real or fancied knowledge of
the private habits Of men or women, when it
can be done to their discredit or to the dis
comfort of their relatives, friends or asso-
ciates and this without any occasion 10 JUS
tify or even to excuse such disclosures. The
Enquirer alludes especially to the case Of the
late wife of the Hon. Edward Everett-an
offense at once so heathensh and SO cruel, as
to arouse, at the time, a feeling Of indigna-
tion, which has not yet been forgotten, and
which rendered necessary an Gmende that
was rather humiliating than otherwise.
Having predicted that Mr., Douglas will be
defeated, il would seem as if the conductor OF
of the Commercial deemed IL necessary, in
order to preserve his reputation of a true
propbet-now in some little danger-to do
all in his power to promote that event, and
hence his illusions to the peculiar vanities in
which that distinguished gentleman indulges
--allusions which, whether or not having
any foundation in reality, are impertineni
and vulgar TO degree that may fairly ex-
pose their author to the imputation of malig-
nifty and the danger of summary revenge.
The conductor of the Commercial does moi
readily acquire knowledge Of the ethics Of
his profession Actions at law, in cases o.
libel, and unpleasant experiences in the way
of cost-payings and retractions, do not seem
to have wrought their perfect work; and the
public has long been prone, in respect to that
journal, to infer the existence some where in
its directory, of a mean, grovelling and envi'
GUS spirit whose hope for recognition as g
social entity consists in bringing whatever is
above it upon the same low platform which
it finds itself doomed to occupy; spirit o
the same species with those which poets hay'
conceived, when they describe-not Satan ant
Beelzebub, the aristocracy of the nethe
world--but imps and fends, the nameles
scullions and scavengers, who inherit tn,
waste places of He'll, and have tastes fitted
to take delight in its birthstone atmosphere
But we have no right TO let the Enquire
90 free in this connection. IL not exhibiting
an equal amount of malignity, its sins in th'
same behalf have not been much fewer thai
those of the Commercial. Its conductors hay
seldom exhibited much respect for the privat
feelings or social rights of either personal o
political enemies. In the heat of quarre
or campaign it has done things and, unde
similar circumstances, will probably here
after do things which no words but such {
: indicate the direst cruelty can adequatel
describe We commend the case of the Con
mercidl to its tender consideration, with ii
suggestion that there is in it, perhaps, a le
son in newspaper ethics which it would d
well, while teaching, to acquire.
: There is no reason in the nature of thing
why the conductor of newspaper shoul
not be gentleman. There is nothing in th
actual field of the profession that demand
that the editor should either tell an untrutl
expose himself to the censures of the law
libel, or do that which is unworthy the cha
acter of an honorable and digniied man.
is mistake to suppose that newspapers b,
come efficient in proportion as their condu
tors become regardless of the decencies
life and the common courtesies of societ
: and the time, il is to be hoped, is not far di
: tant when such will become--if it is n,
now--the prevailing opinion.