Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1863-11-10
The Courts. the Press. and Public
MoraIifE

NShftss tue fFSss. ana Pubic
Morality"
The Chronicle of this morning has the follow
ing paragraph in relation 10 it's singular edl-
tcrial of yesterday under the abov We head cen
snr'ng the papers OF Washington that have
Iuoi sh, d the court proceedings in the Burt
nett case:
IF the article in Yesterdays Chronicle, re-
Meeting upon some OF city contemporaries
mad met the eyes of the proprietor or editor in.
Chiei before IL appeared, II never would have
been pu he'd. However VS. NAV differ With
other journals or Journalists, we have always
enGeaS orad to do SO without empioypg harsh
perscn al phrases
We are not surprised TO learn BY this dis
claimer that the article in question, so OFFENSIVE
In its assumptions and so wanting in common
courte.y, had not received the super vision OF
30 experienced a journalist as the proprietor OF
the Chroticle. For he certainly il aware thatit
ID the pra.tice of first-class journals the world
over. from the Londos Times down. to rspo-.
through thick and thin" in criminal trials; a
practice not however, carried out BY the Wash
hngton papers to that extent, even in the Bur
Fnett case, rs the Chronicle must know He is
well aware. too, that his own columns are no
70 clear of offense, II o1ensa i, be- even in
cases not exactly matter OF court record, al 70
allow tbs Chronicle to set up As {. censor OF i,s
neigntors.
But the chro1sicae ininates that it discla,ms
the offensive manner, used OF differing with its
contemporaries rather than the fact That is 10
say II holds to its opinion that the least said OF
each cases the better.
Now, we can conceive why the Burtenetts
and Maude Roberts, and all the swarm who
are now busy in their hellish work in this city
should dsprecate the flood Of light thrown upon
their doinss by the publication mentioned, but
why any journalist should wish to shield them
from the public gaze is not so Ineligible, for
by no other means can their extrpatiou be
hoped.
Inc CAroatcle is certainly not SO welded 10
It's some-nme-ago enunciated project for re-
generating Washington and its morals by AL
Influx OF "new comers'' as TO hail as among
the "regenerators" the crowd Of infam QUE men
and women OF the Burtenet; and Mauds
Roberts stamp, who have come here to ply
'heH trade IN such numbers To elbow from
Their homes whole neighborhoods of pect-
able citizens. There are fifteen thousand psos-
titutss in the city of Washington, aud the num-
Der OF their pimps and retainers ure legion
does tie ChrGnicl. thin.- this terrible ulcer is
TO b+ healed by covering 1t with he plas ter of
silence, or by the slow actiou OF the courts,
Uhen indictments against some " the mos,
notorious houses OF prostitution in the city
have hung unprecedented for years
We believe our couIts, as ~ present coasti-
tated, are doing their utmost to exrirpate these
I rrible evils bus they Will be 30 " eriess unless
The press-iI stead Of maintaining a .sn,ast,r;Y
tsactiSify''-sb shall afford them resolute co-ops-
ration, call things by their right names, and
MAKE such an expose Of these hell holes and
their inmates as shall arouse the community 10
a sense of its peril. This may not suit the Soci-
ety for the Promotion OF Public Decency by
panialetiing piano-forte legs,-ws beg their
pardon, lifabs, not keeS,--but il .ciu suit th.,
vigorous common sense OF the community
wbich is not yet inclined TO see the press emas''
cula.ed 10 make its Issues textbook matter for
schooi-g girls, and which holds a!so with the
= ern old English moralist, lhat people who
part!c ularly affect nice words are people o.
Particularly nasty ideas.