New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-08-06
JOURNALTSTTC AMENITIES.

A City contemporary has entered n manly pro-
test against the discourteous personalities some
times INDUCED in by the conductors OF rival
Journals. Caring nothing for these scurrilities,
we never could fancy them either wise or
witty. We often find statements, representa-
tons, arguments, in another journal that we
are impelled TO combat; but it never occurred
to us that we might do this with effect by as
serting that the editor of that journal wore a
bad hat or had INK stains on his vest, or that
his boots needed backing. If one has nothing
more to the purpose to say, why wouldn't it
be infinitely wiser to say nOthngf In fact,
this whole business of discussing q writer
rather than his propositions seems to us either
pitiable confession of incapacity or culpa-
BILE pandering to vulgar appetites and vicious
proclivities.
Still, every journalist may be fairly presumed
the best judge of his readers tastes; so we
rarely are moved TO remark on the habit in
question unless privately to warn writer's for
these columns to avoid it.
But there is custom too prevalent among
journalists against which we have repeatedly
protested, and which seems to us more gravely
faulty thar any mere iDdecorum. We allude
to the habit of attributing obnoxious or repre-
hended views to another journal without
quoting the passage on which the attribution
is founded. This is always Objectionable, and
often falls little short of forgery.
Take one example outiof manyIfrom the last
issue of The World:
"The open letter addressed by DR.. Gimer 10 the
called leader Of defeated faction in that State Is
manly and 20 the point This latter persOnJenkns IL
the name Of him, II mistake not-coOly proposed that
bis beaten crowd Of disunonsts should form an alliance
with tho cvar.c and victorious Conservatives OF the
grand old State Dr. Gilmers reply 10 Is immateral TO
give in full but the puport - that the De
the door and that all who win can enter the tabernacle
of the redeemed If they with cleaned hands and
pure heart works meet for repentance whereuPon
the Administration papers-notaby TIE TRIBUNE, The
servaves their disObhgng and nhosptable spirit,
fOrsooth"
The mistakes-tO use the very midest term
crowded into the passage above extracted
are very glaring, viz: I. Dr. Gilmer is not, but
Mr. Raleigh Il. Daniel is, the Chairman of
the able and eminent Conservative State
Committee. g DIR. Gilmer is Chairman
of the "true Republican State Commit
"teeo ESQ called, representing those Republi-
cans who bolted the Wells ticket and first put
the Walker ticket in nomination-the "Conser-
"vatives7 having then in the field totally diff
ferent ticket headed by Col. Withers. Mr..
Jenkins's overture was made to DR.. Gilmer as
head of the true Republican" organization,
and not to the CONSERVATIVES" at all. We do
not criticise DR.. Gimer's response; but, GER
tainly, proposal of reunion from much the
larger to the smaller fraction of the divided
Republican party was neither impertinent nor
preposterOus.
But certain Administration journals, and
NOTABLY The TRIBUNE" says The World
lecture the Conservatives on their disobliging
" and inhospitable spirit" When, where, in
what terms, did The TRIBUNE undertake to
"lecture the Conservatives" in the premises
We are utterly unaware of having done any
thing of the sort In our judgment, the Yir-
ginia Conservatives" have shown more sense
wisdom, TACT this season than ever before, and
more than their brethren in any other State