New-York tribune., 1881-08-31

! OFFENCES OF BOHEMIAN JOURNALISM.
| SOME WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENCE LACKING IN
DELICACY AND DISCRETION, INVADE TIE PRI-
VACY OF THE PRESIDENTS FAMILY-HEEDLEss
GOSSIP SENT FORTH AS FACT-DoMEsTIC INCL
DENTS THAT NEVER OCCURRED.
| lfRoN STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF TRIBUNE
WASHINGTON, Aug. 3O.-It is interesting to
der what General Gariicds feelings would be, if he
should recover and in future period of leisure,
which will probably only after he has perrna-
ncntly tired from public Gte should sit down and
read lille of some fthe newspapers fhat have been
printed during his Illness 1t goes without saying
that he would he touched by the proofs o. universal
interest and affection; but it is n question whether
he would not also he offended, not to say grievcdby
| the vulgar freedom with which some of the VS.
papers have discussed the daily life of his sckroo
and have even proGcssed to lay before the world
scenes which respect for the President
alone should have kept from the public
eye. No one complains because full
information is given to the public respecting the
various developments of the Presidents condition.
Under the circumstances, it would be cruel, if it
were possible, to withhold the details But there is
much feeling among some of the Presidents near
friends with respect 10 the conduct of few scns,-
tonal newspapers, which seem to feel no decary
about printing any thing which cir orrcspondents,
not always over scrupulous, may discover invent.
General Garfield il none the less Il gentleman be-
cause he happens to be The President, and Mrs Car
field the less lady because she happens to be
the Presidents wife, and it can hardly he agreeable
to either of them to be discussed with the coarse
freedom to which few OF the newspapers have sub
jccted everyone connected with this case.
1t ought to he said ut the outset that the number
of offenders in this direction has been small aud
that the mass of Washington correspondents have
shown great dehcacy nd discretion in this
respect, often suppressing facts which were
set adrift through needless gossip and had
no bearing upon the case, and the publication of
winch would have accomplished nothing but to ir-
ritatc the Presidents family just rs any gentleman
might be annoyed o have the conversation of his
breakfast table reported print The conduct of the
mass of correspondents in this respect has been all
that could he desired
But when Bohemian journalism presumes to de-
scribe domestic incidents which in private life would
BE- held sacred from the public eye the offence
againt social decency only less gross than when
the same incidents are manufactured in the inagin-
alton of correspondents. 1t is fact which the
public should perhaps, understand that the desc rip
tons of the life of Gc eral Gar6elds sickrooln tel
egra9hcd hence every day TO me of the papers
largely fictitious. The few salient facts of the
day are taken rs foundation with these grouped
bits of gossip picked up here and there. usually
far distorted from the TRUTH if they have any truth
III them, and about these the correspondent of lux
uriant imagination proceeds to weave "A story of
the day. which would be interesting if il were true
He tells the public just when General Garfield
smiled at his wife, and just when he threw his arm
over his head. and exactly az what hour he made
some unimportant remark 10 General SWAIN and is
otherwise well informed about a score of little in
cdcnts which never occurred. but which are of
course, interesting 20 the general reader who fondly
supposcs them to be true Sometimes he tries even
bolIer flights, and gives special report of some
little word of encouragement and affection uttered
by Mrs Garfield o her husband, or tells the public
at what moment of Che day Washington time,
she presses "A wilcy kiss on his forehead
Only those, perhaps, who have visited Wasln gton
can realize how little excuse there is for sending out
false or inaccurate ros ,ectng the Presidents
condition. To get accurate information it only
necessary to go to the White House Tho number of
persons who give it at first hand is much smaller
than many, perhaps, suppose Since the Tuesday
after General Garfield was shot, not moro than ten
persons i'll ALL excluding the hysicians have seen
him, aud of these ten some only once or
twice. Mrs. Garfield and her children, Mr..
Baine General SWAIN Colonel Rockwell
Dr. Boynton, DIR. Susan Edison, and the
Presidents private secretary, Mr.. Brown, aid
MIR, Pruden, complete the list Mr. Blaine has seen
him once, Mr.. Pruden once, and Mr.. Brown has been
IN five times being usually called in because the
force of persons necessary TO lift the President was
IA little short. Indeed, Of all the strange impress
sons to be go from this novel event there is none
more peculiar than to stand in the private secretary
room in the second story Of the White House. and
feel that YOU are only few yard9 away from the
sck-room on which the eyes of the world NAV be
said to be centred and that yet not more than three
persons beside the physicians. nurses and family
have passed tie door in two months
1t follow then, that the number of persons from
whom definite and trustworthy information can be
obtained is small but it does not follow that il diff
fcut to get such information. On the contrary
several of the physicians, feeling that it was neces-
sary that the country should know just how the
President was have made il n habit to refuse no
reasonable demand for information, and Private
Secretary Brown, from the same feeling, has made
the most careful prov sion to facilitate the work of
correspondents.
In spite of all this, false and misleading reports of
the Presidents condition have often been sent out
sck-room scenes which never had any existence
have been described in feversh rhetoric interviews
with attendants have been given which never took
place. and, IA said before, many little things have
been printed which a true sense of decorum would
have kept from the public, just as. n truo sense of
decorum would keep from the public q private
letter or grocers bill. AS instance of the indie
corous and untruthful report combined might be
mentioned the stories printed by few of the sens;i-
tonal papers about hystcrcal scenes i'm the White
House ut the time of last weeks RELAPSE If they
had occurred it wonld have been no part of the
business of journalism disclose them But il is posi-
lively stated that they took place IL the uni
versa testimony that the Garelds are all Garelds
The children inherit in peculiar degree the cool
American sense and sefreliance of the parents and
those who have seen the home life of the White
House describe it as proceeding with much the same
quiet as usual.
| IA IL