St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-07-01
INDECENT JOURNALISM.

In no other nation of the world
would newspapers, considered repu-
table and supposed to cater to the
tastes of an intelligent and decent pub
lie, have permitted such disgraceful
violations of ordinary good breeding
and individual rights as have been toll
Grated in the United States from the
time that the presidents engagement
was rumored to the time that his we'd
ding train left Washington. The re-
porters who do the work are not to be
blamed. They simply perform the
disgusting duty because they are or
dered to "work it up" as they would
be ordered to work up prize fight.
The managing editors, we can readily
believe, are ashamed of the stuff they
send to the composing rooms, but they
must not allow "a contemporary to "get
beat" on them under penalty of los
lively and cheeky reporters are en-
plOyed, and the one who furnishes the
largest and most imaginative account
is surest of Communications.
Meantime the fact that the president
and the bride-e!ec desired to avoid
display and sensationalism is of no ac-
count. In England if the queen or
any member of the royal family should
desire to travel quietly, it is only nee
essary to have the wish expressed and
it is respected, although special trains
are used and any newspaper could
easily ascertain all the incidents of the
journey if it desired or dared to disre-
gard the prophecies of the occasion.
In other mOnarchies the same custom
prevails, and in the young republic of
France public opinion would not tOler-
ate any such rude disregard of the de-
sires of the chosen ruler of the nation
as is here supposed to be an exhibition
of journalistic enterprise.
The marriage of the president was
naturally a matter of interest to the
whole people, and it was proper and
legitimate that the public should be
informed of the general details of the
wedding, including sketch of the
lady who by virtue of her marriage
was to become temporarily the chief
lady of the land. But, as the New
York Evening Post justly says, "noth-
ing has been too silly, or too trivial, or
too vulgar to be printed, and the re-
suit is mass of balderdash such as
probably has never before been laid
before civilized community as a pro-
duct of the human mind. And it must
be remembered that, as we see it, is
nothing to what it would have been
but for the precautions taken against
the admission of reporters to witness
the ceremony, or overhaul the White
House during the preparations.
The truth is that both the president
and his bride have been hunted down
by the newspapers with no more mer-
cy or consideration than if they were
wild animals, whose sole function was
to amuse the public by their struggles
to escape"
This is severe, but it is entirely just.
And as if the persecution had not gone
far enough it is reported that the ex-
press train, which followed the presi
dents special, carried a number of
special correspondents detailed to in
fest the retreat at Deer Park and to
endeavOr to intrude into the privacy |
of the honeymoon. OF course as long |
as this sort of journalism pays it will
be followed, but it would seem to be
high time that it should be left exclu-
sively to the indecent and sensational
press.-l Hartford COurant. !