New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-25
inabIe conspiracy against government of the
1.-THE PREVAILING EMOTION.o

" THE PREV ALLAN EbfOIiON'
In saving that /" the prevailing emotion aroused
by Mr.. Flowers declaration that it cost him only
81. 900 to be elected Governor is harity" THE
TRIBUNE did not intend TO disturb the calm into
which "The World; had subsidized after its late
excitement on that subject For to be entirely
frank, "The World" in an angry mood does
not seem to us an inspiring spectacle. 1t be-
comes, if we may be allowed the expression too
wildly dishevelled it froths too much at the
mouth upon too slight provocation to be really
pleasing to look at. Our contemporary has an
opulent vocabulary, which is great treasure !;
and Huency withal, which is gift not to be de-
spised But there were times during the recent
controversy over Mr.. Flowers election expenses
when it seemed to us to be too profuse in its
expenditure OF language. Its use of epthets al
times almost amounted to waste. Now, THE
TRIBUNE does not object on its own account to
being called dishonorable, base cowardy ma
licious, lying sneaking and Infamous, but it does
not like to see frst-cass epithets OF this sort
emptied in torrents over matter which is not
of the first importance. 1t is too much like
opening all the hydrants in the neighborhood
to put out blazing curtain in the face OF an
impending water famine. We could not help
wondering while our contemporary was pouring
itself out upon THE TRIBUNE what it would do
if we were actually guilty of something. With
all its English adjectives used up, it would be
forced into the dead languages after the manner
of The Evening Post" though the use OF Latin
and Greek by the latter, it should be said is not
because it. has not plenty of good English at
hand but because it desires to be polite.
In view of "The Worlds excitabity on the
subject of Mr. Flowers election expenses, per-
haps we ought not to have said that I" the pre-
vailing emotion aroused by that gentleman's
declaration that it cost him only $1,000 to be
elected Governor is hilarity." The statement
that nobody believed the declaration, though the
statement was strictly true and is so far uucon-
tradicted not even "The World' itself ventur-
ing to dispute it, put our neighbor into such a
rage and such an unbecoming rage, that wc
ought to have known that any further reference
to the subject would only bring on renewal
of the tantrums. 1t was carelessness on our
part to refer to the prevailing emotion OF hilarty
1t has provoked our contemporary to say that
Z" the prevailing emotion" aroused by THE TRIB-
UNE is contempt; which is severe. We do
not like to be despised. We cannot believe that
our contemporary in its camer moments actually
despises The TRIBUNE. What it means to
say, no doubt is that it disapproves of our course
in mentioning the circumstance that MIR. Flowers
declaration was not believed by anybody, and
only excited hilarity. In this state OF things the
proper course for 1.-THE World" in the first in
stance, would have been to bring forward some
body-we suggested some one of the editors OF
the newspapers which supported Mr.. Flower for
Governor, who would say he believed that
genteman's declaration to be full, true and
correct statement of his election expenses. That
would have saved our contemporary the ex-
penditure of considerable language.
And now, if "The World' will bend down to
us the dome and three or four stories d its
listening ear, we venture to suggest, without
knowing precisely how much Mr.. Flower or any
body for him paid for newspaper supplements
in the late campaign, or whether the amount
was included in his declaration, that the money
was fairly earned and that il, is not necessary
now to get wildly excited over Mr.. Flowers
"truth and veracity" on that account.