St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-04-04
Gbe Californian.
PRESS COMMENTS.
ONLY Thirfy-Eiehf States.

frequent d1luS1On Is 1IldQ6 III lHt
newspapers to the alleged fact that
the United States flag now has forty
two stars. But this is not the fact,
and it will not be the fact until July,
1890 North and South Dakota,
Montana and Washington have not
yet been admitted as states. They
have only been authorized by law to
prepare for admission. They have
first TO elect in April, delegates to
constitutional conventions which
must prepare State constitutions,
and these constitutions must be sub
mItted in October, to the vote of the
people, and state officers elected. If
the constitutions are ratified by the
popular vote, the president will make
formal proclamation of the admis-
sion of the territories as states. In
the opinion of Senator Edmunds and
others of the wisest legislators in
Congress, it was an unwise proceed
ing to authorize the admission of new
states without the submission of
their constitutions to Congress but
such is the law under which the new
states will come in. When admitted,
the additional stars representing the
new States will be added to the ma
tiOnal ensign on the 18th of July fol
lowing, according to the United
States statute. - Burlington Free
Press
Law, Buf no Justice.
Three negroes are confined in a
South Carolina jail under sentence
of death for having lynchcd white
Il
girl, and are likely to be hanged.
While lynching is a crime, the incon
gruity of visiting the men who thus
took the law into their own hands
in order that the villain might be
punished, with a severe penalty when
other more guilty offenders are all
the time going free, is thus alluded to
by the Greenville News, democratic
paper:
As these negroes lie in jail today
thousands of educated, intelligent
white men who have done exactly
the same thing under the same cir
cumstanccs and who are known to
have done it, are walking free and
unquestioned. If we have concluded
that lvnclIing is a crime, and should
and fairness require that we should
select more worthy scapegoats for
the long line of such sins i'll which
nearly every man i'll the state is more
or less guilty. Every sentiment of
right should revolt against making
these poor creatures at P1ckenS re-
spOnSible for the universal crime and
furnishing them for doing what we
have allowed so many thousands of
others to do UNPUBLISHED.
The peculiaritieS of Southern Justice
are still further shown i'll the fact
that Il white man who led the lynch
ing party of which the convicted ne
groes were members was indicted
with them and acquitted by the trial
jury.
Substituting Editors.
The nomination of Mr.. Whitelaw
question which is wholly separate
from that of special qualifications for
the post or for personal pleasure IN
receiving SO great an honor The
nature of the question is seen at once
In the fact that from the moment the
OffIceiS accepted the comments of the
Tribune upon the administration OF
President Harrison cease to be of any
Importance or influence whatever.
When Mr.. Reds predecessor, Mr..
Greeley, was nominated for the PreSi-
dencv, although he Withdrew tenn
pOrarilv from the editorial control of
the paper, the Tribune passed into
eclipse, and was OF no weight or in
f1uence in the campaign. The mis-
sion to France is one of the greatest
hOnOrs which can be conferred by an
administration But the editor who
accepts it is placed under an obliga-
ton which is absolutely incompatible
with candid criticism.
1t was long ago pointed out that
one of the grOssest abuses OF admin
istration is the appointment of coun-
try editors as pOStmaSters- Such an
open and direct substituting of the
press has been denounced as it de
serves. tits simple bribery, so far as
honest and independent treatment of
an administration is concerned. This
truth was plainly stated by Mr. Reid
some wears ago in q public address:
when there shall be no relation
whatever between the Government
and the press, save honest publicity
on the one hand and candid criticism
on the other, our journalism at last
will have planted itself on its true
splane" The just relations of the
press to an administration require
also that editors shall take no part
in recommendation for Office. To
do that is to solicit Il favor, which,
if it be granted, necessarily prevents
honest criticism of the power that
confers it If the favor be refused,
personal feelings and motives mingle
with the editorial judgment of the
unpropitious power.
From the nature of his occupation
an editor must choose between his
chair and public political office. His
service to q party is rewarded by the
power which the confidence of q par
tv gives him of leading it to noble
public achievements. MIR. Byrant
was one of the most influential edi-
tors in the country because of the
public faith that his course was alb
SOlutelV diSintereSted. MIR. Greeley'S
influence was fatally impaired from
the moment that his desire of office
was evident. We are not saving, of
course, that political office is not a
worthy object of ambition. In the
English-speaking race such ambition
is universal But, nevertheless, its
qualification is not compatible with
a proper discharge of the editorial
function That Mr. Reid would make
an excellent Minister to France, and
that personally the position would
be delightful, we do not doubt; but
that the honor and the pleasure
would be bought at an immense cost