National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-08-19
THE PROPERTIES OF JOURNALISM

The Sunday Herald must not be quite so
sweet on THE REPUBLICAN at times, and
so sour at others, lest it may be suspected
of slight inconsistency, if not of duplicity.
1t says it has no "il-will" toward us, and
yet in the same breath it writes THE REPUB-
LICAN down as the champion of Senator
CoNKLING in the late emeue at Canonchet.
In this it does itself discredit as a fair and
well-disposed neghbor. We champion none
of the actors in that unfortunate melo-
drama. They must stand or fall as they are
shown to be innocent or guilty, and all
having arrived at the years of maturity
there is very little room for sympathy, even
if the worst allegations, made openly or fur
lively intimidated, should be established. We
hold, however, that the public journal is
not the tribunal for trying such cases, for it
deals in generalities and jumped at conclu-
sions without waiting for the proofs either
of guilt OF innocene. Such is not proper
tribunal for adjudicating questions of moral
guilt and innocence, for the press has no
Jurisdiction, except that which attaches to
the common gossip and scold. 1t never
seeks for the bottom facts" of the case,
but snatches from the lips of gossip and
rumor their utterances, and then proceeds to
sacrifice their victims on the altar of defama-
tion without any regard to truth and
Justice. 1t is this that leads us to call q
halt, for the credit of journalism the cause
of simple justice, and the general good Of
society.
The public journal enters the family
circle either for good or evil, and it has borne
more poison to the fresides of this great
country in one week than the Christian
mothers can uproot by their teachings and
prayers in awhole lifetime. Every journal
which loads itself up with extending
columns of the gossip, invention, specula.
tion and putridity of the SPRAGUE-CoNK.
LING scandal, should have been quarantined
against by every well-regulated family
within which are children of both sexe.
growing to maturity and receiving impres.
sions which are to be stamped upon thcil
future characters and lives. Such scandals
in all their length and breadth, should be
f no more spread before the young mind than
pestilcnce should be introduced TO prey upor
their physical forces, for corrupted mint
is more to be deplored than diseased body
Then again, the avidity with which Q
class of men no better than CoNKLING il
, his worst possible estate, and women VIII,
are scarcely the peers Of Mrs, SPRAGUE
though she be the fallen creature they
r would picture her, seize upon this piece o
+ scandal and hold up their hands in hol,
f horror because they have an opportunity t
f eyince their high sense Of morality teache
that we are but remove from the canin
species. The NANCY ours all pitch upo
what they conclude is the under dog, an,
| the less the danger of punishment tn
D ilercer their snarls and snappings at tn,
e victim of their temporary advantage
5 These high-toned censors of public moral
( do not stop to study, Let him who
| without fault cast the first stone" bu
l. many paragraph of censure in this scan
4 dalous case has been no doubt write
4 amid the reeking odors of the gin-mill an
t the bagnio. In such cases Satan rebukc
4 sin and sets himself up as the corrector {
o public and private morals. If the pres
f. would be respected as teacher or correctC
1 of morals 1t should learn to Clothe itse
T with some degree Of fcharitableness for til
n errors of mankind and not proceed to ex
8 ecute its victims upon gallows erected b
s the appliances of mere rumor or gossip i
t the hands of malice or hate. We would i
v the last TO champion an established wron
s in Senator CoNKLING or any other MAJ
c but we must contend that judgment shoul
Q follow positive proofs of guilt, and tina