The record-union., 1892-12-05
SUPPRESSION AND MIsREPREsEN.
TATION.

A few days ago the RECORD UNION
called attention to the outrageous posi-
ton of presumptious journalism in San
Francisco, to envenomed prejudice in the
matter of the reports given of proceed
dings before the Railroad Commission
ers in the Shively case. We pointed out
it was scarcely necessary, however, so
patent was the falsity of the pretended
reports-that these shameless accounts
far more injured the press that aimed the
shafts than those against whom they
were directed, since they build up in the
public mind a sentiment of distrust of all
things the newspapers report, however
accurately.
But the considerations that relate to the
honest and fair reporting of news have
no weight with the bowling anti-railroad
papers of San Francisco; they have ap-
parently but one end in view, and that is
to prevent the reading public from know
ing what really takes place before the
Railroad Commission. To the accom-
plishment of that purpose they have de-
scended to misrepresentation that are
better characterized as gross falsehoods;
to purported reports of proceedings that
are flat lies and made out of whole cloth,
having not so much of truth in them as
would redeem a single sentence from the
condemnation.
The whole business of voicing a vulgar
and shameful policy of gangrened press
appears to have been turned over to the
reportorial accomplices, with instructions
to lie by the stickfu1 and misrepresent
by the column; to not only characterize
and ridicule parties and witnesses before
the commission, but to manufacture from
conscienceless Imagination the grossest
falsehoods.
An example of this mendacity was
given in the San Francisco cal so late as
Friday last. The report of expert Nor
gan, employed by the board, was termed
as 1t had been before, extraordinary, false
oA40 Wi opbs lAAOhSA llOJ Il SiuElt lEululul
paragraph of that report had been printed
by that paper. 1t further charged that
the bill of the expert for making the re-
port was S20,0 900, and on the basis of that
lie out of hand the CdU proceeded "to
interview" citizens and publish their
expressions of opinion. The paper ap-
peared to be unconscious of the fact that
a reading public which had noted the
prejudice and falsity of the pretended
reports concerning the expert and his
report to the board, would receive these
purported interviews as off of its cloth of
untruth.
AS matter of fact the bill of the expert,
including all his clerical assistance, tray
cling and hotel expenses, time of service,
ETC., was something over $1,000. and con-
siderably under s. 600. Outraged beyond
further endurance, expert Morgan has
now denounced his newspaper traducers
as libellers and liars, and demanded to be
brought face to face with them. He de-
clares that every charge preferred and
innuendo INDUCED in against him by
these unscrupulous sheets is based on
untruth, uttered in falsehood and born of
a malicious spirit. He declares that he
will remain in the State until he has
nailed these lies, and shown to the people
how utterly false and unreliable are the
statements of the San Francisco anti
railroad press concerning him and his
report.
The Colonel's indignation is natural.
but had he lived long in San Francisco he
would not feel 50 keenly the injustice
that he declares has been done to him.
The public that reads the prejudiced press
of the metropolis understands these mat
ters better than does Colonel Morgan.
They have come to take the newspapers
in question at the valuation their pro-
moters have put upon them by the in
sane policy of perverting, comforting and
suppressing news.
In this matter it is not question
whether Colonel Morgan's report is open
to assault. or fully defensible; it is not a
question as to what there is of soundness
or error in the charges of the Shively
complaint; it is not question whether