New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-29
"THE TINES"
AN EPISODE IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLISH
JOURNALISM IN IT'S RELATIONS TO
AMERICAN JOURNALISM AND
TO THE UNITED STATES
IN GENERAL


ticles there has been tone not friendly to Ameri
GA. The correspondence from Chill, and that which
is sent from New-York by the Dalziel agency, mas
BEEN to all appearance consciously and deliberately
hostile Whether the writer of the leading articles
based on these performances is aware how strong
his bias and his language are may De doubtful
will explain presently why it is douotiul' OF
vhv I think ne is really not aware of his bias
II will be more convenient in the FIRST place, 10
look at the facts and TO begin with Chll
will assume that most of them are familiar
TO you II may be well TO assume also that every
body acts from the best motives. what we nave
IN deal with are acts Let us assume further that,
when the Valparaiso and Santiago correspondent
of their journal-I understand he is two gentlemen
rolled into one, or rather one split in two-faiied
to get news through it was by no fault OF his own.
The failure occurred at the most critical period
of the Gillian struggle and, it happened at the
,,me when his colleague of THE New-fork
V.ralds found himself able to supply his own
;oprnal and the rest of the world with long and
valuable DISPATCHES All the news we had in
Furope for some time came through this American
correspondent. II was published in every Euro
mean journal and duly credited to The New-Iork
Herald" The unsuccessful Englishman has since
been replaced, but it seems as if the new CORE
spondent has succeeded TO some of the prejudces
of the old one. At any rate. some prejudice
or other colors his views OF thlnSs
Gillian. and especially of the relations between
Chill and the United States, and of what has
been done in Chilli by American officials Possibly.
therefore, while this gentleman believed himself
TO be discharging a public duty when he brought
grave charges against Admiral Brown and against
Mr.. Egan, he was, all unknown to himself, smart
ing under the defeat which his own journal had
Ian rcd in n professional competition,
This theory might be put forward even more
strongly if YOU remember that he publicly
attacked the who had beaten his
predecessor; accusing him and other American cor
respondents of malevolent inventions lie ola II
in a way which only of very simple nature
could have chosen. He described himself as
serious correspondent; phrase which does
not seem to refer TO his religious convictions but
10 his view of journalistic duty. In a dispatch,
dated Santiago, November o, and published
Wednesday, November IL, he observes that :" for
want of better sources of information, the Euro
pean Press was obliged to accept stories invented
by Americans which were disgrace TO journal
ism" A little further on he calls the stories
frauds upon the public. When the leading jour
nal Of England gave publicity TO these peevish
Fcomplaints it had, dare say, forgotten Us own
tobiaations to the gentleman whom it allowed It's
Gown correspondent to attack in such terms NO
.bcdy's memory is perfect. Homer mods, and JOve
himself mods in the very workshop where he FORCES
his thunderbOltS if he does forge them had
trather think of him as noddng than as ungrateful'
'or, to use his correspondents word maleVoleht
,toward America Americans.
Yet if we turn to the editorial columns, the
fdiffculty of assuming that Joves state of mind is
tpurely benevolent is not lessened; it is Increased.
Here again November q we read of the inventions
Of the American Press coupled with curious
compliment to "our own correspondent as comp
+ent which have 10 doubt he is. and dispassion-
late which he may be sometimes. The riot at Vapa-
raise had Just occurred, and Mr. Blaine was seeking
redress for an admitted outrage on American citi-
,vens But SAWS our Jupiter in his thunder
ing way there is not the slightest reason TO call
lin question the entire correctness Of the attitude
assumed by Chilli" Not the slightest, you observe
Chill is entirely correct, while the American tone
is "hectoring and browbeating' The American
Government is indecently hasty." The American
,policy is "braggart policy" Mr.. Blaine's tao
tics are eectioneering tactics his agents as
siduously disseminate infammatory statements"
lie was trying TO GET up boom; had he sue
ceeded. he would have been delighted to go all
lengths against Chilli" How does Jove know that
Mr. Blaine would have been delighted? He has
kind Of supernatural divinng power, as a deity
might be expected TO have. Not only can he
penetrate the secrets OF Mr. Blaines bosom, he
can discover what these Secrets would be in an
imaginary condition of things what his emotions
would be if something had happened which has
not happened. But it appears he is not
going to win on the cheat" and " it only remains
for him to climb down as softly and as gently as
he can" As to the United States Administration
in general, it has maintained toward Chill " a de-
lberately hostile and provocative attitude. D
Think what that means, when alleged of a Great
Power dealing with lesser Power. Neutrality
was openly set aside by the Americans in Gillian
waters. The American Admiral acted as intelli
gence department 10 the Dictator" Finally the
American people are certainly concerned TO dis
cover and punish those who have employed their
ships and their influence in ways which, if not
absolutely corrupt" which this writer plainly be-
lieves them TO be-" at least extremely irregular
and mischievous."
1t is no great matter for wonder if these reter-
eted accusations against America and American
officials gave offence in America They were re.
sented, and the expression of this resentment was
pretty loud. We can hardly be blamed if we do
not like to hear our Admirsls called SPIES and our
Secretaries of State called braggarts and bulles-
the latter is short for hectoring and brOwbeating
There replies and denials: semi-official
and official Admiral Brown, in answer
TO the Secretary Of the Navy who rightly asked
hiin Hc Hdd W ody, gave an explicit ana CIT
eumstantal contradiction 10 the calumnies of this
Valparaiso correspondent. His denial was printed
in THE Thunderer" on Saturday. On Monday
the paper which had published and adopted the
calumnies said, in substance, the denial was good
enough for Chilians. The words are Admiral
Browns assurances telegraphed to Mr. Secretary
Tracy, will no doubt he accepted by the Chians.
who will also do well TO ignore the reports preju-
dicia To Chill, which are industriousy dissem-
mated by the correspondents of New-York papers "
No word Of apology for its monstrous accusation
no withdrawal II we had called English
Admiral spy, and when the charge proved
folc had piaI with hoe