The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1890-02-22

The newspaper Ia the accredited
historian OF the world, and no sane
man will deny that its exposures of
wrong doing have materially aided
the state IN its endeavor to lessen
the output of crime. believe that,
with all the aids to diabolism fur
nishcd by the agile modern mind, if
it were not for the light let in by
the press there would be n jubilee of
crime that would make the old Sodo-
mites get right up out of their brlny
beds and adopt resolutions of re-
grct at their inability TO he present.
This good work done by the press
is entirely Independent of the in
esti,Bable service rendered in the
direction of education and morality
an education which does far more
than any statute in fitting the citi-
zen for his duty in the jury-box.
Now word rs 10 the immediate
effect of newspaper trials on the
verdict of the twelve. 1t is true,
think, that great deal of injustice
is done 10y editorial arguments for
or against parties in court. While
the editorial is usually in the inter-
est of square dealing, the mistake is
sometimes made of hitting the wrong
fellow. Circumstances may point.
apparently beyond possibility of
contradiction, at man who is en-
tirely without Knowledge of the
wrong that has been done. In snch
case it is piing wrong upon wrong
| to blast him in the columns of
newspaper, and it tells against the
press itself by weakening editorial
statements founded on absolute
truth.
The greatest injury, however, is
done by the reporter. l feel little
more freedom in dealing with him,
because / train in that class myself,
and l am willing to take my own
medicine.
The reporter is supposed to deal
exclusively with facts. but we all
know how easy it is to transmnte
facts into the most virulent editorial.
The reporters impressions are
founded on an instantaneous view,
so to speak, and if he comes to any
conclusion--as he invariably does
he is just about as likely as not TO
raise the hair of some guilelcss citi-
zen. 1t is not necessary at all that
the reportorial deductions shall be
labelled "Deductions" and sent on
their travels. You simply build up
an atmosphere and inject what you
know of the facts, and the job is
done. do not want to foster this
sort of thing, but any reporter who
wishes to do fine writing may study
with profit Poc's "House of Ussher,
on the sinister side, and "rhc
Cricket on the HEARTH" in the OPP
posite direction.
The subject of to-night's discus
sion is so large that | find myself
utterly unable to cover it. So many
points suggest themselves that 1t
would take our whole time to barely
mention them; and am painfully
conscious that ! have practically
chopped off one of the main feat
ures, which was the effect of news
paper trials on the minds of the citi-
zens who do duty in the iury-boX.
| The press may be run rs q money
making machine, but, like the pull
pit and the law, it has mission far
higher than the cash which Is real
lied from it.. Crime is only one of
a thousand things with which it
deals, and l think the captious
stickler for the doctrine of construc-
tive contempt will find himself al
most alone in claiming that crime
or anything else in the worlds his
tory shall be sacred and free from
newspaper comment until the hear
ing in court. A system OF silence
would shut up every newspaper in
the world; and ! am reliably in
formed that most of them seem to
be publishing the news and deliver
ing opinions on it ut the same old
stand. A better course than OBJ.
jccting would be to let the press
move along educating possible jur-
ors to render honest, intelligent ver-
diets, with the newspaper not in
opposition to the law, but assisting
it to find Justice TThe Arkansaw
Traveller.