New-York tribune., 1897-08-17

these NewYork periodicals. few articles published
| by highly respectable European paper-the
| Journal DE- Geneye' the leading periodical III
| Switzerland which. after reproducing the violent
spiteful and venOmous articles OF The Nation
has Ike other highly respectable European news
pap-rs arrived at the conclusion that the United
States according TO what American leading news
, papers say. must evidently Le the most degraded
political community earth. Thus on the strength
Of statements emandting from the American press.
the assertion Is repeated that President Mckinley
has reestablShed consular fers in order 10 enrich
his cousin. who j. Consul Of the United States in
England This accusation coming from New
York. T. SUPPOSED to be true: for no respectable
newspaper IN Europe would accuse the Chief OF
SAT- of being ~cOundreI unless there were really
scod grounds FOR such accusations. and II American
newspapers publish such charges. nobody supposes
that 1t is simply bccause editors in New
York ready all times to SANDER their coun-
trymen, regardless OF r~raclty or truth.
In another long editorial published in this YER,
able European newspaper commenting upon IN,
fearful degradation OF the American people. 10
vealed by thr leading organs Of the NewYork press.
and after speaking Of the reported corruption Of
the President and Senate OF the United States, X
expresses Itself follows.
Listen to what .'rne Nation" Of New-York says.
a paper which claims to ri-e above party preJu-
dies. and which states in It's columns OF July 5
the following rNtraordnary facts: Then again: II
sens thhj IT l. not Ia New lork alone that rings
have invaded al American political life and conns
Gated democratic Institutions. our readers might
have Il from THE Nation Of Ncw-York who says.
"Ine Ptnnsylyanl Legislature is the most disrepu-
table Legislative body that history ever saw
Here follows haif column Of insulting, lying com
ments. translated verbatim from The Nation"
American paper. constantly representing American
office holders. from the President downward
thieves. knavss and rascal-. The language of that
coEtemptbe paper on the appointment of John
Russell Young the vile attack on the character OF
this gentleman, and on the character OF the Presi-
dent who appointed him. reproduced in full.
IN Europe the author OF such sensational litera-
ture would be Immediately challenged or prosecuted
as a criminal: in the United States he can move
about freely This speaks well for American lib
erty and American forbearance; but the European
press concludes-very reluctantly sometimes-that
lean people the most degraded community on
earth; and the European readers not accustomed
10 the low Ourna istc standards OF the above
named American dailies make up their minds that
they should never invest a cent in country where.
according its leading authorities. political com
nonsense and political morality must be much
1t may be safely asserted that the Utter disregard
OF such American dailies for veracity., their sys-
lean f;nctionaries from the President down TO the
humblest ofice-holder; their disreputabe attempt
dons DC re' more e' harm than Mr. Bryans friends 10 the
American credit. The comments OF the European
The Nations statements. are being read by peo-
pie who own certainly s@.cD@o or So;co.0oo OF
by The Nation's' description Of American political
degradation. and relying on such statements they
elsewhere where they think II Will be safer.
In Germany the case il worse still. There, thanks
TO The Herald The World" and The Nation"
an American is naturally supposed to be a man
utterly devoid OF political and moral sense. As
Poultney Bigelow very judiciously said I'm an
American monthly. the general opinion OF the lead
Ing classes in Germany Is that the United States
persists a republic not in spite OF corruption but
because OF it, the German squire thinks that the
President and his Cabinet species OF oli-
garchy. holding power through bribery intimida-
ton. both that American society is a rotten
n ri Of
adventurers How much such papers as The
Herald" The Nation" and The World" have con-
trlbuted create such opinions In Europe and
what contempt and distrust they have produced
abroad for everything Amer!can-that Is what al
Americans fully Conyersant with European ideas
tell HENRY GAtIfIETR
Kiescn. Switzerland. Aug. T. 1897.