The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-10
THE LEGISLATURE AND III PRESS.

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The Views About indianapolis Newspapers
Entertained by Members of the House.
The last hour Of the regular session was de-
voted by the House, yesterday morning, to cuss-
ing and discussing the newspapers and reporters
of indianapolis. 1t was a harmless proceeding,
and it afforded a momentary qualification to sew
eral suffering members, who have not been
pleased with the attention they have received
from tho newspapers of the city, from the
opportunity which it gave them to
scurrilously abuse the representatives of the
press in the terms of their limited vocabulary
of wretchedly bad English. OF these displeased
cyclists, however, there were few, while there
were many who expressed themselves favorably
to the press and spoke with an intelligent under
standing of the nature of a newspaper representa-
tive's relation to the public. The question which
brought the subject to the attention of the
House was a resolution, introduced by Mr..
Peasants, the representative from Switzerland
county, expressing the thanks of the House to
the reporters for the favorable and impartial
reports" of its proceedings. The resolution was
regarded by the reporters more as a joke than
ANYTHING else, but Mr.. Peasants stated that he
had offered it in a spirit of sincerity, and it was
made the subject of earnest remarks. There is
something in the significance and the nature of
these remarks, as indicating character and prin-
ciple. Mr.. Browning, who has been Sc
verely criticised, but it has been con
scientiously believed, justly criticised
said that he was in favor of free speech, but he
thought the press of Indianapolis had been too
free, and he would "see the reporters in Heaven
before he would vote for the resolutions" Mr..
Gooding who has done nothing that has merited
honest, sincere approval, and much that has not
been censured IN the full measure that it deserved.
was scurrilously vituperative. THE reporters
for the, Republican press, he said, have lost no
opportunity to assail Democrats on this floor
who have felt it their duty to espouse measures
which did not please the reporters. They have
abused their privileges and should be expelled
from the House. They have abused their trusts.
They have called me Gooding, the demagogue:
Gooding, the economist. and they have misrep-
rented and abused me in every way that they
could. If they were worthy of notice l should
have paid some attention to theln. 1t takes
about three of the little gentlemen to make one
man. / am told there is to be a special session;
II SO, l shall at its close rise to q question of
House"
HAS any Democratic paper defended the
membersP interrupted Browning.
II am talking Gooding continued .of the
Republican reporters. l have an utter CONTEMPT
for the little half bred, half-grown. half.idiotic
fellows. defy them; | defy them.n This dread.
full denunciation, which made the reporters feel
very bad. Of course, was a great strain upon the
bombastic oratorical powers Of the able Mr..
Gooding. and there seemed to be apparent
danger that he would burst, but he subsidized
very much before the end of the ~rollcall was
reached.
Mr.. Gordon read a scathing extract from
the journal of yesterday morning regarding the
infamous record which had been made by the
Democratic majority in the Legislature, and in
commenting upon it said that he was disposed
to think that the House should be thankful that
nothing worse had been said, and he therefore
favored the resolution.
Mr.. Hoban, to whom sorae nncharitable
anpEions have been made, said that he believed
That what had been eaia about him had come
Fom The heads and not the hearts Of the report-