The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-08-14
a NEW LEAF.
SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 1S, 1881.

1t is a sad and painful duty to lay
before a wondering circle of readers,
a fact that has been, for some time
apparent, to me, at least. It is WEI
known that great number of the
once staunch supporters of the
Tribune have become disguised
with 1t, and have denounced its con-
duct IN unmeaSured terms. All this,
L say, has been apparent But there
are very few, / believe, who would
accuse our mutual friend, Ovando
j. HOLSTER. United States Collector
| of Internal Revenue, of being one
of those who had become tired and
weary Of the Z4i6une'S senseless
and careless harangues. But such is,
nevertheless, the case. And here is
the proof: There is thing published
in this city called the Utah Com
naerciGt. (This may be news to
many Of your readers, even though
the sheet is in its fourth volume)
The paper is headed: Published
monthly by E. G. Matthews" and
from this one might infer that Mr..
Matthews furnished the articles
that grace its columns. No one
acquainted with Mr.. NJ, however
would even for a moment, imagine
that he adorns the editorial tripod
neither does he; the articles in
question are written by Mr.. Hollis
ter, and now in proof of my as
sertiOn above, l present the follow
| ing to your readers. 1t is taken from
the. August number of the Com
s7leTciGL: = 10
people and parties and factions
have been eager to point out why
1.-THE Presidents life was attempted
by an assassin, how it came to be
possible, what led or melted to it
Incorporate and unjust denuncia-
ton, Office-Seeking, deprayity, inSan-
| lily, etc. Some have displayed the
same temper, whether we term it
Iidiotic, insane, malignant that Gut
lteau did. We are unable indeed to
distinguish in moral quality, be-
tween the destroying of mems repu-
tations, causelessly and maliciously,
which many and great newspapers
make a business of, and ordinary
assassination. Of the two the lat
ter is the nobler; because the man
who does it runs some risk. The
former has been so long and widely
practiced that it is now done with
comparative impunity. A mans
| life is made a burden to him by
some ne gspaper holding him up as
a villain every morning to hundreds
of thousands of his fellow creatures,
hut to fight one of these concerns
would be like fighting the law,
society itself. There are per
lchance a score of editors and
a hundred employees. There is no
man to hold responsible, breast to
breast. There is in most cases a cor
poration, and corporation, In case
one sues it, that b an inYinei-
BILE hold on public opinion, power
that can and does torture the souls
of men as more material corpora
tons do their bodies. Moreover,
there is art in the torture. One of
these mighty irquisitorial enquiries
begins perchance by exculpating
you from the charge and the cen
sure in plain words, and then goes
on through columns and for long
days and weary months to prefer
the charge indirectly, to make it APP
pear to be true while admitting it to
be false in words, to wound while
pretending to heal. 1t seems to us,
sometimes, even when reading lead
| ing journals, that they are malig-
nifty and cowardice personifed. A
fplain assassin, who shoots knowing
that ne will be hung for it, is to
these institutions, Hyperion to a
SatyT.
1t is this right to assassinate
mems regulations at will, exercised
by speakers and especially by news
paper writers until it has come to be
ltacitly acknowledged to be a right,
prescriptiVe right, which leads to
such crimes as Guitteau's, unjust
Idenunciation, villiication, vltupera-
ton, SANDER, insinuati0n, calumny,
blackguardism-the prevalence OF
these in current discussion makes
one wonder that there aren't a
thousand assassinations where there
is one"
1t is sad, indeed, that Mr.. Hollis
ter feels constrained to write as he
does. He has been long time ar
irving at a very sensible conclusion,
but now that he has got there, let
him have credit for it. And it is to
be hoped that since Mr.. II. has
turned over new leaf, and sees the
folly of his past career, he will set
tie down and become an Industrious
and useful citizen; that hereafter
his voice will be heard and his in
huence used for tie benefit of the
territory instead of against It.
Mr.. II. mas long been warm All
mirer Of the Tribune, and has
penned many column for it; and
the editors and proprietors of the
Tribune have, until lately, at least.
always regarded him as particular
pet; and this almost sudden change
'Of ideas must strike the Tribune
people that there is a screw loose
somewhere. ARGETEE.