Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-05-23
Obe Ca,lfaster 1ntclliac,lfer.
LANCASTER. MAY %, 1885.
A pillOried Post.

The Washington Post has been giving to
the country the sayings of Senator Black
burn, as it has given those of others, and
they are of sufficiently sensational char
acter to secure republication in the news
papers generally, although the source from
which they come is of well demonstrated |
unreliability. The Post, after the fashion |
Of the modern newspaper, cares much less |
for the truthfulness of what it reports than |
for its interest. 1t has pretended, in this
instance, to give the conversation that took
place between Senator Blackburn and the
president, upon a recent visit of the Sena-
tor tc. the White House, and has cared so
little for its character for reliability, as 20
point two different statements of the same
interview, basing both upon its own pre-
tended knowledge. Senator Blackburn
says that he did not give the information to
the Post and he does not believe that the
president did and as no one else was pre-
sent the conclusion is that the Post
manufactured it; to which conclusion
probability is given by the fact that
that the Posts narrative is not correct The
Post also represented the senator as
having written to Senator Bayard request
ing him to take his name from all recon-
mendation papers on file in the State de-
partment to which it was signed. The
amount of truth in this statement, the
senator says, is that he wrote to the secTe
tary withdrawing one experimentation
that he had made.
As a lie is well known to travel faster
and live longes| than the truth, very often,
it is probaj6e that it will be some time be-
foIel6e Country is persuaded that Senator
g15lackburn, did not have row with the
president and has not declared that he will
never recommend another man for Office
The president has had the appointment OF
the senator's brother as revenue collector
revoked, and the inclination of the public
is to believe that the senator is sore; and il
= was ready to accept the Posts tale that ht
made silly exhibition of his anger, be
cause so many people are not wise wher
they are cross. Doubtless Senator
Blackburn was hurt and sore owe
the stigma put upon his brother, as it wa
natural for him to be. The general opinion
is that he was not well used in the matter
But Senator Blackburn has the reputation
of being a high-toned and sensible man
and he would not be this il he permtte'
his feeling of injury at his brothers treat
ment to diminish the extreme prOpriety o
his behavior towards the president and hi
secretaries. 1t would rather tend to in
crease it; so that it is not probable at all
that he berated the president in his inter
x,sa u, tS tI-n1,t tI,aN 4,
abdicated his function as n Democrat
senator SO far as to declare that he woul
have nothing further to recommend to tn
president in the matter of appointments
the federal offices in Kentucky.
The senator says that he does not pei
NIT himself to notice newspaper tales abou
himself; and it certainly requires grea
deal Of judgment in a public man to know
when he should, and when he need not, re
pei the many newspaper falsehood
which assail him. To reply to theB
all would be hardly possible, am
to reply to none scarcely wise. /
mans reputation is moulded by tn
newspapers. He may be rs wise as Solon
and yet be pictured as fool as honest a
the day and be given the color of the night
The appetite of the newspaper for spic
news makes it needless of truth, and
destroys reputation without malice, in
spired by the zeal for the spiciness tina
gives it circulation. The libel laws stan,
ready to quench their zeal in a striped suit
but they are cumbrous to WELD and un
fashionable. The weapon needed is on
that will meet the wrong swiftly; and nov
that the duello is gone ont, there is nothin,
seemingly left adequate to the occasion.