The record-union., 1896-04-05
NEWSPAPER MORALS
FOUND
IN SAN FRANCISCO.
Arthur McEwen's Burning Words
Comments on the Latest Murder.

Especial Correspondence of Record-Union.)
| SAN FRANCISCO, April 3.-There
are no men more interested in morals
than those who have none. have no
| ticed this in editorial writer's. Per-
| haps, where there is respect so great
| for morals to make personal use of
them would seem an impertinent ia
miliarity. The perennial interest is pos
sibly due to an ever-present conscious
ness of deficiency. And it is the same
with cities as with men. San Fran
cisco is talking morals just now, news
paper morals, and has not the discretion
| to take for its model the famous chapter
| on Snakes in Ireland" The town has
very poor opinion of it's press in point
| of character, yet the press here, as
elsewhere is a toIerably good gauge Of
the community that supports it, or,
rather, that does not kill it when it is
| found out.
| The Examiner" of course, is the oc-
casion for the debating. That paper,
| it is seen, has no defense to make
against the proofs which have been fur
nished that it agreed for ST 900 month
| to be kind to the Southern Pacific. Mr..
| Hearst has not chosen to come to the
rescue of his personal honor and hence
| forward he takes his place with most of
| the other publishers, and his paper is to
| rank with the machines for making
| money to which all that comes is grist.
| 1t is a good deal of a shock, but il Mr..
Hearst and the Examiner can stand
it others will manage to reconcile them
selves
! Another illusion goes-the illusion
| that in Journalism the millionaire is less
| tempted by money than the poor man.
| The strength of that illusion in politics
we all know. Mr.. Hearst will have to
| be given up If there existed an honest
contract for that $4,000 work of rail-
road advertising, he assuredly would
demand it's production. If the whole
| transaction had been legitimate, he
would insist on all it's details being made
known If he knew nothing of the black
mailing done by his employees, it is nat
ural to assume that when it was dis
closed to him he would have discharged
| them and refunded the dirty money.
| Had the $4,000 remaining unpaid on the
$50 900, when the railroad company re-
| fused to give more, been honestly due,
it is incomprehensible, on the theory of
his probity, why he did not sue for 1T.
If there was no written advertising con-
tract where SO large sum as SoO,OOo
was involved, that fact of itself would
| be eloquent of the scaly nature OF the
service bargained for. If the whole busi-
ness was ugly and dishonorable and
not fit to see the light, Mr.. Hearst and
| the Examiner" would be expected to
act precisely as they are acting. dld
not think it of him, but man who VIII
not defend himself by challenging the
revelation of the truth in its entirety
cannot complain if others are left with
out anything to say for him.
! The press here was not well thought
! of before; now it costs the self-respect-
| ing Journalist an added effort to
straighten his shoulders. The business
man feels strengthened in his scorn
And to be scorned by the business man
is hard His ways inflame the editorial
writer But the business man does not
run an editorial page, and so escapes
the guilt of hypocrisy. He detests the
Eress, and for cause. A merchant, who
has been in politics and was in office,
and stole nothing and deserves the
honor in which he is held, said to me
once: I'VE have to keep a newspaper
account, just as we keep an insurance
account, labor account or any other
expense account. The newspaper tax is
one of the recognized items of fixed cost
! III any business. / don't mean neces-
sary advertising; that's all right. l
mean blackmail simply. If we don't
advertise when we don't need to and
would rather not we know what to ex-
lpect-abuse that is injurious to our in
terests and wounding to our feelings
4 man with a hidden scandal in his
family, for instance, or one who has un-
scrupulous rivals willing to pay for at
tacks, can only do business on condition
| that he shall keep on the good side of
the newspapers, daily and weekly
There are exceptions, to be sure, but
they are few. The press is parasite.
nasty, biting, blood-sucking parasite,
on the business community of San
Francisco Most of the papers would
perish but for blackmail Any scoun-
drel can make living by laying in
enough type to get out a weekly. Yes,
1 submit to it myself. have to for the
sake of my business
| This reminded me of a millionaire
friend who whacked the table with an
| angry and Disguised hand, and cried
out: why, know the price of Super
visors as well as housewife knows the
price of meat at the butcher's!"
A few days ago an official of one of
our most important corporations, which
uses a large protection fund.- with
which the newspapers, Supervisors and
legislators are acquainted, surprised
me by saying that, III his opinion, one
who gave bribe was as bad as the per-
son who took it. AS generality that
is true, and there is no doubt that the
system of purchase which has grown
up here-the system followed by rich
men and corporations-has bred moral
condition that is appalling. In one view
the bribers are responsible; if they re-
fused to corrupt there would be no
newspapers and officials corrupted But
in another view, their own, they are
compelled in self-defense to bribe.
What one does the other must do, or be
at disadvantage. There is this to be
said for the bribe-giver: He pretends
to be nothing more than a money
maker. But the official who takes a
bribe betrays specific trust, and so
does newspaper. The trust in its case
has not been officially imposed, but it
has been voluntarily assumed In both
cases the betrayal of the public is
equally shameful I urged that on nv
corporation friend, and it seemed TO
comfort him.
But" he said, 'it is dirty business
all round, and is bound to work it's own
cure sooner or later. Things have got