New-York tribune., 1879-10-30
IN THE STEERAGE.
mr. c,,v,pn covp,vy eurNT

Mr. FEANCKLYN's STATEMENT PARTLY ilCTI-
nous AND WHOLLY LVAslVf--NO TNPLANATIoN
OF TIE ur-T8EATNFNr OF TIE PAssENGTES.
IFEoN THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF gna rtinuNF.l
IoSpoN. Oct. 16.-Some two months ago | sent
you letter. which pgblisAed September q. eon-
taiuing aa epitolne of three articles when had al-
peared u The IaU MAJ Gasefic describing the wri-
err experience as steerags passenger ln a CnnaTd
steamship. rhc narrative in The PfU Nah Gdsftc
was minute and oIrcumstanti Nobody could read
two sentences Of it without seeing that
IL was tie actual and truthful record Of a
personal experience of Il somewhat painful
kind. IL was a very damaging story TO publish
about 4 company. which, having already seen
large proportion of the cabD-paSsenger traffic trans
ferTcd 90 other lines. has n special interest IN pro-
noting its sicerace business. The substance oi IL
WAS copied into various other English papers lie
Pal Nal Gdsettc Is journal. need hardly remark
OF singuaTly high position. and ol great authority
all over England Its disclosures excited no little
attention from the public, and no little commotlon
in the London aud Liverpool steamship Offices.
The three articles appeared at intervals of some
days, occupying in all more than week in publica-
tiou Yet neither during this PERIOD nor upon the
conclusion of the series. nor since the conclusion
DOM to this day. has sny denial or contradiction OF
the articles. or of any one statement contained IN
them been Published in The Pal Nal Gazette. l
believe may say that no such denial has been adj
dressed tnat paper by company orby any oneln
it, behalf There is reason to doubt that II wond
have been Published If sent IL has been expressly
stated. by person who ought 10 know that the
Cunard Company were informed that the
columns of Ile Pal Mall were open to them If they
had any defence TO offer. But the Cuuard Com
pany. having doubtless well considered the matter,
took refuge u silence which can only be construed
as % confession. They declined 20 plead 10 the
many charges of this Indictment. They preferred
T. undprg, .lc pcnc f1rie q daTo Of general con-
domination.
Their dlscret.o on. DON'T doubt, was wisely exor-
ciscd. rut il appear. they have au agent IN New
YORK. Nil &. G.. Francllyn whose inpllsrs are less
under tac control OF prudence. He has boldly
ruslicl ir where lis owners feared 10 tread. They
slrauk from challenging the trutifuiuess OF the
ore.na! statement. Their clerk IN New-lork,
5000 miles away, thinks % safe to find
fault with tic copy. He has supplied ono OF
yourcanfcmporaue, with what be calls reiu.ation,
not Of tlc articles n The P4N Mall but of my letter
based ON them. Obviously tins sort of strategy Is
lot without alroimcss. II the CuuaId Company
bad r,nuIel to deny any pagt Of the account pub
lshcf here tlcg thersk of an instant rcjoinder
But tl. Ncw-York ticket agent was in position
osar what he lgcd without the chance of being
answered from this s,de Tor month. IN "a ma-
nony-. OBJ. ibis hud there is a certain olcverno,s.
likely enough % commend itself 20 the advocate
to whom a bad case Is better than a
COOL o.. bcc.l.ci ofrls greater ne forclrniug
manipulation liu. with tao jugs tAe uu.h IS
lr..- .nr. to prevail ll .hc long lln. Wherever is
Iutc., .cl ln :lis mattor w DO snrc 20 sag that a
dcf.n.e which was not Thought good enough toy Ito
Cw.rl Company i0r London vii scarcely pass
muster when plt forward 'y their servant in New-
YORK.
Nevertheless. ! wiz deal vlth 3Ir. Francklvu's
Inlfil 500 ou if- llcrts .uch os ticy arc. Idont
car TO- take alyala-e OF his blunder at the start
IN making per.ora, attack upon me. call 1t q
Llau.,r bUJ presume MI. IraucAlyn, OF whoever
prompt, him from behind, thought it would help
hlm with tlc public n hc could divert attention
from the shortcomings of his ships 10y personal
controversy with those who exposed them 1t
is so ea-y 10 impute bad motive TO any
body w.o brings forward an unpleasant factl
NJ. FmucAiyu, uuiuckiy. rs a novice IA such mat
tiers. lie was not content with imputiug base
moiit, lo mr. Hc must needs explain the origin If
-irilyc. and 20 lo that Doe has ,old storyabout
personal luisuntetsfauGng" between me and
som, Cuusrl captain. ont of this U'sundpIs,aud-
inc. declares hr. iran c.,lNu, grew desire IN my
pr, for revenge. aud hence 20 was-soe what a
loslcial ul, Mr. funchyu is tAat slmo-
body else described thc horrors Of a Curwd
ftcrerc ia Tie Pail Hod Caz,ye. Mr.
FarotItr', story is as / have said in a letter IN
Tie iouIaal S. hch publ sized It, fabrication, with
GU 1913 atom oi lacl 90 rest or. ie has been asked On
siats r h1 tae Anonymous captain is Oh whom De-
fath,is 10. and to sp,cify the ship and voyage ou
which ht alleges thc incident To- have ocouued.
Told as tlr story NOW is, with studied vague
nes4 all J can do is % say u .s false. When
lie shall commit himself TO particulars. /
plcd-e my-lf 90 prove 10 false. Meantime
it is more than enough 10 say. as do. that never
had ary personal mi understanding with any
Cuuaed captain, coz any personal grievance or per
soral motive 81 amy uud go shat have written.
Aud. however wicked q man may bc, the qucs-
ton which most concerns tie publc in tLis ease -.
not what lrd me t. state the facts, but whether tie
facts are as stated them or rather as they were
stated by Tie raj NaN Ca-fe and repeated 10y
me. What has Mr Fnncilyn TO say about that
His defence iil, q column and hall. He has taken
three weeks to prepare IT, What does 1t amount
tot
Well, ] am sorry to say that il amounts To very
little. lie was confronted with specific accusations
which could only be met byequally specific denias.
The questions raised by The PaV NaN Ga-etic
were questions of fact not opinion. If the state
mcnts not true, they were capable Of dIsprooi
But Mr. Frtucklyn does not attempt to disproye
theu lie contents himself, except in the cases
will mention, with a general panegyrc upon The
lire which lires and pays him, aud.with arsunen-
tatiVe replies 10 definite allegations.
To the create part Of his apology one general de-
scipiion is applicable. he does not as a rule. deny
that B.. the writer in Tie Pail Nat saw what he
says he saw. But he replies that such things can
be true of Cunard stceraees in general. And
whyf Because they are. IN some respects, incOn-
sistent with the printed contract entered into by
the Cunari Complny More than half Mr. Frauck-
lyus consists OF copies If these contracts 1t
is not necessary TO spend much time in arguing