The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1883-09-05
"PrOfessionaIv Journalism.

For one day last week the st. Adams
Messenger gave GO The Peace of Europe"
and dull distractions rest, and devoted
column and more to shepregnant sub
ject of Newspaper Enterprise" An
agnostic, in practice if not in belief, in
the matters which he undertook to discuss,
the editors treatment of the subject was
"amateurish" and in striking contrast
with the qualities he displays in his favor
tie field of journalism. AS an able critic
once said of certain judicial opinion in
great lawsuit, the Messengers unwonted
effort was " trotter before and racker
behind" 1t "scolds" the Montpelier
papers for outstripping it in enterprise in
obtaining and printing important infor-
nation about recent st. Adams financial
affairs and sophisticates thereon in a
manner rather worse than the wretched
gait described in the metaphor quoted
above. The article in question is devoted
to THE WATCHMAN and Argus, but chiefly
to THE WATcHMAN, and what puzzles US
is whether we ought to feel honored or
humbled by the distinction. THE WATCH
MAN makes no special claim to enterprise
in this st. Adams business. 1t has pub
lished what has come in its way and what
as an amateur journalist " we verdantly
conceived it to be our right and duty to
print, and what the public were anxious
to know. This, the professional journal
ist " who dozes in the editorial chair of
the Messenger, denounces as ostentatious
parade" and warns the people that they
will be "victimized if they "accept"
the information furnished by THE WATCH
MAN. To suppress information and be
silent toward official mis-doings, or apollo
gize for official laxity, appears to be the
province of professional journalism as
illustrated by the later record of this st.
Adams exponent, who acts at times as if
he were smitten with dry rot or shriveled
up with bringing servility. But this is
merely the notion of an " amateur who
has printed information given under
oath, facts derived from official rec
ords, and information furnished by in
dividuals of age and experience and of
unimpeachable accuracy of judgment.
These things, we grieve to say, the
Messenger characterizes as "mislead-
ing" wild rumors," questionable state.
ments," sensational reports" "fne strokes
of an enterprise that "puts the worst
side out" Unfortunately the only side
to this matter seems to be the worst
possible side, and we must either put that
side out or. like the Messenger, remain
dumb as an oyster. To discredit the facts
and figures given by THE WAToHMAN,
and by way of showing how enterprising
it might have been, the Messenger boasts
of the tales it could have unfolded, but
concerning the truth of which, like true
agnostic, it grants that it "knew nothing
definite" Our conservative contemporary
is still patiently waiting for the official
| figures" simultaneously with them it is
hoped that it will publish the record of
the doings of the st. Adams listers for the
past three years, for the belated " official
| figures of which it has presumably been
waiting during these years of blank ST.
lence upon that much mooted matter.
A prominent business man remarked to
US recently that the press of the state
seems to have little to say of this st.
Adams affair, of the abuses developed and
the official laxity disclosed. A few papers
seem to have apprehended the vital i'm
portance of the matter both in its moral
aspects and in its relation to the 81, 900, 900
of savings confided, with hardly a legal
safeguard, to the institutions by forty
five thousand people trusting in the com.
mon honesty of man. For no sinister
purpose The WAToHMAN, and with it two
or three of its contemporaries who seem
to have minds of their own and are not
too timid to speak out, has worked VI
this development of gross financial de-
bauchery, if not " for all it is WORTH" as
the Messenger finely puts it, at least with
a sincere desire to enforce upon public
attention the moral lesson it conveys and
the necessity it illustrates for revising and
Strengthening the laws which should pro.
tect the last refuge of the poor in the
"evil days " of old age or misfortune.
|
| GrouI far 1900