The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-05-22
Into Print.

,rint on all sorts of occasions, and
lpon all sorts of pretexts. The
mount of dirty linen thus washed,
ull in the eye of the public is amaz-
ny. A keen sense of delicacy and
wen propriety should operate to re-
train people from committing this
'ault, and we believein nine instan-
,es out of ten it Is done either upon a
'alse notion of assuming respon-
'ibility or an exaggerated es-
innate either of the personal
of the actors or the subject |
Of the airing. A private individual,
or even public servant upon purely
private or personal matters, should
avoid the papers. OF course
are more or less indiffer-
ent as to personal feelings in matters
of this kind. Even the kindliest ma
lures grow Indifferent, as the surgeon
does to the pain of the patient. All
legitimate sensation is fish for them
when it comes by hook or by crook to
their nets, but that which drops there
like over-ripe truit, is esp' cially
palatable. No one can blame
the papers, because they do it
only in Difference to the tastes
Of their readers-because such matter
is read and relished. 1t is the old
axiom that the merchant keeps the
character of goods his customers wish
to buy. 1t is demand and supply.
However, there are many papers
which open their columns to this sort
of matter only with infinite regret.
Upon principle they dislike exceeding
ly to pander In any way to what they
conceive to be depraved, abnormal
and distorted taste for scandal, either
public or private. A personal griev-
aIce even when it involves the pub
lie interests ought not to be settled
In the columns of the newspapers.
There are courts, tribunals
and personal friends to whom
such matters can be referred with the
utmost propriety, and all these should
Invariably be exhausted ere the case
Is brought to the bar of the public
| the court of last resort-for ultimate
adjudication.
We, of course, allude to the recent
bitter publications over the signatures
of respectable gentlemen of this city
affecting personal rights and public
privileges. Mr.. Wooten considered
himself aggrieved by the course pur
sued by the Austin artillerymen IL
firing off their guns upon one or tive
occasions. With the merits of thi
particular case we have nothing to d.
or say at this time, further thai
that 30 far as we can see Their
has wrong been done on d boil
sides. 1t was unquestionably
violation of law to fire guns in tn
city-the matter of usage cuts no fig
ure in the case. On the other hand
great wong was done In spiking tn
guns, whether it was done as a mat
ter Of revenge, or purely as correc
tive. This was surely not the prope
remedy in this case. There is a stat
ute against the firing Of guns upo
any pretext. That Is sufficient. Gun
were fired, and the remedy was to b
found in the courts. 1t was not sougt
there, or at least until after 1t wa
| sought In print. When an lnfra'
ton of law is made the proper and onl
> tribunal Is a court Of law. The awar
there ought to be sufficient an
! final, and the purpose to oil
tain moral verdict agains
the violator of law, when no mora
: outrage has been committed, is not
!, good one. Its urging is both wron
and impolitic. ''He who taketh tn
sword by the sword shall he perish
Those who write letters to the news
papers will have letters written t
, them.
Now the only purpose THE STATES
: MAN has In view Is to deprecate th
, practice. OF course 1t is source {
profit to us to have these things don
because this class of matter Is invar
: ably and uniformly "pay matter" bl
{ for all that we would prefer not
| Publish it at any price. The charg
| made is for two purposes, OF
! to pay actual outlay in handlin
the NATTER and the other to d
ter people from the use of Il
I means. We don't like these new
paper battles, and less whe
they are conducted at the expense
!. the publishers Alone. If nothin
: will do-if nothing will tame the fiel
ardors of belligerant humanity
, why let the belligerant human pa
,, the piper and dance to his hearts COZ
tent, and he may always rest secure
the consciousness that his witholdin
: of this sort of matter from tn
STATESMAN will be considered va
compliment by 1t.
Now we do sincerely trust that
the future the guns of the artiller
company will not be fired within IL
corporate limits OF the city, an
that If they are the men themselvt
will be punished and not tt
state by forcing her to pay a hundre
dollars to drill out vents filed wit
: rat-tailed files. In all this thing tn
, state is the victim, when some OF
else ought to be made to tote the col
sequences One coming to the concll
', sion that one lawless act justifies al
! other, is off. He is far from the trutl
and he occupies dangerous ground
untenable ground, and uncomforts
BILE ground. We sincerely trust tina
these hot-headed young men will COO
off and permit the fight to be reasone
out Of them, as it should be, and cor
clude never again to go to battle i
the columns of the newspapers.