The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-02-16

point of view. The mere suspicion that
the news had been subjected to- govern
meut inspection, or censorship, would re-
duce by at least one-half the
the value of the news to newspaper pub
fishers, and to the general public. A
memorable Illustration of public resent
ment at the Suspicion that the news had
been doctored, was furnished in connec-
ton with the election returns of the AS
ISOLATED Press at the presidential election
In 1854. Whether rightly or wrongly, as
the speaker believed, belief gained
credence that the Associated Press and
the Western Union Telegraph company
had doctered the returns from New York
state in the interest of Blaine. The feel
ing aroused by this was so intense in New
York city that it came near leading to the
mobbing of Jay Gould, and
even in Jacksonville, where the
speaker publishes an Associ-
ated Press newspaper, the feeling
ran so high as for a time to endanger
the value of the fanchise. What value
would the public attach to the news in
emergencies of this kind, if they knew
that its transmission was through the
medium of government employees, which,
under existing political methods, means
the employees of that party in power?
1t is no argument to say that there is
no complaint against the government
mail service in this respect. The con-
tents of letters cannot be made known
without violation of law, and without q
serious risk of detection. On the other
hand, with the telegraph under its control,
government officials would have
every opportunity to become acquainted
with every detail of the business of firms,
corporations and the secrets of political
parties and party leaders. To say that
the officials would not utilize this oppor-
tunity whenever they possessed it would
be to exhibit the gulltless innocence of
the heather Chinee, and, moreover, it is
contradicted by the facts to anything ex-
perienced in other countries where the
telegraph is under government control.
In continental Europe this espionage
is SO notorious that every man who sends
a telegram assumes, as o matter of course,
that it will be scrutinized by govern
ment officials if it's. contents are i'm
portant or in the least suspicious. Even
in England the same condition of affairs
exists in modified sense. A fair infer
ence from these facts is that in the case
of the most useful and valuable news that
is obtained by the newspaper publisher
or editor, the supply would be at once cut
off. That it would enormously complicate
the difficulties of running a political cam
paign in this country no one can doubt;
that it would put an enormous advantage
into the hands of the party in power no
one will question.
In conclusion, Colonel Jones said:
"That it would put into the hands
of the politicians a deadly weapon
against the press which they
would be constantly tempted to use is too
indisputably true to be denied. Public
confidence in the trustworthy character of
that news is, perhaps, the chief element
of its value. Anything that would tend
to impair that confidence would by 30
much impair the commercial value of the
news. Speaking for myself, as vender
of news, say, uuqualifdely, that 1 want
no news that has been subjected to even
the suspicion of government supervision
or partisan espionage"