Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1893-06-17
ETHICS OF JOURNALISM.

About . month ago there was an ef-
fort of certain alleged newspapers to
brand THE JOURNAL with the crime Of
blackmail. There was q great deal Of
talk about fair dealing with the public,
and that the community owed 1t to
themselves to send an editor who
would commit such an offense to the
penitentiary.
Ifthe papers making these charges
were not treated upon the plaDe'of
decent journalism we should not refer
TO this matter, as IL long since became
nauseous to our reader. But as the
| 1rand jury has discharged Elmer Wor.
lex, and az THE JOURNAL publishers
we're never called before It, and as the
erm Of court has passed BY and no &C.
ton for criminal libel has been brought
IL IL well to ask where are these pub
lishers at? 49,
1t is admitted that anyone attempt
ing to levy blackmail upon threat Of
* xposlng criminal should be severely
punished. But what should be done
with those who charge innocent people
with such crime, and the courts show
that there was damnable conspiracy
to shield an offender whose black rec
ord is perfectly established? Do these
two newspapers ut Salem that tried to
blacken the reputation Of THE JOUR-
NAL to shield Shaw still pretend that
his relations to Miss Ferris and Mrs.
Joseph were upright?
They have utterly failed to sustain
their charge against The JOURNAL
It never arose above the dignity Of
mean spite work, carried on from envy
and jealousy of Its prestige and to build
up their petty traffic In mer's reputa-
tions. Their warfare was contempti-
ble in the eyes Of all men who are will
ling to live and let live. Now what Is
their attitude toward public morals In
this case? Is II not base and treacher-
Gus? Have they not shielded q
villain, whether for pay or free gratis,
who has basely betrayed the confidence
Of two unprotected women?
These newspapers have greater crime
to answer for than Mr.. Shaw. While
he carried on private schemes Of de-
bauchery, they are seeking TO debauch
public morale, so far as their influence
goes. They will not only seek to iDjure
innocent persons when 1t is to their
pecuniary interest to do 30, but seem
cheerfully willing to screen from
the public gaze those =, who
stand condemned of crimes
against private morals and public trusts.
There never was q ranker offence
against chastity and virtue committed
In this city than that which these two
alleged newspapers set out to defend
aud cover up In the Shaw Ferris case.
There never was greater fraud COM
mltsed by real estate agent, In all the
calander Of frauds. than that perpetra-
ted ON Mrs. Joseph, which they con.
ceal ard gloss over. These are the
newspapers that betray family life and
uphold the rankest real estate swind les,
aside Of which the bunco men In Polk
county were knights Of honor. They
did not operate on feeble old
widow IN her dotsge. They gave
value receired In comparison with
Shaw's worthless non-interest-b -bear-
iou na,,axo,iahIa ,,nta. VaaL tha
Ripper, who gashed the London
women Of fthe street into unrecognizabl-
heaps Of humanity, was q chevalier
compared to a "friend Of the family"
who would get young girl to come to
a strange city TO attend school, house
her In disreputable lodging, visit her
night after night at unreasonable hours,
when under DOCTORS care for u suspic-
lous disease. and be elected from the
building by fellow lodgers. Let the
ublic consider the merest outlines of
these enormities and then consider
that two alleged newspapers In Salem
have set out to champion them In print.
We shall leave the public to inquire
why there has been an utter failure of
justice 30 far to convict the only real
offender. The JOURNAL 10 not police,
justice court, public prosecutor, grand
Jury, nor Is II actuatsd by motives Of
revenge, nor In the pay efa villain,
The people must square their own ac-
counts with any who have been delin-
queDt IN duty, Including newspapers
that betray public trusts for private
annlumaut