The record-union., 1895-01-10
CATERING TO MORBID TASTES,

The sensational press of California does
its best to give the State a continual black
eye-and it has considerable success. If
the people of the East much read that
order of California journals they must
conclude that ours is a graceless COM
munity, an excellent one to avoid.
The San Francisco press, as a rule, is
not content with treating Of ascertained
facts, or to await deliberative and orderly
investigation. All its energy is expended
in magnifying suspicious into apparent
verities, and in dignifying as important
every cranky notion that enters the head
of a San Francisco Paul Pry. AS we have
often remarked. it is quite enough to have
charge laid at any door to have to in
sure the San Francisco press 80 treating
it that the most of its readers will be dis
posed to accept the charge as verdict of
guilt-if they believe what they read.
The Supreme Court has seen fit to sus-
pend one of its attorneys for gross Of
lenses. Unquestionably right in its
action, undoubtedly sustained by the
facts which were clearly explained in the
opinion, nevertheless a parcel of cranks s
who make it the business of their lives to
suspect all things and esteem all men but
themselves dishonest, rush off to the new
Mayor of San Francisco and demand that
he call meeting OF citizens to protest
against the act of the Supreme Court in
disbarring Philbrook because he dared
to point out what he considered the
underhandednes of one of the Supreme
Court Justices.'
This indecent appeal to public passion
one of the sensational press so presents
as to impress the readers of its columns
with the idea that there is something in
i. beside wind and anarchistic snarling at
the courts flaw.
Now the fact is, as the San Francisco
press knows-though not one of them
published the full text Of the opinion of
the court, one or two giving rather ex-
tended synopses, and the chief sensa =
| tional offender treating it, in few inches
of space, cavalierly-that Philbrook was
not disbarred alone for a scandalous,
blackmalling and wholly unwarranted
assault upon member of the bench, but
because he attempted to COW, bulldoze
and intimidate the entire court, and
which, by the way, was an offense against
the liberties of the people. He was not
prevented from showing up the rascality
| of anybody; he had full liberty to prove
all he wanted to, and, in fact, did intro
duce all the evidence he wished, and af-
ter assailing seriously Judges Wallace
and Cof1ey, carried the whole OF the testi-
mony on which he relied up to the SUI
| preme Court in voluminous transcripts
on appeal, in cases not yet heard in the
| appellate court.
He was punished for intolerable and
repeated insolence, and for threats and
| attempted intimidation of the courts, O!
which offending he has been notoriously y
| guilty in the past, says the court, and SC
say his fellow-members of the bar in San
| Francisco. Really, instead of calling
meetings to protest in behalf of Phil
| brook, the people ought to assemble to
approve the court for Furnishing one of its
own officers for attempt to cow and in
timidate tribunal of the people.
| The San Francisco press should be
moved by noble impulse to stand by
the court in such case, and to frown
down sensational attempts to stir the peo-
pie against it-but then who ever sus-
pected the sensational press with being
| actuated by a noble impulse when it
could lend its columns to an ASSAULT upon
some one and cater to the morbid taste
| for flash head lines.