Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-03-17
THE AMERICAN PRESS.
WHAT A SCOTCH OBSERVER SAYS OF
OUR NEWSPAPERS.

The Vast and Valuable Service Performed
In the Interests of the Public-Deteo-
sorters and Editors.
The American press is the most incom-
prehensible of American institutions to
strangers. Day after day its columns are
freighted with astounding crimes, with
marvellous adventures, with social scan
dals, with political programmes and re-
Hgious heresies. One wonders how it is
possible such surprises should be con-
stanuy happening, and how their details
should be SO eShaustively wrought out.
But the astonishment subsidies when it is
known that the American press in OrSnni-
zatfon, in enterprise, in talent leads the
world; that IL deals not with one country,
as in the Old Werid, but represents whole
continent; that the population it controls
aud informs Is drawn from every Euro
pean and several Asiatic nations; that
among these are crowds OF dangerous and
lawless emigraRts, some of whom have
escaped from European jails and many
from the European police. And whatever
contempt for law and order the native
American may inherit is deepened by con-
tact with the frenzied men driven to
American shores by the regimes of Bis
marck and Salisbury.
DETECTION OF CRIME
Forced upon it by such surroundings
the American press has accepted func-
tions which no other nations newspapers
hare had delegated TO them. The fore
most of these has, been the detection OF
crime and the defeat Of fraud, and in tho
performance of both tasks American press
men have won the admiration of tho
American people, and ought to be a source
OF pride and surprise To press men every
where. American criminals may tampcr
with American judges; they may evade
the police; they may defy tho law; they
are never safe from the press. Again and
again have Rssassins been hung on the
saliows wholly through the astuteress
and amazing ability of American press
reporters. Again and again have scan
dalous swindles been exploded through
the single handed efforts Of press men.
The great Tweed ring was burst up tg
the persistency of newspaper men. The
Preller murder was cleared up through
the acuteress OF press inquiries but illus
trations are endless.
Why such services are seldom at
tempted by the British press is easily eX
piained. The British press man is short
hand writer, whose work is mainly TO re
produce the speeches of the people who
would hardly be listened TO on this side OF
the Atlantic. In America verbatim re-
porting Is hardly wanted; 1t is reckoned
very secondary accomplishments The
American press man must have require
ments the British reporter may do with
out The American must I've n born de-
tective, have an intuitive faculty of fol-
lowing up the course criminals, advent
urers and delinquents pursue in planning
crimes and evadinS their conviction. he
must have an address which fits all sorts
Of people on all sorts of occasions. He
must be equally ready to speak on level
terms with q statesman or confab with y
thief; and il Is his business TO get at the
intentions OF both. The American press
man must be an educated man of the
world, who can represent his journal
under any circumstances, and this is at
once apparent to any stranger who has op-
poftunities Of coming in contact with the
leading representatives Of the New York
journals.