The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-30
A Newspaper Duel.

of the New York Sun. The new jour-
nalism," is new only in its present in
tensity born of unprecedented business
competition: in principles It as old as
humanity. Its governing ideas are de-
scribed by one writer thus: That
which is ennobling and instructive is
discarded for the daily record Of crime.
indecent spectacles. and prurient ex-
hibitions. Pages of fostering scandals
are reekingly laid upon the tables of
news stalls. and served to the young
and old. Murder, rape, arson, seduc-
tion. nameless physical horrors Of hu-
man device, are flamingly fashioned
with types and pictorial embellish-
ments for our impressionable boys and
girls. Nothing is too shocking, moth
ing too indecent. nothing too loath-
some to find Its favorite place in these
journals"
A correspondent writes to the Sun
and wants to know what the public Is
going to do about it. Says he: You
can take an anarchistic mob by the
neck, so to speak. and choke it till its
eyes bulge out. and club 1t into obed-
ience TO the law; you can turn the hose
on befouled individual who has fallen
into the cessDool and STILES a COM
munity with his awful odor; but how
are you going to dam this increasing
flow of slime that is being emptied from
these journalistic sewers upon society
everywhere? The published figures tell
every day. so far as we can believe
them, how the vile stream Is spreading
over the city. With jubilant tone the
fact is shouted to the world that New
York is every day growing fonder and
fonder of the prospect of being SUBJ
merged by the tide of journalistic foul
ness. And when you look about you
in the streets. or In the cars. you find
your youth already drinking in the
loathsome stuff. 1t Is up to their
mouths already"
DR.. Dana replies that "the correct
i've must be administered by decent
public sentiment. That is the only ef-
and nasty newspapers pay, the pam
dering will go on, but it pays only so
long as people support it with their de-
mand. When, too, men and women of
social and literary respectability are
willing to assist In the prostitution by
taking pay for contributions to such
newspaper, signed with their own
names, they make themselves partners
in the depravity Of the journalistic
pander, and deserve the same denun-
citation which our correspondent so
justly pours out on him. Nay, they are
more reprehensible, for they help him
to give currency to bis indecency be-
cause Of the previous decency Of their
regulations. As for himself. he makes
and can make no pretence to decency
or to conscience. They accept pay for
acting as the decoys to tempt the un-
wary for his benefit; and that is as low
and vile a part as a man or woman
can play"
This point is we'll taken; and yet,
men and women whose source Of sup
port is the work Of their pens must
live. They must market their wares.
The grocer does not refuse to sell to the
prostitute nor the tailor to the gambler.
1t Is not the fault Of the writer's II the
public will not support decency so well
as indecency. 1t occurs to US, however,
that the very war" which has called
this discussion on, namely, the battle
between the World and the Journal
for supremacy IN the field Of Journal
istic nastiness, offers one hope to So
ciety, since 1t illustrates the instability
of newspapers built on muck. Suppose
the Journal succeeds in unhorsng the
World. VIII Its own day Of doom be
long delayed? Meanwhile, the Sun,
Herald and Tribune, and the Sun es-
pecially, proceed as II nothing had
happened, and know that they have
their audiences SO bound to them that
competition only strengthens the tie.
Glitter and fiashiness will always at
tract moths; but after ali, what are
moths worth?