Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-10-29
AourunIisu, I,eu,or,I,Icd,

impossible for many days to come Gold HjU
NelcS,
gOurnaIism Dem6FaIiEed,
1t is not very long since that the managing
editor OF one of the foremost Of modern jour
nails undertook TO prophesy grand things for the
new profession of journalism. From chair
which caused him, beyond most of his fellows,
to seem to be something he made high prom.
iSeS, such as Justly suggested that good per-
iormancc would follow. He bravely assured us
that Journalism, chaotic, drifting, almost pur-
poseess as it seems to-day, is but in the infancy
OF its development" and that, "please God" 1t
would speedily grow TO something deserving the
favor and gratitude of mankind. He did not
deny that
"The newspapers are crude; the newspapers
are shallow; the newspapers are coarse, are I'M
| just, are impertinent; they medde in private
affairs; they distort the news TO suit their own
| views; they WELD their tremendous power to
feed fat private grudges; they are too often in
| debted, as Sheridan said of an antagonist, TO
their memories for their iests, and to their i'm
aginatiOns for their facts; they crave sensations
| that they may turn few extra dirty pennies
| and are reckless of truth, so they can print 4
| story that will become the talk of the town; the
| daily journals have taught disiointed thinking;
| they have encouraged shallow thinking, and
| inaccuracy, and a certain sponge-lke receptive
| ness and forgetfulneSS."
But with this he made promises for the fl-
| ture in declarations such as the following:
| Never were journalists of the better class
| prouder of their power, or more sensible of their
| deficiencies; never so thoroughly convinced OF
the greatness of their calling, or so anxious 10
make themselves equal to its ever expanding
| requirements. The young men, cultured, able,
| and CONSCIENTIOUS who are entering the ranks,
| are resolved that the future times shall be
| worthy of the larger opportunities that await
| them. X 1t will be an ambition to
make journalism a field for the ablest, to make
| its intelligence and its justice commensurate
| with its power, to make it profession for gen
tlemen to pursue, moraliStS to rejoice in, and the
| commonwealth to hold as a sure bulwark and
| high honor Independent Jour
nalism !--that is the watchword of the future in
| the profession. An end of concealmentS be-
| cause the truth would hurt the party; an end of
| one sided eXpositions, because damaging things
| must only be allowed against our antagonists
| an end Of assaults that are not believed fully
| just, but must be made because the eXigency of
| party warfare demands them; an end of SANDERS
| that are known to be ISLANDERS, but mast not be
| exploded because it would hurt the party; an
end of hesitation to print the news in a newspa.
| per, because it may hurt the party; an end OF
| doctoring the reports of public opinion in South
| Carolina and Alaska, because the honest story
| of the feeling there might hurt the party; an
end of all half truths and hesitated lies; an end
| of public contempt, for the voice that baTks
| only approval to Sir Oracle, and through all the
| busy marts of trade and amusement, and learn
| ing and religion, keeps ever barking only this
1 am his highness' dog at Kew;
Pray tell me, sir, whose dog are your
an end as Emerson has taught us the happy
phrase, at once of official and officinal Journal
| ism-that is the boon which to every perple xed,
conscientious member of the profession a
new and beneficent declaration of indepen-
denee affords. Under it journalism ex-
pands in balanced and unfettered develop
ment; ceases to be one-sided in its views and
TO be distrusted, even in its facts; becomes the
master, not the tool, of party; tells the whole
truth, commands the general confidence; ceases
to be the advocate, rises to be the Judge. To
that passionless ether we may not from these
partisan struggles soOniascend; but if not the
near, it is at least the certain future of success
| full and honOred journalism"
few mouths have passed, and we find the
| journal over which this prophet presides guilty,
ii we can judge of guilt, of the worst mSdemean-
| ors perpctrated JOURNALISM within our knOwl'
edge.
We have, indeed heard, from a person who
had seen the document, that Mrs. Woo dhull
printed last spring a slip containing sha meful
stories against the characters of various women
who had, she thought, abused her, aud sent this
slip to these women, and to some of her
friends, with the intimation that il would appear
in her journal; but further than that Mrs.
Woodruff did not go-the vile tales of SANDER
were not given to the public, and the very low
est place in journalism, just under that of the
editors of the Sun and of Woodruff & ClaiinS
Weekly, awaited an occupant in no less a person
than the prophet whose promises we have quoted
above, and who has printed the longest list of
rascally calumnieS TO which journalism has ever
treated the public. Several of these he has
promptly" withdrawn, after supporting them
with the whole weight of his assurance; several
he has worn out, and for very shame of their
contemplate tatters thrown away; and with
| several he still beats the air, in voice which
| would readily enable fishwife to shame the
| devil.
| Such bold resort to constructive forgery, in
making up records Of shame for men who would
| be only heroes if they were on the other side in
| politics, was never before SEEM in the most in
famous passages of depraved journalism. Such
| brazen assurance in bestowing the highest
| honor upon the lowest men has had no other
| illustration within our knowledge. The as
saults made by this journalistic leader upon
| Senator Henry Wilson, Speaker j. G. Blaine,
| Gen. John A. Dix, President A. D. White of
| Cornell university, and some of those aimed at
Gen, Grant, have exceeded in gratuitous malig-
nifty what deliberate knave would have at
tempted, because mere knave would have
known his ground better, and not struck blows
which could only shatter his own arms.
Instead of finding out facts, and telling the
| truth, this wouldbe prophet in journalism has
| seized ictiOns without caution or scruple, and
used them for facts, only TO have to confess after
all that he got false news, and had told, if he
had known it, outrageous lies His favorite
method is to seize any useful lie and loftiy de-
mand the very highest evidence that it is not
gospel truth. His interest in the quality of evil
dence against gutter gossip is in the highest
style of moral charlatanry. The comprehen-
slve and conspicuous virtue with which he
tracked Senator Wilson into suspected lies and
| cast out his name as synonym of falsehood,
could not have better done by the father of all
that "maketh ie." 1t was simply Internal
And the fellow who could thus belabor and
befoul one of the most respectable of American
statesmen, was not above discovering in a Tam
many pOwwow, presided over by the editor of
the Sun, supreme moment OF liberty and of
peace. In the following ecStatic comment on
the aspect Of Tammany crowd we can easily
detect the hand of the prophet himself:
zine most peculiar phase of the crowd was
the quiet thoughtful air OF the hundreds of lit
tie groups which graced the outskirts-low-
talking gentlemen and ladies, many with chill
dren and some bearing babes, who had ventured
into this vast crowd with a confidence some
thing strange to New Workers of the old and
violent regime. This confidence seemed born
Of the cause; as if all felt at peace where peace
was the chiefest aspiration. AT no time was
there any demonstration incompatible with the
sentiment of peace which was breathed on all
sides and shouted from every platform"
Gush OF this sort, used to cover up the indif-
ference of a sold-anddelivered Tammany mob,
would readily nave seen the peace that paSSCth
all understanding in Judas with his bowels
burst out The prophet thought this Tammany
ratification 1.-THE greatest public meeting that
ever asseu bled in this metropolis since the war
meeting of 1861" The Herald and the World
compared it, naturally and correctly enough,
with "the grand Tan many demonstration of
1868" "the unrivaed demonstration in the
fall of1S6S in favor of Little Mae.
Into such ways that are strange did the
prophet fall under stress of partisan sympa-
thieS. 1t wonld be difficult TO find in political
history similar sacrifice of character to acct
dental partisan eXigencies. If journalism is ca
pable OF this without becoming infamous, we
may as we'll dismiss the laws of morality and
the instincts of responsibility, and repair to the
penitentaries for lessons in culture.
And it is especially important to say that if
republican journalism, in its supposed highest
places, is capable of returning mean and hate
full evil for great and noble service, in the fash
ion of our journalistic prophets treatment of
Wilson, Dix, and Grant, we may as well sur
render public affairs at once to Tweed and Barn.
ard and get Mrs. WOodhull to conduct for us a
worship of Jim Fske and Assassin Booth The
hand of the assassin was never more active,
more reckless, more crne, than lin the journal
ism which we are crilicsing. If such things
them, there is small hope for public culture. 1t
is freedom run hcll-mad. The spirit Of it would
fill our streets with blood If it could obtain
power, as it did in the days of the first French
revolution. Happily such a spirit is now as
ridiculous in its weakness, as 1t is infamous in
its aim.