Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-03-27
ATTACK ON NEWSPAPER MEN
A Few Salient Points by Mr.. Arthur
McEwen


A shudder has lately passed through the
newspaper offices of the city, says Arthur
McEwen in the Seattle reSS-Times. fol-
lowing upon the report that James
Phelan, jr., had arisen at the links" of
the Bohemian club, for the presidency of
which he is a candidate, and sailed into
the newspaper men as a class. 1t was
said that after abusing them in the lump
he had taken lot of them up Individually
aud bestowed contumely and calumny in
large quantities. Mr.. Phelan is a young
man of some cleverness, who has the mis-
fortune to be rich. He was credited with
saying that he had no doubt Explorer
Stanley would enjoy his reception by the
Press club very much, as he had always
been Interested in the manners and Gus
toms of savages. 1t Is Mr.. Phelan's
father who is accused of having gone into
the grounds Of a mansion that had fallen
into his hands by virtue of a mortgage
and, not being quite himself, slugged the
statuary there for not paying ground rent.
Poor Mr.. Pheian, jr., as a matter Of fact,
was guilty Of only humorous speech at
the Bohemian club, yet he has been the
victim of endless private revling and
good deal Of printed abuse.
But why the duce shouldn't he grid
newspaper men If so inclined. As body
of newspaper men do little else than
strive to make other people uncomforta-
BILE, aud 1T Is amazing that more men
haven't the pluck to strike back. BY the
time Il journalist is 80 years old or so he
must feel that he is good deal like
dog behind a picket fence, fOreye r barking
at passers-by, and he ought 10 be obliged
to any body who pauses along enough to
kick at him and give him the agreeable
sensation OF something warmer than
mere professional perfunctory wrath
Hang IT," said an old editor 10 me,
laying down "a paper in which he had
been called all sorts of evil things, ~
wish somebody would say something like
that to me. | find can't get mad any
more at yhings merely printed about me-
/ Ben Butler endeared himself for life to
/ thousands of newspaper men when he
shook his fist al the correspondents gal.
/ lery in the house of representatives,
/ called it a mud-machine of forty iackass
| power and defed it to do its worst. We
/ haven't got tired yet of trying to get even
/ and we've made his name nearly synony-
nous with that of the devil
trust young Mr.. Phelan will retort in
/ earnest upon us for the humping he is
| getting for his good natured chat. Jour-
| nalsts are good targets, like all critics
Nobody who has mingled with them
much finds them either better or brighter
! than other men. Indeed, they are rather
/ unpleasant company, because their point
OF view is necessarily low. They herd so
much with politicians and are so familiar
with the hidden side of peoples lives that
they become sour and inevitably disposed
to suspect dirt under the fairest surface.
Golden Gate park Is a beautiful place
and | 90 often there for reshment, One
sees the trees and lawns and flowers.
which never run Tor Office, don't go in for
money making and care nothing about
keeping things out of the papers The
park bathes and rests the mind The
captain of the police is pleasant fellow
and fell into conversation with him a
few days ago. Presently he began telling
me about hideous people who do
horrible things there and whom he
! sometimes arrests and sometimes
takes them quietly to secluded
grove and punches till he wears himself
out. I'm sorry he told me. The parks
loveliness is spoiled, for can't help think
ing of its foul under life. | know It now
as a newspaper man knows the whole
world. Dunghills grow flowers, of course
but III it happens to be your business to
dig into the dunghill you can't be alb
sorbed wholly In the flowers sweetness.
"Confound YOU | heard an amiable
gentleman who took 4 pleasure In beliey-
ing in the goodness OF the world, and who
addressed his remarks to a cynical jour
nallst, II yOu were taken into garden
OF roses you'd instantly point out that
there was manure at the roots Of the
bushes and refuse TO see anything but
that"
Sic 'em, Mr. Phean. Though you're
rich and don't have to scribble for liv-
ing, you have rights.
Speaking Of Journalists, | know one
who came from the country and was made
the managing editor OF San Francisco
newspaper. He was exceedingly proud
OF his position, and this pride become the
Jest OF his less exalted brethren;
so much so that one of them said
the major stood In awe Of his own