The Irish standard., 1896-02-15
OUR NEIGHBOURS WlckEDNEsS.


Joseph r. Dunlop, the editor and pub
Usher OF the Chicago Dispatch has been
sentenced TO pay fine of $4,000 and be
Imprisoned in the Joliet penitentiary for
two years. His offence has been the
publication Of an indecent newspaper
psDer containing advertisements that
were not considered to add to the sum
total Of the morals of the community.
Dunlop is wrecked man, no doubt, and
Chicago has many such. The papers
there drew attention to his wickedness
and as usual drew a beautiful moral.
They painted the misery Of such an ex-
istence and thanked God they were not
as other men. 1t was necessary in or
der to purify the atmosphere that Dun
lop be sent to the penitentiary. He was
wicked; they were pure. Those same
Chicago newspapers contained as much
vile matter as ever appeared in the Dis
patch. Their columns were filled with
doubtful reading to put it mildly, even
when i they. were denouncing their
brother in e erime, 1t was necessary that
some one should be sacrificed. Dunlop
! WAS Selected as the victim. AS scape-
goat he answered the purpose.
The papers here pointed moral. They
referred to Dunlop's case and argued
that IT was the natural and logical re-
suit of his wickedness. They pro-
nounced in columns of virtue that SO
much degradation should exist in that
modern Babylon They themselves were
innocent, good, virtuous and upright and
that men should sin in such terrible
way was to them confounding.
Turn to the pages of these highly moral
Sunday papers published in this city.
Their advertising columns are filled with
matter as salacious as anything that ever
appeared in Dunlops paper. Their per
sonal'' columns are reeking with adver-
tisements that SHOULD bring the publish
ers before the grand jury. To children,
perhaps. these advertisements would not
be understood, but to men and women
they contain the essence Of everything
that is vile and indecent. A mere repro
duction of one of these notices to the pub
lie would be an offense to our readers. AL
most side by side with these exhibitions
of nasti7ess are found the highly moral
lectures of the editor.
| q The publisher permits Dunlop to be
scored, sacrificed, pilloried, in order that
the atmosphere should be purged, and
yet he,is waiting until more disreputable
ADVERTISING is handed in. AS long as it
Is: IS icouehieedin language that is not basely
|insu1t1ng tatthe moral sense and the cash
accompanies it it is printed. The clerk
who receives it knows it is vile, the pub
fisher who scans it afterwards knows it
is iniauitious the editor who passes judy
ment upon the morals of other people lets
his eye rest easily upon it while he con-
tinues his denunciation of his fellowmen
for their shortcomings.
It would" be aiding. and abetting in q
scrime;to draw particular attention to the
matter that appears in the Sunday pa
pers Of Minneapolis under the head OF
advertisements. Chicago newspapers
contain nothing more disgraceful. The
young men and women understand them
at glance. This the publishers know,
but morality cannot compete in the race
with dollars and cents.
We are all liable to see the mote in the
eye OF our offending brethren, when we
cannot see the beam in our own. We
can occasionally sacrifice a Dunlop, but
we ourselves can do no wrong. We think
our morals are vindicated when we see
the other walking the plank to the peni-
Tertiary for the same offense OF which
we know we ourselves are guilty.
In this condition Of affairs there is
nothing new. It has been so from the
beginning. 4 81 b.