Evening star., 1886-08-14

The President did himself little credit in in
diting the rather ill-tempered letter which he
saw fit to send to Editor Jones of the Florida
Times onion a couple of weeks ago. Especially
10 it unworthy the incumbent of so exalted
position he occupies to make the broad
charge that the newspapers OF the country gen.
orally are guilty OF indulgence, to quote his
own words. in cutter and complete reckless
ness and fasificatiOn-'
Directly the reverse of this is true and con-
spicuously true. Not only are the newspapers
OF the United states not open to this charge
but, as a rule. they are studious, aud under the
conditions surrounding their occupation, re-
markably successful, in following exactly the
opposite course. The fact is that no class OF
persons are more conscientious and assiduous
In their endeavors to be fair aud just in all the
relations of life than are the conductors of the
larger proportion of the American press
Every consideration entering into the pursuit
of their calling prompts this course. Laying
aside pride of profession, self-respect and the
desire 10 be thought well of by their fellow
men, they could not afford as a mere matter of
business policy, TO deliberately and habitually
mislead their readers. any more than mer-
chant could expect to succeed in the end by
always imposing upon his customers damaged
and dangerous goods Editors are, however,
neither omniscient, omnipresent, nor omnipo-
tent. and they are therefore liable to be de-
ceived by officials or msled or imposed upon
by some of those in their employ or upon whom
they are Obliged to- rely, just as other men are,
in spite of all possible precautions: but rule
they gre keenly alive to the prOprieties and
sponsibiltieS of their profession, and when
they are led into error. from any cause, they
are quick To repair any wrong done, and they
regret both the error and its consequences far
more than any one else possibly can.
Mr. Clevelands experience with the press
may not always have been to his liking; that
of few men in public lite is, because few men
are infalible; and it is doubtless true that he
has had some special causes for irritation; but
his account with the newspapers OF the country
is by no means confined 20 one side of the
ledger. If he has been unfairly eslt with and
even indecently assailed. in some quarters, he
has been most ehivalrously lgeated and vali-
antly championed in others, where he had no
and justice, and on the whole in his relations
with the press he has much more to be grateful
for than he has to- complain of.
II cannot perhaps be denied that here and
there sensational or malicious correspondents
give currency To highly colored or wholly false
reports, and il may be possible that in some
instances this course is instigated encour-
aged by those employing them; but, admitting
this much, and still the President has no war
rant Tor making the coarse and sweeping
charge he does against the press. With equal
justice might the legal profession, to which Mr.
Cleveland belongs, be branded as a contra
ternity of strife-breeders and scoundrels. be-
cause few shysters may be found hanging
around every court of justice, and a member in |
heh-standing sometimes proves false to hisI
trust and robs his client outright, as one of
them did in Boston only few days ago.