Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1890-04-30
Some New York journalism.


the country journalist. Always the i'm
preston is conveyed that the rustic news
paper man would have no shadow Of a
chance in New York, on account of his
crude and violent manner m expressing
his ignorance of refined and
elegant style in writing and his lack Of
aesthetic ideas in general.
It is true that Of the editors in chief Of
leading New York dailies, scarcely one
has been native of that city. Where
they were not foreigners, most of them
were gawky farm lads, who graduated
from the pillow to the country newspaper
office, and from that, thanks to the good,
strong, decent country bringing up, to
New York, where they straightway be-
came leaders of metropolitan journal
ism, ready to sheer with the best Of them
at the country journalist. But all that
goes for nothing.
The alterations of country newspapers
are source of great amusement to the
metropolitan journalist. Oh, yes; the
epithets the rustic ink hurlers cast at
each other, Arizona Kicker fashion, are
carefully quoted in the refined dailies of
New York, in plying fashion, as per-
feet specimens of how not to write.
These crude country fellows!
Let us see then how refined New York
journalists fly into each others hair.
Take The Sun and The World. For
some years they have cherished for each
other that degree of love which Satan Is
popularity believed to have for holy
water. Whatever one takes up the other
cries down, and vice versa.
For considerable time The Sun has
been sticking pins into Mr.. Cleveland be-
cause he is so fat. Thereupon The World,
sly Joey Bagstock fashion, sends q re-
porter to interview the ex-president on
the topic of The New York Sum- The
World introduces the subject as follows:
A morning newspaper yesterday published a
sensational article from one of its alleged gentle
manly reporters, to the effect that ex-President
Cleveland was undergoing special treatment in
vented by DR.. Schweninger, OF Germany, for re-
ducing flesh 1t was asserted that Mr. Cleveland
pounds month and that both he and his friends
were seriously alarmed at his condition.
A reporter called at Mr.. Cleveland's office yes
terday afternoon. The ex-presidents appearance
certainly did not bear out the statement that he
is rapidly increasing in weight. II anything, he
weighs less now than when he left the White
House, and his face has very healthy color.
Mr.. Cleveland spoke his mind freely
to The World reporter. He never read
The Sun, he said, but cranks sent him
letters telling him how it attacked him.
Whenever I receive these cranks' letters, said
Mr.. Cleveland, know that the senile old liar and
thief, Dana, has been at it again. That is the
only way keep track Of his mental rawlings. The
object, suppose, is to annoy me and my friends.
The man who invades the privacy Of family
and INDUCES in coarse and wanton attacks on pri-
vate citizens Is no better than highwayman. He
places himself on the level Of the blackguard and
his vulgarities can have no weight with decent
people.
The interview occupied nearly col
umn, which The World prints gleefully
upon its front page and calls attention
to editorially. Next morning The Sur
comes back at the ex-president as fol
lows: "The stuffed prophet of William
street, in a rage of wounded vanity, is
thus reported" etc. Then comes this
paragraph:
Passing over the blackg,Glrd epithets in which
the half drunken deputy sheriff reappears, ane
finds his only possible retort, we come to THU
more serious matter.
Mr.. Cleveland had charged The Sur
with attacking his wife. On this point
he had been misinformed. But The Sur
sails in in grand style, pronouncing thu
charge a "cowardly lie" and saying tina
the ex-president knew the charge wa!
false when he made it. Then, like 1
daub of paint at blank wall, The SUI
filings these gems from its choice vocabu
larry at Mr.. Cleveland: 'Selfsh poltroon,
unworthy husband" "coarse and swol
len face peeping from behind the edge O.
his wife's garments"
But the cream of this little Journalistic
story is to come. Three days after print
Ing the interview with the ex-presiden
The World said editorially:
After thorough investigation we are satisfies
that all Mr.. Cleveland said Tor puDncaton OF
| personal character was contained in the frs
| fourteen lines Of the remarks attributed to him
| and that he did not use the coarse and intemper
ate personal expressions accredited to him in
subsequent portion of the interview.
Country editorsl Here be models o
| journalistic ethics, aesthetics and liter
airy style. Strive to make them you
own. At the end of perhaps fifty years
hard and persistent practice you may b.
qualified to edit q newspaper in New
York and come up to the gentle amenitie
Of metropolitan journalism.