The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-11-20
WEDNESDAY,, November 70, 1883.
NEWSPAPER ETHICS.

appVOS44otC, OoI ~ e1oo A4!ssN@S 90
called for sling at the country press
Of this State. We had not intended
making note of this fling, but we
Judge the World wishes our opinion
on the subject, as it has sent US
marked copy of that paper. We
shall therefore take this opportunity
of giving vent to some thoughts along
this line, using the Worlds paragraph
for our text. The World says:
We think it very probable that we
can stand this abuse, as every cox
comb in this State who digni6es him
self with the name of editor, has done
nothing but abuse US for every decid-
ed utterance we have made. We
have few friends among our country
exchanges; they do not ike our inde-
pendence of thought; they cannot
bear our prsising and criticising, in
Discriminatory, Republicans and Dem
ocrats, who deserve applause or cen
sure. Their school Of politics having
taught them that one party must be
always right and the other always
wrong.
Now the above paragraph certainly
does not have reference to US, as we
never in all our life have been insult
ed with the insinuation Of being q
dude or q coxcomb, and we likewise
admire independence of thought and
speech. Therefore what We say Will
be honest criticism, and in no way
can be construed into vindictive re-
ply.
We ike the World and have often
spoken kind word for it, but we are
free to say that to Us it has some I'M
perfections. We ike its straightfor-
ward, honest way Of saying things,
and we think it has many valuable
points; but somehow we can't fancy
one of its apparent features: the
principle that endeavors to rise by
crushing down Others. Sometimes
we see this cropping out in the World.
It is in our judgment poor policy.
The public does not like it. 1t is a
well-founded principle of our bust
ness to take care Of our own sweet
self first but never by attempting to
crush out our opponents or competi-
tors by saying or doing aught against
them. We think such course mean
1ittle, and, outside OF the high
hoaorable pFinesaE involved in this
course, we find it pays. The public
is always ready to regard with suspic-
ion the person who vituperates his
opponent, and the general result is,
the vituperation proves boomerang,
iniuring the yituperator. Our obser-
7ation bears US out in this. Now the
World is not as much in fault in this
matter as several other papers we
could mention, but Still it is not
blameless.
One thing We admire in the World
is the high plane on which it carries
on a controversy. We do not recall
an instance where it ever sank into
the contemplate style of using abuse
and billingsgate for argument. No
newspaper, or writer who lays claim
to being a gentleman, can afford to
adopt such a style in his writings
The moment one leaves the field of
argument and enters that Of abuse he
shows his weakness and want of cul-
ture. Argument is powerful and
effective weapon in a righteous cause,
but abuse and ungentlemanly Ian
guage IS abhorrent to the rehned ana
cultivated. We could never compre-
hend how writer in newspaper
could retain his self-respect and yet
give and take vile epithets We
think it always proper to treat any
thing in newspaper in the same way
the same thing would be treated if ut
tered in the street face to face. Ev-
cry man should be held personally
accountable for his utterances any
where and at any time.
If there is any necessity for saying
anything through the public press,
let it be couched in terms appropriate
to the occasion and to the subject,
but let nothing be set down in malice
Because one differs from me it does
not necessarily hold that am right,
and the other party wrong: therefore,
as long as argument is used grant to
every one that he is honest in his con-
victions; but the moment billingsgate
is introduced it is tacit acknowl-
edgenent that the party using it is
wrong, or is too quick tempered
person.
The World claims that it has few
friends among the country press OF
this State. The World is in better
,r,os;t;on than we are. TO make this as