New-York tribune., 1897-07-27
JOURNALISTIC INJUSTICE.
AN INDEPENDENT PAPERS OPINION OF
MUGWUMP CRITICISM.
| THE TARIFF LAW REDFEMs REPUBLICAN PROM
IsEs- MISREPRESENTATION OF THE PREsI-
IL, q
From The BROOKLYN Eagle.

MISREPRESENTATION OF THE PREsi-
DENT-PRoGREss IN CAPTIoUsNEss.
From The Brooklyn Eagle
1t Is about time that the journalism OF imputa-
o on the or Of to the is
necessary to end the influence OF newspapers on
public opinion Not that Journalistic errcT ased Cd
on action is to be distinguished from pin aspersion
founded on nothing but the willingness 10 peeos
Ill and on the desire to create mean estimate Oh
public men. mi ,o,,, has
signed the Dngley Tariff law. Any one Is at lib
erty to say his say on whether that is a good or
that it does not represent the kind OF law the Pres
ldent was elected to bring about Opinions on the
TO the pledges of the President is one OF fact.
Ignorance may not know that iact for
respectable journalism. ,
Take two other instances: The President has
hs civil Service
cassifcaons The declaration that he would not
s" she a has a' BEEN BEEN ab"ndanty made
What Is the country to think OF sach bssn injured
been misrepresented by them. But what OF the
as been whSh srs Iot bearing
witness Is an honor And the press as % wnT 90 soms
OF il. The people are apt TO confound the entire entire
calling with its malicious members the " people he
deprived OF the CONSCIENTIOUS satisfaction that
neither he nor his paper has had part or ioa IN ~
acquit him But the general mass of folk dis
credit journalism as pursuit when rev pioate
the truth out OF sheer desire to make eVl es'""'e
pass current. ~ ~
port set going that the President intended 70
rcscind the order OF Mr. Cleveland which made
and which reduced the bulk OF them WHEREBY
commerce was freed from some burGens anu STh rho
suls were longer presented with fortunes lne
report was instantly adopted as true by the pape.s
which wished II to be true. They united IN say
ing hat fha orfle
In Office for party service and. especially 10 ehricn
the cousin of the President VINO had been made made
Some further regulation OF the Consular zee M sys
tenn Is Intended in accoTdanee WITH Teiorms ocia
whom he sent on a tour OF inspection INTO many
% h 20 ,o the of the
hensive caumny was-what? They declared fIa tnat
the discussion OF their Invention prevented 1t from
being carried into effect. ,. -
Rad as the consequences of this sort OF thing are
to Journalism In general In the minds OF undiscrmi-
mating readers, the consequences of it 10 polit-
clans. good or bad. quite as marked rev
upright public men find it easy to believe IN any
entirely Upright newspapers There are condolences
between officials and editors, but the iatter are
and their discretion or trustwor,Rness is
ascrbed to party or to personal interest tnan 10 10
Of their calling. Even in such cases reservations
from complete confidence are the ruc, LOT tie III I'M
preston is general that prudence requires sncn ,n
suffer from impaired accord II is equally true
that the power which an upright press ought to be %
able In tho public interest to hold over the fears OF
he class not respectfully described as politicians
is also lessened Twice as much proof as should ne
necessary must b. furnished by a decent paper 10
establish it, right to confidence. Ten times as ~
enable such newspaper to stir the people to deal
with those who are ill-servng them ,,os
The Senate of the United States lately adopted
by vote Of 90 to Is report against the inyestlsa,
ton Of hargSs which erayely affected nv ~, be is e
entitled 10 investigation. because they only rested
9a ON neTfT bn # ae cccped as adequate by the SEN
ate, and The Eagle" Is the only paper 10 s dase
urement Of the press. This paper did not make the
charges In the papers which ala make make tnem nH,,ns I
that the character of those sheets should be held
by the senate OF the United States to be the char.
blame the Senator'S for the error. Venal Senators
had interest in creating the impression Honor
correct the idea any special motive TO do so;
Impishy and singularly the very sheets s, which ha
long are those which affect high standards toward
wants They have carried the critical habit so far
and long that i has become chronlcs sor WIN !,
cause Because OF their persistent anc censorious
injustice the reforms which they should favor
GSe GSN wScb he nSa SRod Sn be Se
have a strengthening hold on the general mind
vusion from independence We find that many
manly men who have favored independence are are
discovery that Others are making of it such a
means of reckessness and of reproach as we nave
With a few exceptions. of which We trust, The
Eagle" is one. the independent press compares ui,-
favorably with the party organs In courtesy 70
ward opponents and III manlness toward friends
That this recurrence TO parisanship in voting ana
TO partisanship In journalism should coincide with
a decrease OF the number and intensity OF great
questions between parties accents the inhdelty 10
principle and fairness of the journalism OF sheer
impu;aion. 1t has done its worst-best 70 make
reform a word of suspicion. II has tended TO ere
ate around the term non-partsansnlp an atHoSS
phere of contempt weakness or hypocrisy. IL
has lost touch and confidence with the people; Tor
il turned against its country In the Anglo en-
ezrelan contention. Then the people felt that tnlt
Journalism not only did not represent them. out
was willing and liab TO betray them That was
the parting OF the ways between the people and
those newspapers. The fact may explain the pro,
criticism to captiousness from discussion to defa.
practice OF viruerce The Journalism which Is not
represented by this meancholy moral detadenfs e.
certainly to itself the duty on sepagatihs ~
case from it and from the discrediting influence OF
il on the general mind.