New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-07-16


A stranger to our varied styles of journalism
watching, since the President was shot, tine course
OF certain daily newspapers of uncertain rcSponSi-
hllty IN politics and all other matters: and crro-
ncousy suppcsing that they truly reflected public
feeling and opinion, Mus. have ccnciuled that we
ore n very mcrcural as well as unrcasoning people
If these journals are 90 be credited We have in
the passing fortnight since the tragedy lern at the
highest poin, Of hope and the lcWoa of DESPAIR =.
and have alt ernatcG between rage fear indieola-
ton. confidence and suspicion. csc napcr, were
profoundly impressed with horror at the attclnri
at assassination; Indignation ri the cnormity Of the
crime; detcStatio Of the criminal and sympathv
for the victim Later on, when there was hope that
the President might possibly recover they sinulta-
ncou,lg pronounced him beyond human aid and
united ia sensational headlines and senseloss arg,l-
monts to show bow impossible ii was for a person
wounded as he was TO survive. AT any rate they
said, if he lived he must suner total paralysis and
consequent disability 10 perform his official duties
and they even discussed the succession in this
event. Then when the President in one of his
iocose moments said Z" the head was all right only
tho old hulk rddcd" they declared in favor of IN
evitablc paralysis of the lower limbs Now that
the attending surgeons declare that he is going TO
get we'll they with one voice declare that the re-
ports of tho serious character of the wound were
grossly exaggerated to magnify the skill OF the phv
sicans The moment the four in attendance after
scores OF examinations, express the belief that tho
ball is lodged in the wall of the abdomen another
physician, who has not examined the wound az all
is induced to rise up and say mat after all il WAS
only flesh wound. They arc SO grave in their ex-
prcssions that the physicians have exaggerated the
wound that it would seem they havo no alternative
except TO oso their patient TO their reputation
But only day or two ago the climax of absurdity
and Misrepresentation was simultaneously reached
by three of these sensational journals. One
discovered that the doctors had disagreed frC the
first and scanalously fought for the control OF the
Another satisfied itself of the lying character
of the daily bulletins and the untTustw orthy state
Incnts of the wounded mans condition. And "A third
finally tracked the responsibility for the whole
affair to That Man from Maine" whose Interior
purpose in the adrot management of the case was
to make his own family physician. now in attend
ance the President Surgeon General over q dis
missed doctor who IL rival candi1ate Fortu-
nately, those who know the utterly reckless charac-
ter of these sensational papers will not credit the
American people with any such vacillation of feel
ing or such injustice of thought suspicion Tor
they have BEEN throughout the long period of sus-
pensc and anxiety, full of hope and confidence And
they are 30 day more hopeful than ever of tho
Presidents early and c)mpletc recovery.
That bright and enterprising weekly paper ILe
Critic enters its second hali-ye to-day with drums
trait of Anthony rrollope and very crcdi
table engraving of the Joan of Arc of Basticn Lee
page; picturesque poem by Charles dc Kay, aud