Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-02-04
Mr.. ALIENS CARD,
In Which He Goes for the Gazette and Refuses,
What He Terms, the Soothing syrup

What He Terms, the Soothing syrup
AUSTIN, Tex, Feb, /, 1889.
To the Gazette
Not until to-day was my attention
called to the soothing syrup of the Fort
Worth GAZETTE of the 26th ult., under
the caption of THE GAZETTE at Issue,
offered to myself and the reading public
to alleviate pain, maintain its honor,
and justify its former statements, which
under any fair rule of criticism are rs
unjustiliable as they are untrue 1t
would have been in far better taste ii
TIE GAZETTE had acknowledged its blum
der, confessed its sin and entered
into newness OF life with better resolu-
ton to be more guarded III its statements
But il seems this kind of courage is too
heroic for TIE GAZETTE 1t is to be hoped
however, that in coming time through
the throes of moral evolution THE GA
ZETTE viii reach a plane of moral heroism
on which it can do the task of correcting
its blunders and Of restoring to any party
that may have been injured by it, the
standing whether political or otherwise +,
the merit his life and efforts deserve.
There is proper time in the
life of any one, or of any news
paper, to turn preacher, moral
iZe and give advice. The old crab
had not reached this stage when he pro-
posed to give advice to his son and prob
ably never did. THE GAZETTE, perhaps,
has read the fable. We shall entertain
the moral philosophy of THE GAZETTE
when we see it making steps which COR
respond with its advice, and not till
then. As long as it plays the
role of the old crab it certain
" viii not think strange Of us
if we remain Indifferent about the in
struction it gives. Advice and preach
ing may be good per Sc, but human ma
ture is such as that the devil is never
given audience. If THE GAZETTE ex-
poets to improve the world with this
class of preacher, its judgment is in as
bad taste as its published statements are
corrupt.
The effort of THE GAZETTE TO hide be-
hind what it calls g the playfulness Of the
press is but lifting a screen so thin that
the fact of its crime is still distinctly
seen. 1t is as sense1ess as the act of the
pursued ostrich which hides its head in the
bush and still leaves its body exposed to the
arrow of the bowman We submit that
there is but one proper course for TIE
GAZETTE to pursue and that is the one Of
being morally heroic, when it has made
a mistake correct it, when it has been
cruel and unjust TO make amends.
TIE GAZETTE lays it very much to
heart for being accused of being ''false
mean and malicious 1t seems unable
to bear anything, and asks us to have
charity. What does it mean? Does it
mean that this world is to have
charity toward the devil? Is that
the law THE GAZETTE would es-
tablish. If that Is the gospel it breaches
it is still in need of moral evolution
Does@it mean that good name person
ally and politically is not worthy of de-
Tense and protection when assaled? Yeri-
ly we had believed THE GAZETTE had risen
above such plan of corrupt journalism
There is both fitness and an unfitness in
words. A distinguished Persian of olden
time said of them: ''They are more veri-
flying than the showers of spring and
sharper than the sword of destruction. -
The former may be INDUCED freely, the
latter sparingly; and especially the latter
when put in type and sent out to the
reading public. But q higher authority
says: A word fifty spoken is like apples
of gold in pictures of silver. - Can TIE
GAZETTE appreciate this authority and
see any beauty in the expression? We
only wish 10 show how ridiculous THE GA
ZETTE appears by turning preacher in an
unconverted state
Under the license of the "playfulness
of the press what may not THE GA
ZETTE do under its ideas of journalism.
Considering it has already done, if gem
orally INDUCED, it would seem to repose
itself as beth a chemical and mechanical
law with Briarian headquarters 10 pull
down and build up at viii whom it
pleases in this great commonwealth; or
like old Rain, the cruel Tartar, make
prisoners by war at will and pound them
in his hopper. But TIE GAZETTE has yet
to learn that there is limit to the "'play-
fulness Of the press. - Whatever may be
its past record when in its future play
fulness it INDUCES, it should remember
that words are things and have not
through the playfuiness of the press
lost all their strength. The ''pfay full
ness Of THE GAZETTE was rather pre-
mature. The measure we proposed is
not finally dead. Nor are we ashamed
of it 4 motion was made and entered
on the journal the same dav and same
hopr TO reconsider the vote by which the
senate refused to engroSs the bill
" ~ d1t l4Ob III O8LI IL. III It's
'playfulneSS take cOgnizance of
this fact. 1t was because its 'playfIl-
ness that day was mean 'chimerical,
and so intensely false' that il would
not under good opportunity and a fair
sky show small degree of kindness and
make fair and just report. Yet il lifts
the screen Of the ''playfulness of the
press and by this claims license 10 stab
and damage whom il pleases. 1t is just
such Judgment as would teach that the
dirk and pistol may be used in
the splayfulness of men. 1t is
TO he hoped that THE GAZETTE win cease
TO implicate the whole press in the license
which ii claims the right to indulge aud
no longer call it the 'playfulness of the
press, but the splayfulness of THE
GAZETTE.
We cannot drink the decoction OF
soothing syrup offered by THE GAZETTE.
but claim that THE GAZETTE should re-
tract the damaging statements.