Los Angeles herald., 1891-09-08
RAZoRs IN THE AIR.

In looking over the issue of that or
S1inarily sedate journal, the Sacramento
Record Union, of September 4th, we
came across the the following extraor-
dinary effusion, under the title Of "Low
Down journalism:
1.-THE Los Angeles HERALD is full of Bit
terness and reproach. In its issue of
August 31st it quotes in full what edi
torially it styles 'an elaborate report of
the proceedings before the state board
of equalization, as published in the
Record Union of last Friday. Yet with
this verbatim appropriation and quasi
approval it caters to supposed local
prejudices by saying: The Record
Union of last Friday gives northern
citrus belt report of the inquisition of
the state board of equalization, which
we reproduce with some of its smartness
eviseerated.'
1.-The alleged disem boweling of the re-
port is unadulterated falsity. The re-
port is printed by the HERALD as we
gave it. 1t was an accurate, truthful pen
picture of what took place before the
board. The Record Unions reports of
the proceedings before that body have
all been precise and a vivid reflection
vi 0Cbudi OCCuLlC6CCSs LIE has USGA
conceded on all sides.
''Our purpose in all reports is to give
the news, to pen-photograph, so far as
the exigencies of space will permit, the
happenings OF the time worthy of rec
ord. When the HERALD charges the
Record Unions report with bias, it con-
victs itself of falsehood, and the mean
est order of untruth, that which assails
motive. 1t does more than that-it
prints the Record Unions report with
the intimation that it has cut out por-
tions of it that were grossly unjust.
IF this is the standard of fair play and
dealing the HERALD sets up, journalism
in it's bailiwick is at a low ebb, assum-
ing the HERALD to be representative.
When the working editor OF the HER
AID encountered the foregoing, his first
impulse was to spit on his hands and
go in for blood. Naturally he would
intimate that the article contained indi-
cations that its writer was horse-thief
and even no gentleman, and that his
ancestry on the fathers side was open
to grave imputatiop. The man who
could pen such diatribe, it is needless
to say, would scuttle a slip or cut
throat, but we forbear. AS to Glow
down journalism" we have summoned
an expert, who says that plummet
has not yet been invented which
could descend to the depths of
billingsgate which our contemporary
has reached on no provocation whatso
ever. 1t requires the curtailed intellect
nf n and ha of
gorilla to enable anyone to so distort the
innocent and legitimate comments of
the HERALD upon an article which it
transferred from the columns of the
Record-Union. 1t is just possible that
we did our contemporary an undeserved
honor in quoting from it at all. How
ever this may be, we are in for the war,
and our brogans stand out in the Jour
nalistic corridor after the approved man
ner celebrated by the dramatist
Whose shall these boots dispIaee,
Must meet Bombastes face to face
Dropping the chivalric (sometimes
known as the blackguard) tone, the
HERALD would rise to remark that
Southern California is simply sick and
tired'of being made to contribute more
than her share to the taxes of the state.
Of course Sacramento has no kick COM
ing. That paleozoic town, whose news
papers have never lost an opportunity
to sneer at Southern California and at
Los Angeles particularly (Which city,
by the way, has progressed twice as
much in the last ten years as Sacramen-
to has in the last forty), is the store
house of the treasure which is gathered
into the state treasury from all portions
OF the state. When Los Angeles packs
up to that effete and played-out town
something like three-quarters of mill
ION dollars she never sees a cent of it
again, with the exception of fraction
al dole in the shape of the school fund.
This journal will always protest against
the vicious system of assessment which
makes the southern counties pay fol
more than their share of the burdens of
the state.
In another editorial the Record
Union objects to the HERALD's character
izing Mr.. Morehouse, OF the state board
disqualification, Balmaceda Morehouse. "
Perhaps we did too much honor to that
gentleman in associating his name with
that Of Balmaceda. What we intended
by the reference was to say that this
particular member of the board of
equalization has always been arbitrary
and peremptory in his methods, and he