The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-11-27
The E,hic. of Blackmail.

The Ethics of Blackmafl.
In attempts such as that made by three
reporters to levy tribute on MI. Georse
r. Woolston of the Kearny Eiectric
light and Power Works, the only real
victim is the newspaper whose name Is
thus v~illainously abused. If the person
approached refuses to be
he suffers no wrong, unless 1t may DC
the shock of en%countering
where he had a right to look for honor
able men. If on the other hand he pays
what is asked and gets his moneys
worth in puffery OF in the conceaamehs
of some abuse which should be exposed
he becomes a common criminal IN part
narshin with the man he buys, and their
joint victim is the paper.
The manly conduct of Mr.. Wooiston
and F~reeholder Hanna in not only re-
fusing to pay the brides demanded but
still further exposing the rascally de-
mand, is the best guarantee the public
can lave that they are honest men
doing a square and honest business,
having no exposure to fear and feeling
that no evil thing could truthfully be
said of them. They made one serious
error. however, and this was in adopting
a roundabout way to procure redress, in
stead of coming direct to the offices OF
the papers, whose names had been men
toned, and there and then exposing to
the editors thereof, the treachery and
dishonesty of their agents
TIL man who pay brides to newspaper
reporters ds always a fool, and in the
long run his folly comes home to him.
AS a rule, the amount of service a re-
porter can give, in return for a money
consideration, is extremely limited. Ar
ticies for publication are carefully
scanned by experienced men who are
trained to discuss the signs of paid
puffery and to read between the lines
for protection afforded to abuse. What
ever -esenta he may make to
the man from whom he demands a
bride, a reporter seldom dares to depart
far from the truth, Ior he knows that
his work is under a scrutiny which
never tires and is constantly exposed to
the light afforded by comparison with
the reports of other papers and also
with that mass of private information
which constantly percolates into the
editorial ear from sources which the
reporter knoweth not.
A good example of the vanity of all
these bribery transactions is afforded by
the Rearny incident itself. The refusal
of the $40 demanded was followed by
muttered threats against Mr.. Woolston's
lights and against MI. ann personally.
Yet, not one of these threats was realized
in the published reports of the visit OF
the Freeholders to Kearny, for the very
good reason that however viciously the
rebuffed c~orruptionist might feel. he did
not dare carry his malice into the
columns of his paper.
Yesterday, we advised any citizen whe
WEE dShtQ ~ AtOACJ W
kick him. An excellent corrollary to that
advice Is an admonition to reporters to
turn upon any man offering them a
gratudty and kick him.. The man who
offers money to a newspaper employe is
a corruptionist and a scoundrel and de-
serves to be kicked ard exposed. He can
not even defend his action to himself.
His very act shows hat he desires to
corruptiy obtain something to which he
has no honest claim.
If public men would cultivate a more
honorable tone in respect to the vice OF
money giving, the vice of money demand
ing would soon become as rare as forgery
or poisoning.