The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-05-01
U!lr S1ltcltisrucrr.
iilcs ! Nos. 10 mud vi Fourteenth Street,
TIE WAR on QUAY.
Tho situation Dl.cu,sed In n ~1,,,,rlou.

Prof. D. Ii. Wheeler, Ii. D., Of ALI
gheny College, has tho following in Ia.
weeks issue Of the Pittsburgh Chrialia
Adr0cdr:
Current political events are r%aisinr
question OF considerable Importance /
the field OF legislation respecting libe
For my own part | have been puzzle
1917 years over q practical question: Ii
dirty sheet tells 4 lie about me, whg
ought ] TO do? When I was younger
supposed It TO DO my duty to set III
matter right in some way; but more q,
perience and observation have led me b
the conclusion that non.resistance m,
the dignity Of silence arc the best ways q
meeting spoken or printed SANDER,
The public case which has called II,
the question Is tho remarkably slron,
accusations made against Senator Qua,
by the New York World; md the seua
tors refusal to notice the charges is, nc
cord'ng to my Judgment, agood cxamp!,
to us ali. A libel suit would DO wor,l
much more than its highest possible cos
to the World. AT tho end OF 1t no one,
judgment would be changed. The onl,
way to test the truth OF the charges Is fol
some one OF his numerous and power
fnl enemies to prosecute him ia tho
courts OF Pennsylvania. II the charges
are true, they can be legally proved. ..
Honest aud quiet citizens cannot at.
ford to pay any attention to political
ISLANDERS resting Oh rumor and suspicious
and they don't. No mans character
Is seriously damaged by such ACCUSE
tons. Senator Quay's crime is success
II he was guilty OF real crimes he would
coon get into prison. And just rs much
ID irpc Of any other politician or any
other party who is accused OF stealing BY
men who do not prosecute him in the
courts. Political scandal is devised for
fools, and sold to fools. Those who
print it in newspapers mako money out
OF the foo!a, aud as n rule have no other
motive than gain. Libel suits please
them, advertise them and enrich them.
Tho better course Of decent people il to
let such papers seriously alone. The
country IL developing slowly a deteat
press, and the time is near when one
will be able to obtain the news without
paving for garbage.
have been through this little mill of
newspaper Islander, and have no higher
Satisfaction about any event Of nv liia
than that | have had grace given me to
keep silence under such persecution.
Up 10 that hour | had always believed
that an honest ma mus. contradict lies
printed about him. In the fire I learned
the doctrine OF on.resis,uuce, The
truth is that any paper falls be-.
low notice when it attacks reputable
character. The attack shows on tho face
1t a malicious motive, which rendera
it harmless. Gen. Grant once said: II
care not what evil men say Of me, so
long as it is not trne." No man is tit
to live in a country cursed by malignant
lournalism-in which pediliny personal
scandal is a profitable business-until
he Inns learnedto disregard printed scan
lal. And wien all men unite in con.
disregard OF scandat.monycr-
Ing newspapers, the business will be less
profitable. For myself, whenever per-
sonal considerations control my vote, I
the best-abused man for my can
Ilidate. ns
The incident l am referring to is illus.
tra,ed by an open letter by II. G. Lea,
Of Philadelphia, in which tic refers to
recent appointment OF John F.
az a proof that 'the worst ele-
ment" is in power in the politics Of the
dominant party. Well, l myself thought
that appointment q proof that the best
is occasionally considered.
When John Fielding. another Metho-
dist local preacher, was made postmas-
ter OF Philadelphia, l had the same
Has it come to pass that Meth
odist local preachers are set down as "the
worst e!ement?' Is not the blindness
and malice OF such accusations self.de.
ieating? Is a Methodist in politics
really an obnoxious person to n kind Of
supcfine contempt which prides itself
On superior merit aud virtue?, Is Mr..
Wanunlaker's Sunday school a triile
more odious than somebody's rum.shop?
Are our children to be taught to despise
men because they are faithful to
obligations? Are religious men
Il new kind OF "worst CLEMENT
Bat what protection except the pre-.
VALANCE OF common sense has any man
against printed slander?s Sue for libel?
Why, bless you, the cditoris"only print.
ing the news for the public good" The
newa is that somebody says that Senator
Quay is u public thief, and that John F.
bravo is a representative OF the worst
element in politics. Is either really
harmed? Why, the scoundrel editor.
will, il arraisned for libel, boldly prove
that Brother Dravo's ncighbor didunot
believe a word Of the scandaLous charge.
There is not much OF a law OF libel lett
lib after it has been siited into judge
made law: and it might be a public bless
ing to abolish what there is. That might
hasten the arrival OF a decent. press.
People arc, learning to disbalieve all and
singular the personal charges. made in
politics. The charges are ma~liciously
untrue in all but one case in a million.
One OF the best papers said, not long
ago, "We don't pretend to be fair or
honest in a campaign" 1t is exactly
true, not only III u campaign but ut all
times when strong opponents are to be
overcome by force or fraud. These
methods will last so long as people pat
ronlze them. e. ,1. =
The entire business of scandal flour
ishes upon a credulity which believes
what cannot be proved and, therefore, is
not true. The newspaper has BECOME
the great sewer through which this
filthy stream flows; and the demand for
the impurity is so great that the 80. called
independent paper. without allegiance
to any OF tho great organizations in
Church or State, is able to thrive on the
General appetite for scandal. The Police
Caste is clean and moral in comparison
it has sonue proved statements to make.
Whenever the clean public refuses to
patronizc these sewers they will begin
to run dry. They run full now because
there is n strong desire to read evil re.
ports about people Of character or posi-.
ton, because men who ought to know
better allow Themselves to be drawn into
the holy fascination OF suspected, bu.
improved evil. have no desire to dc.
TEND Senator Quay. My friend Dravc
needs no defense; probably the Senator
needs it rs little. All l am concerned tc
say is that decent folks may wisely. re,
/ opi,,a 10 L,n,a roths,.s - l. - ~