Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-08-20
PERSISTENT UNFAIRNESS.
The New York Times Pushed into IL
Corner.

Corner.
To persist in a false accusation after
its falsity has been clearly and conclu-
sively demonstrated requires more cour>
age OF certain sort than to make a
manly acknowledgment of error In this
sense the Times is brave. It brings it.
self and its explored story about the
suppression of four Mulligan letters under
our notice again with a persistent impu.
dence which invites castigation rather
than instruction. Let the Times attend,
while we braid lash out of facts that
ought to sting his back.
In leading article of column and
half on Monday of last week, the Times
announced that it had made an examine
alton of the record, which verified in
the most startling manner" the story that
Mr.. Blaine had suppressed some of the
letters contained in the package which
he took from Mulligan. The Times
startling discovery was this Four of
the documents called for by the memoran-
dunn it failed to find in the Congressional
Record; and by what it considered as
"a most singular coincidence" -four
letters not mentioned in the memorandum
were read by Blaine. "Can it be-" de-
manded the Times, 'that the splendidIy
audaclous statesman substituted some
harmless letters from his own portfolio or
manufactured for the occasion the fo.r
letters on Mulligan's list, but rot read?"
Ibe only basis of the Times startling
discovery was the phenomenal stupidity
with which its examination of the
record was conducted in the first place
Two OF the four documents which it failed
to find were in fact printed on the pages
which 1t had been examining; hall of
Its case was swept away by the evidence
OF Its own unequaled heedlessness. A
third letter was there, too, answering the
description of the schedule in every
respect except that Mulligan had indexed
it as of July 25 instead of July 2. The
fourth, letter of Fishers to Blaine, was
not produced by Blaine at the time. In
stead of covering the Suppression" of
this letter by the substitution of harm.
less epistle "from his own portfolio or
manufactured for the OCCASION" ne
simply and straightforwardly said that
he did not find it IN the package.
The Suns examination of the record
was not prompted by any other motive
than the habit of verifying startling and
important discoveries before accepting
them, even from our neighbor the Times.
The case of suppression and substitution
did not stand scrutiny. The record
showed plainly how the Times had been
misled. Instead of withholding the
result Of our own examination because it
was favorable to Mr.. Blaine on this
special point of inquiry, we thought it
| right to give him the benefit of the facts,
so far as they might benefit his case. IF
| this IL credulity we are happy to be
regarded as credulous by a newspaper
which prefers reputation for persistent
unfairness
For some time we assumed as a matter
of course that the desire to avoid mis-
representation in our treatment of
| political opponent was shared in an equal
degree by the Times. We regret to say
that such is not the case. The single
effort of our contemporary at present
seems to be to escape an admission of its
own original mistake, without regard
either 10 justice or to Mr.. Blaine or duty
to the readers who look to it for informa-
tion and opinions. This is very dis
creditable course to pursue. ANY news
| paper may be led into false position by
rnisapprehension, by insufficient or
! misleading information, or by precipitan-
| cy which can be inexcusable without
being criminal. Deliberate dishonesty is
an ofense of a different brand. d.-Ne,o
York Sam (Dem,)