The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-11-10

ElSCtlpn SNWN uHN " AE'tth'N''
Unfortunately tic result Of The presi,
Dental election has turned on one State
which polls III eliorntotS vote, and Elaine
and Cleveland have ran 10 close to each
other that It has not been \ question Of
thousands but Of hundreds. II the result
hal been decided by III unchallenged
pl nality Of 10000 or even 1000 foreither
candidate, Il fow hundred more or less
would have made no difference, linen
would not have watched viii anxious II.
tcrcst every change Of bundled and the
published returns would have been
thought wonderfully accurate. y,' wv
Through all the ehb and How OF tho.
news tide, with saddeh and provoking
changes bringing honc for ono side
and bitter disappointment for : the
other, the partisan newspaper has been
put to 4 severe test. Tho National Demo.
cratic Committee has claimed with Il
triumphant flourish that New York had
given its electoral vote = to Cleve.
lAnl and elected him President OF
tho United States. With no more
admission OF doubt tile National
Republican Committee has claimed the
SINE for Blaine. Iietwccn the two com
mittecs the Associated Press has poured
its steady stream Of news, under no obi.
CATION to either purity, conducted for the
prompt and accurate gathering of news Of
all kinds. Whether the returns were fay
oring Republicans or Democrats the AS.
sciated Press flashed them over the
country to the newspapers which are,f fay
.ored with its service. 5'' 9'2-
The question for tile partisan newspaper
to decide was whether il would accept as
conclusive the Claim OF the National
Committee OF its own, party, or whether it
would print the claims OF each party rs
claims and steer its own course by the
%non-partisan reports OF the most coinpre-
hcnsivc and generally accurate news.
gathcrin. machine in the world. To fol-
low its party committee was to
sustain its readers OF its own
faith with the grateful nourishment
OF an absolute assurance which admitted
OF no doubt and made no allowance for
the possibility OF an, error. Most OF the
partisan papers OF the country have pur.
sued this plan in their treatment OF the
news. The Republican newspapers have
PERSISTED in airing the%ir'coons and eagles,
and with equal obstinacy the Democratic
newspapers havelct fly their ROSTERS.
The embarrassing situation raised again
the old question whether the partisan
print is TO be regarded as chiefly 4 politi-
cal pamphlet or rs principally n puryeyor
OF ncws-whe.her it is honest for the par
tisan %ncwspaperto feed its partisans with
the thing they hope is true rather than
the thing which is prima iacic true.
Without hesitation the 1STEL1lGEScEn
chose its course, or RATHER continued TO
pursue the course which has given
it character und won for it
the public confidence. This it felt bound
to do by its obligation to the public and
by its own self-respect. The 1SrEL,loES-
CIR had the good fortune to be able to
command the rpecial services OF so exper-
fenced, and cool and conservative a man
as Mr.. A. w Campbell, But even MI.
Canpbcll's conservative Republican dis
patches were not given the preference.
The ISTELlIGEScEn followed closely the.
Associated Press dispatches, gave greatest
prominence to the latest adviccs from that
source neither Republican or Democratic,
and in the light OF those reports estimated
the probabilities. 1t WAS with 10 light
heart that adverse adviccs were received,
butadversc or favorable the IyrELlloEScEE
owed to the public its hest information,
treatedasthat informatio,iseemedtojustiiy
and demand. II the Associated Press was
wrong that was not the fault OF the news-
papers whicl, in good faith published its
dispatches. II the final count shall elect
Mr.. Blaine, as TIE lSrELLlGFScEE hopes.
he will have lost nothing by the con-
scientious treatment OF the news BY a Re-
publican newspaper. The ballots elect;
tho newspaper only rccords; tho fact. or
what seems to be the fact. n
While tho case was open and there was
room for argument and exhortation tho
ISrElLloExcEn did wl,at It could to con-
tribute to the election OF Mr.. Blaine. Tho
case being closed ut tho polls, the INTEL
4idEScER had no other desire than to re-
cord the result. II it shall appear that
Mr.. Blaine is entitled to the Presidency,
the lSrELLloEScEn hopes to have
the courage to stand by him
in the assertion Of the right Of the people
to scat the President Of their choice, The