The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-24
INTERVIEWED IT'S CENSOR.
The "OficiaI OrGan's' Method of Dis
tOrting Real Facts.

The News, in a column article last evening"
made a painful effort to impeach the verac-
ity of the Journal in reporting a few inter
views with Christian Unionists. These in
terviews were expressive of an opposition
to official organ" deals and were fair in
dication of the prevailing sentiment among
the leaders of the organization. 1t took
the Journal reporter just two minutes to
get them, he simply interviewed the first
half dozen of the more prominent dele
gates he came in contact with and obtained
the same sentiment from each, which sem
timent was that the indianapolis experience
with an official organ" had not been salts
factory and that the custom of making
Official organs in the future had better be
abandoned. The men specifically men
toned as expressing themselves to this eff
feet were H. K. Moffett DR.. McGill and E.
b. Graham The News interviewed the
Gle claimed they were a Reputation of the
Journal interviews. How far they are re-
quotations appeared in the body of the
News article. The News interview with H.
K. Moffett says: II did say to the Journal
that was opposed to having a SPECIALIZED
,of1cial organ Respecting e. B. Graham
the News article says: MIR. Graham the
editor of the Midland, stands by his asser-
ton that the custom of making any paper
an official organ should be abolished" Re-
garding DR.. McGill, the News says: DIR.
McGil, who was interviewed by the Jour-
nal, has left the city and so could not be
seen" In no instance was any Reputation
shown.
Respecting the statement made in the
Journal that Z. X MARQUIS had told a num-
Der of people that he thought mistake
had been made in the official organ" mat
ter 1T may be stated that the information
came from E. K. MOffett for one. However
Mr. Marquis was not interviewed and there
fore there can be no question of reputation
in his case.
AS a matter of fact a large number of
the delegates had expressed themselves in
one way or another as opposed to Official
organs in large cities containing number
of Well-eQuipped newspapers. They based
their opinions for the most part upon high
grounds They did not believe that any pa
per should be muzzed in their interest and
that all the papers should be shown the
same favors. The official deal was to be
readily construed as a species of newspaper
bribery and the fact that the organization
established censorship over the organs"
reports left the inference that the organ
would publish part of the news of the con-
ventiOn, but not all of it. And the inference
IN respect to the News at least was re-
garded as a just one by not a few of the
delegates.
Rev Edgar McDiu, the censor of the
News's accounts. whom the News interviews
in proof of its claim of misrepresentation on
the part Of the Journal, in the early days
of the convention, said that one reason for
official organ was to keep out of the
paper the delegates would buy any matter
that might be diSpleasing to the society
one of the local committee said that some
speeches might be made which would need
blue penClllnS IN the interest OF peace in
the organization and this could be done in
an official organ
During the entire week nothing appeared
in the News regarding the decided feeling
among the delegates against Chairman
Tracy and the controversial spirit engen-
dered by the secret society and prohibition
questions. Other matters of real news were
utterly ignored by the organ. The News
simply abdicated its independence as a
newspaper and in payment therefor was
allowed TO work buncO game on the dele
gates by charging twenty-five cents for five
2-cent papers filed with dry reports of adj
ton.