The San Francisco call., 1896-11-07
INFAMOUS JOURNALISM.

Against the ordinary exploits of the new
journalism the individual citizen has protec-
ton 10 this extent, at least, that he can keep
It's hideous emanatious out of his own house,
and can likewise avoid them, in his daily
movements around town, even as he avoids
other forms of filth. But against one method
OF attack known to these unrelenting enemies
OF good government and public morals the
citizen is powerless; his home, his family, his
property, are alike defenseess.
With the above paragraph the New
York San began an editorial, bearing the
title IAN Infamous Cartoon" denouncing
the course of the New York Journal in
conducting the late cam paign. That the
language is none too severe is well known
to the people of this City, since the Exdm-
dner copied many of the Journal cartoons
and added 10 them some equally in
famous of its own concoction.
The Sun rightly says of these cartoons
that they are brutal. coarse and Off
in the extreme" They violate every SEN
timent of honor and every instinct of
decency. They present to the eye all the
vulgarity which the letter press of the
Journal ana Examiner seeks to convey to
the mind.
1t seems to have been the opinion of the
Sun that this coarseness of Mr.. Hearsts
organ was the result of the Bryanite cam
paign. It says, in reference 10 these car
toons: Therein we see clearly the ten
dencies of the new journalism when en-
listed in the cause of anarchy"
The people of San Francisco have had q
longer experience with the Examiner under
Mr. Hearst's control than the New York
people have had with his management of
the Journal 1t is we'll known in this City
that neither the Examiner nor the Journal
had any occasion to borrow coarseness
from Bryan, Altgeld or Tillman. They
brought TO the campaign more evil than
they derived from il. For a long time
past the Examiner has been the most mon
strous illustration of decadent journalism
in America and its fakes and frauds and
sensational indecencies have been by
word and reproach for years.
The Sun is inclined 10 the belief that
decent citizens cannot guard themselves
against this latest form of sensational
depravity. This, however, is an error.
Public opinion is sufficiently powerful to
protect good citizens when it is once
reused to condemn those who assail the
honor of the individual and the dignity of
private life.
BY expelling from their homes the
newspapers which contain these offenses
against manners and morals and these
insults to virtue and decency the
better element of the community
can so weaken the prestige of the sensa-
tlon-mongers that there will be no profit
for the decadent journalist to engage in
them. With public indignation fairly
aroused against this latest form of in
decency there will be no need of Law
courts to punish the wrongdoers. The
faker is greedy for money, and when he
sees that nothing is 20 be gained by
coarseness and vulgarity he may be relied
upon to cloak the foulness of his mind in
order to secure the fatness of his purse.
The Sun itself says that the individual
citizen can so far guard against this
villainy of journalism that he lean Keep
its hideous emanations out OF his house,
and can likewise avoid them in his daily
movements around town, even as he
avoids other forms OF filth" This advice
given to the people of New York against
the Journal may be repeated here against
the Erdminer. Let good people avoid the
foul thing and it will soon perish OF its
own rottenness.