The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-05

ment ana abundant criticism, and where
the country Smarty was the historical pro-
totype of the professional funny man. of
the modern newspaper. 1t takes an Ameri-
can of native birth to appreciate all this,
and TO judge of the personalities of our
press in the proper spirit. noting how. in
the main, these are not unkindly, and how
even the frequent satire has a touch of
fcndness to it that is subtly characteristic
or the best-natured people in the world
OF a people who clip the names of even
their chief magistrates into ABE" and
.Lyss' and Ben and BILL yet who do
II with something of the pride and lurking
tenderness that exist in the familiar inter-
course of those who are brothers and close
friends TO the foreigner and to the dena-
tionalized native there is something Often
Slve IN this half Jocose, half serious free
dom of manner, but it does not greatly
trouble the American of the older stock
for he understands
THINGS NOT PUBLISHED.
But there is also a negative side to this
question and one that is too often quite
lost sight of. No one while censuring the
American Journalist for what he publishes
ever gives him credit for the facts which
out OF real reticence and good feeling he
retrains from publishing. Yet everybody
Knows that the most interesting things of
me never get into print at all. They are
more or less widely circulated in the private
conversation of men who go about in the
great world, but they are not given to The
pupilc at large-and for reasons. Take
H1terary history, for example. There is the
true story or Thackerays death There is
the explanation of why Mr. Cross attemnted
SUICIDE soon after his marriage with George
i Eiot. There is the actual cause of Car
yves domestic unhappiness. These things
ana hundred like them are perfectly well
knoWn TO very many men and women but
r ,ty are never printed, and never will be
printed at least in the time of any person
now alive. And the same thing is true in
politics and public life Every active Jour
naIlst knows of scores of things relating to
our public men-things that are absolutely
true and that if published would not onlv
pc sensational beyond anything that actual
~ appears, but would often affect the for
tunes or political parties and win or lose
elections Yet no newspaper, not even the
most INSCRIPTIONS ever opens it's columns
TO these facts; for again, there are reasons
ana these reasons appeal to the honor and
the conscience of the professional journalist
d dneTe was Tor instance, a President now
dead, who was elected some years ago after
a most exciting and bitter fight 1t was
known, during this campaign, to every
party editor in the country that his private
life had been one of sensuality. that il was
rich in possibilities of scandal. And the ex-
ploltation of this theme was the more tempt
reputation for morality and religious
earneStness stood very high But with all
this material for his political humiliation
ready to hand, not even the bitterest par
tlsan among his opponents ever used it, He
was unsparingly and bitterly attacked his
character for integrity was questioned: but
not word that could crush his family and
blast his domestic life was printed few
years ago national convention met to
nominate candidates for the presidency and
vice presidency. A leading competitor for
the latter office seemed certain to be chosen:
put very unsavory scandal whose truth
could not be questioned became known to
all the delegates and to all the represent
atlVes OF the press who were present at the
convention. His name was at once passed
by and he lost the prize for which he had
contended; but the true reason of his with
drawal was never published. Every winter
at washington the correspondents there
become familiar with ugly facts in the lives
of those legislators whose worship of The
mis- is not so absorbing as to leave them no
time for the cult of Bacchus and of Aphro-
dite; yet profound reticence prevents these
facts from getting into print.
WHERE THE LINE is DRAWN.
ut seems to be a guiding principle of our
journalists that whatever concerns mans
public career, and even those charges that
affect his honesty and integrity, may be ex-
plotted with the greatest virulence, but that
whatever touches his family life and could
wound the hearts of women and children
is not legitimate subject for publicity and
for attack And this one reservation NAV
we'll atone for much that is apparently wan
ton in the license taken by our Journalists
for 1T is proof of the good feeling and
real kindness that are essentially Ameri-
can and for which one would seek in vain
abroad, where a scandal based on sexuality
is to the press the very choicest of all
morsels
But it is not only in this one sphere
| that American journalists exercise a dis
| erection for which they seldom receive credit
Public men have reason to know very well
how absolutely to be relied on is the pro-
| fessional sense of honor among representa-
| tives of the press. 1t is a mistake to sup
pose that statesmen and men of affairs are
| sphinxes. surrounding themselves with a
| portentiouS air of mystery and yelling their
| designs and their motives in q studied OBJ
security. AS a matter of fact they are
among the frankeSt of mortals, and find it
an immense relief to speak without reserve.
Only their unerring judgment of men, that
knowledge of human nature which is the
very first requirement for a successful pub
lie man, teaches them to whom they may
and to whom they may not safely talk. A
| year or more ago l was present at a
| luncheon at which the principal guest was
| at that moment very much in the public
| eye. A recent act of his had excited the
intensest interest all over the country, and
| the newspapers teemed with every possible
conjecture as to It's inner history. IL was
a puzzle; mystery. Well, at this luncheon,
| over the coffee and cigars, some one present
preached the subject and the guest at once
gave q infinitely detailed account of the
whole affair." 1t was dramatic incident
and he told it so to bring out its dra-
matte possibilities in the most vivid way.
| Now of the eight persons present, five were
| in some way or other connected with jour-
nalism, and he had never met any or these
five before. His story was copy of the
most precious kind. If made public, 1T
would have been telegraphed at once to
| every leading newspaper in the land and
sal proportions. Yet the narrator did not
even preface his story by asking his lis
teners to regard it as confidential. He did
NOT need to- and he knew it. He knew in
stinctively that he was among gentlemen
and that gentlemen, whether in or out or
journalism do not divulge what they learn
in the intercourse of private life. The whole
thing struck me as rather fine; and 1T was
absolutely typical of the attitude of the most
sagacious public men toward those Journal
lists whose salaries, as President Harrison
once said are not supposed TO BUY their
honor and their consciences.
ssFrom the President down, therefore,
statesmen talk most unreservedly with the
representatives of the great newspapers. by
explaining to them the real drift or I'M
pOTtant measures, by giving them the inner
history of certain diplomatic moves, they
often preyent that sort OF criticism when,
through misinformation, is frequently IN
iurious to public policy and may in the con,
duct of foreign affairs be even preJuulclSi
70 the national interests. Ana II any pro-
fessional Journalist has ever violated sucn
a confidence as this, if he has ever SHOWN
himself unworthy of the trust that one re-
noses in a man of honor, or II ne mas ever
LEI the instincts of a news-gatnerer master
his good faith as man ana MS patrlotlSin
&c an American then the present writer, at
least has never heard OF IT,
GREAT ENTERPRISE.
."ro the typical American journal, then,
one must frankly concede some very great
and very conspicuous merits-so great and
60 conspicuous indeed, that the press of no