Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1886-01-08

Judgment, and still OfteDer too lenient in
the execution of that judgment, is the only
way IN which to account for the presence
of some of them yet in public stations.
They are exceptions however, which the
more wildly recall the rule. 1t is posi-
BILE that the President has a larger ex-
change list than is at the command OF the
editor of this journal, but as matter of
fact, in long experience we have never
known the American press to be so free
flOm lying as at this moment. Nothing
has been more noticeable TO those in the
profession, than the increasing recOgnl
tion of the responsibility of a newspaper
for all its statements-a responsibility
which it is now conceded involves
its very character. Even the most
rabid political organs now recognize that
their particular side is not to be ''writteD
was too much the Case when The polite
ians bad more control of the newspapers
than the editors themselves. The expo
sure of a malicious misstateme ut in Jour-
nal nowadays. is DIS morally damaging t"
the journal as the same crime exposed il
An individual would be to hlrn. 1t is ais"
damaging in a business ense. because
reliability and exactness ar q part of its
business success; for however lenient the
public may be with the errors of a newspa-
per it soon discards on where it knows
erroneous statements are. willfuHy given for
apurpose. 1t is not aging too much to say
that one of the chief efforts of every rep
Htable Journal is to establish reputation
of reliability for Itself. We see that some
of our contemporaries are peppering the
author of this new opinion of the Ameri-
can press pretty warmly for it's utJerance.
But they should remember the circum-
stances under which it was probably writ
ten. Worried by the cares of office, and 40
verse criticisms upon his conscien-
tfous and earnest struggles to give the
country good administration; indignant
at finding case where a newspaper had
been used to give circulation to false
hood, and forgetting the absurdity of ap-
plying sogeneral a charge, he in his wrath
full haste came to the conclusion that
newspaper lying was never so general
and 80 mean as at present" A similar
case occurred some three thousand years
ago. David who presided over the desti-
MES of ISreal. after a narrow escape from
being counted out with a Javeliu 10y Saul.
found many trials in his administration.
He had SO much trouble with the people
he had to deal with, that he makes note
of it to this effect: IL said in my haste,
AU men are liars" FL evidently thought
it important to the voters of chat day to
explain that it was slip of the tongue
and not intended as an official lutheran CO.
careful to say that the remark was made
in haste and without due Time tOr cOnsld-
Grafton. We would suggest to our irate CO.
temporaries to extend TO the President the
same forgiveness that. with feelings mel
lowed by the lapse OF twenty eight hundred
years, they have extended to David. And
while explanations are in order we hope
our excellent friend, Grover, will hold up
his end of the rope Dy the confession that
like David, his remarks were made in
haste.
N. B.-Strictly Private. II you could
manage, Grover, SO as to lay it Oh the
printer, and say the word ''kepu onoan"
was accidentally omitted, 1t would help
you Wonderfully. MosJ any Democr al
would believe tudt