Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-05-23
From the Boston Journal
independent Journalism sixcll2-
pIificG.

Our readers have do doubt heard a
good deal within the past two years
about ''independent journalism To a
majority Of newspaper men, with TWEEN
ty or more years experience, it has been
impossible to answer the query, "What
is independent jOurnalism?' In some
quarters where it is supposed to exist it
manifests itself by publishing gross false
hoods, and commenting upon them as
if thew were facts. 1t throws mud at
party men under the apparent dclusion
that n nominee OF party should at
once declare himself in opposition to the
political creed Of all parties. 1t displays
what is supposed to be a spirit OF indie
pcndence, by violating the spirit Of de
cency and giving currency to gossip
picked up from gossip-mOngeTs who in
vent their news items and coin new
lie every day. But the most remarka-
BILE exhibition of the legcrdemain Of in
dependent journalism was shown at Gin
cinnati. The great principle which is
at the bottom of the idea was illustrated
by grand moral exhibition, which is
thus described by Theodore Tilton in the
last issue of the G0lden Age:
The newspaper mcn-Oncc a deSpiscd
c1ass-eXerted u predictions power at Gin
cinnati. Thus, when the Davis movement
was at its hight, and its managers cOnft-
IDENTITY predicted the success of their can
didatc, five or six gentlemen of the press
met at midnight over SniDe lunch, ana
resolved to kill the ambitious project the
next day. The patriotic c0nsntratorS
were Horace white OF the Chicago Tri5nne,
Samuel ROwlcS of the Springfield RepHbii-
can, Henry WatersOn of the Louisville
Co1t1ier-JOiradI, MuraJ ualstead OF the
Cincinnati Commercial, and q few other
well known writers, all of whom agreed in
~
pressed by the Judges money, and that
the scheme of nominating 4 political Judge
because he was pecuniarilY able to pur-
chase for himself such a distinctions should
at 4au hazards to be balked, or, as Carlyle
say. ''squclched." How far this accusation
was true the present depOnOnt saith not.
As he does not positively know the facts,
he feels unwilling to join in the lndIct-
ment But other journalists believed 1T to
the point of rage and wrath. and struck
theiI blows accordingly. Each editor on
the midnight in question, teIegrGphed an edi
tOriaL 10 his Journal bearing HeaUiiB against
Judge Davis, and copies Of these articles acre
qiuen to Halstedd Of the Commercial, IN
1ChOSe journal they simultaneously appeared
the nert morning. The effect was damaging
in the extreme on Davis prospects 1t
was impossible for his champions from that
moment to win any new recruits for their
hero, 1t was his death-blow."
The secret is out The myth has
thrown aside her invisible garments
We now know what ''independent jour
nalism" means 1t consists of a news
paper ring combining to induce the people
to believe that the ideas entertained by
three or four men are not in fact the
opinions of scribblers in Cincinnati, bot
a reflex of public opinion of the people
of Chicago, Springfield and Louisville
And these men denounce rings, deplore
the evils of the caucus system, deride
political clubs, and are so heartily sick
of the corruption of the Republican
party that they want to create new
and pure party Their first step is the
creation of a newspaper ring. This
grand moral idea is one of those occas-
ional conceptions which originate with
men who are politically muddled. They
want pure party and they create a
newspaper ring to misrepresent public
opinion, by giving photograph of the
public pulse, taken at distance of one
thousand miles. The Chinaman who
discovered the secret of roasting pig
was less of an original than these indie
pendent journalists who seek to purify
politics by corrupfing the press
Rings are bad enough, however con-
stituted, but let US pray that news