Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-07-10
A LOADED INTERVIEW.
The Danger of Double-Hesding With
Journalism and Politics Exempl1fied.
iS + Bulletin

Aho DhbscE Va DOuDAc-hehu1uR WIN
Journalism and Politics Exemplified.
Is. +. Bulletin.1
When newspaper man, whose convic-
tons are governed more or less by the
financial outlook, attempts to double the
character of politician and Journalist, he
is apt to detract largely from his party
standing and add, in a corresponding meas.
ure, to his fame as a preyaricator. In the
heat of the platform controversy he is
likely to say things which on more mature
reflection he will be compelled to retract
what appears to-day to be bad party policy,
may tomorrow become the very best; as a
member of Convention he may bitterly
oppose, for interested or other motives, a
candidate who, in the end, be will be COM
PEELED to swallow outright; and when he
commits the inestimable folly of being in
| terviewed be may reasonably expect to see
his newspaper quoted by the enemy on one
side of a given proposition and himself on
the other. Such plight as this might not
bother a professional politician. These
gentlemen are expected TO get on all sides
of every situation, at different stages of the
game, and finally fall in for the ticket But
| to the newspaper man, from whom the
| public ut least expects convictions if not
| hXedness OF purpose, there c0uld be nothing
| less interesting than a mental straddle of
| this character.
Some things which happened during the
recent brilliant political debut of N. H. de
| Young at Chicago are now being used TO IL
iustrate the difficulty of playing this dual
role. That gentleman took along with
him reporter, who, as his reports to his
| employers paper show, was paid to make
cut that the Republican National Conven-
ton consisted mainly of Mr. de Young
| Whenever that acrobauc journalist got
shaved, had his boots polished or took a
| drink, the fact was Immediately tele-
| graphed to San Francisco, presumably as
news" in which this community was
deeply interested. The hour at which he
| retired, the condition of the thermometer
when he arose, his pulse and respiration
at the different stages of the Convention,
OF course, had no relevancy to the business
| OF the body nor any bearing on the general
welfare of the country, but as isolated facts
| they were Interesting, and their publica-
ton in the Chronicle did no particular
harm. To be absolutely certain that Mr..
de Young watered his alcohol at Chicago
when it is well known that out here he
takes 1t straight, is fact that from an eco
nomic standpoint need not be treated
lightly. But when the journalist and poll
| ticlan committed hara-kir by permitting
his own reporter to interview him, he in
vaded ground upon which the angels would
fear to tread. The greatest fool on earth is
| he who trifies with the modern invention
known as the Interview. The merest tyro
| in public station knows that it is nearly
| always heavily loaded. Statesmen, Gen
| erals. politicians, everybody have learned
! to avoid 1t. Mr.. de Young, however, hav-
ing dead thing on being correctly re-
ported, because he owned newspaper and q
reporter, toyed with the weapon as foollshly
ha Al L
pistol was loaded. He is now being
soundy kicked for his ignorance.
In his own paper Mr.. de Young quotes
himself as bitterly opposing the nomination
| Of General Harrison for President He
states that he told some of the Eastern del
| esates that the 1ndianian could not carry
| the Pacific coas;, because, while in the
Senate. he voted TO naturalize Cinnamon.
| If Ar. de Young ever made this statement
to scybody except his reporter who tele-
| graphed II to this city, its fslsity must have
been apparent. General Harrison never
voted to naturalize Chinese. He once voted
against q buncombe amendment to a Chi
nese bill which prohibited the paturaliza-
ton of these people. on the ground that
| similar provision in the Revised Stat.
utes had years before been declared
constitutional by the Courts. Manifestly.
| in declining to re-enact a law already in
| force, he was correct. There could have
been no evidence st Chicago at the time to
lead any person less insane than de Young
| 10 believe that this vote would lose Harri-
| son single ballot on the Pacific coast
Plainly, be did not himself consider the
otfense very heinous, for he subsequently,
| voted with the California delegation
| to nominate Harrison, and in another
interview with the same reporter warmly
espoused his election. This would all be
| very harmless and amusing, but for the
fact that the Democratic Free Traders are
now Sidely quoting Mr.. de Youpg's state
menI 70 prove, out of the mouth of Re-
publican, that General Harrison once advo-
Gated Chinese naturalization. AS a matter
of fact, il proves nothing of the kind. The
only point is tbat the publisher, in attempt
ing the role of a politician. tack led loaded
iDtervie yer, talked about subiect be knew
nothing about, and is now getting kicked
for his pains. In this part of the country,
the tact that Nj. de Young hired 3 reporter