Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1885-01-03


readable local matter unless>fhe com
muniy aocotds sufhcieH support lcen
able newspapers no keep a Sufficient
staff at good saiaries. Itiates -on an
average>~fine local, tw editorial ard
three miscellaneous writer's to produce
"a single issue Of the San Francisco
Call and the fourteen writer's are ex-
elusive Of two editors who do nothing
but read, revise, excise and reject
copy" In Honolulu good, ""liye, -
"newsy,, accurate and "able' daily
Journal is expected as the product of
(at mosD three (regular) writer's
Newspaper Matter in cities, where
questions OF public interest are contin-
uously arising and where news-gather
ing is reduced to a system, is often less
a question OF what to print, than OF
what not to print less also a question
Of "what' than of chow Questions
are continually arising not only OF
morals but of propriety, of good
taste and of mere expediency. OF this
class of questions personal mention is
continually clamorous.
think that newspapers readers gen
orally like personality--in some form
or other and that journalism would
die a sudden death if the personal ele-
ment were eliminated. Unfortunately,
there is a tendency on the part of read
ers to tolerate every personality that
does not touch ones self or ones's
friends; but to frown vigorously on every
personality that strikes anywhere near
home. This journalistic bane exists
! am sorry to say-in Honolulu. |
must say, however, that think
more general good sense and good
taste exists here than in any commun-
ity ever lived in and, while | am
sure that merely fippant or malicious
personality is heartily disliked here, /
am equally convinced that the public
relishes and approves both harmless
personal pleasantly about private ser.
sons and singing personal invective
against erring public servants--from
royalty down.
Here-as everywhere the question
ought to be- "How far shall an editor
go, not merely for his own safety but for
the public good ?" Both self interes,
and pub necessity demand that the
public acts Of public men should be
"handled without gloves" so far as
facts can be found to justify such hand
ing On that point all are agreed. Blu,
numberless writer's, contend that the
private life OF public men should be
left entirely alone. cannot agree
with this view. The private life OF
public men has manifest bearing upon
their public life. 1t is true that notable
men in official life, few here and
man elsewhere, have led lives that
were anomalous. Men of rankly i'm
moral private lives have been scrupul-
ously exact administrators and scrupl-
ously upright judges. Men who have
been grossly Incorporate in private
hours have habitually performed then
official duties in manner to win and
deserve the praise Of entire communi
ties. But the rule has been-the world
over-that men privately immoral-in
the broad sense-have been either dis.
honorable or incompetent in official re-
lations, And contend that the pub.
lie has right to the side light thrown
upon the characters of public men by
such facts about their private lives as
can be established beyond the shadow
Of doubt
So much for the ethics OF the ques
ton. Now as to its expediency.
Let me premise by saying that | dis
like the word "expediency" and cor
daily agree with the aphorism Of a
Honolulu thinker who says: "Policy,
expediency' and compromise are
three of the most dangerous words in
Devils Dictionary. On each Of those
baleful rocks there have been number
less moral shipwreoks."
And although | hold that the
newspaper man who will not go to the
wall rather than renounce his princi
pies is unworthy Of the honorable title
Of journalist, yet l think many homes,
journalists 60 SO far in their advocacy
Of just measures that they tire theiI
readers and Endless iteration breed:
disgust" There is the broadest field
in journalism for the exercise of tact
and discretion and there need be
no compromise Of principle with expe
diency If only steadfast course can be
maintained. By "steadfas.' donot near
necessarily, consistent Times change
and We must either change with them
or prove them wrong-generally diff
ficult task. Consistency is very otter
merely, ''the logic Of tools;" and have
always a suspicion that the public
teacher journalistic or otherwise who
never looks at events except from one
standpoint,is harboring vacuum in hi.
sconce and deluding himself that it i,