The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-09-15


mails Of the east and the Democratic
organs OF the west and south are pre-
tending to flnd some excuse for their
wild exaggerations and their inventions
regarding the conduct of the war In
some particulars, and the conditions Of
the camps, In the attitude of some Re-
publican papers that are publishing
similar exaggeratlons, through their
love OF sensatlonallsm, and not through
any opposition to President Mckinley,
for they realize the extraordinary bur-
den Imposed upon him from the outset.
The yellow sheets and the Democratic
organs are engaging in this course Sim
ply for partisan purpose, and they
naturally find encouragement in their
effort to prejudice the country when
they see other papers, that happen to
be OF the Republican faith. publishing
matter on which the party cry is based.
The mass of falsehood which is being
published Is not confined alone TO the
Democratic press. we regret to say, but
the indecent effort to make partisan
capital Of 1t is wholly upon the Demo-
cratic side. The few Republican papers
engaging in this business are RESPONSE
BILE for whatever encouragement the
Democratic demagogues and papers get
from them,
Some rebukes are being administered
to the newspapers of both parties for
the course which they are pursuing.
and the independent press generally is
taking the side OF Justice and right.
The Washington Post, for instance. re-
fers to the falsehoods In circulation
daily by the sensational press, and says:
When the war ended all the world knew
that It had been splendldly planned and
executed. The press Of Europe and all
honest publications Of the United States
gave unstinted praise to the admlnlstra-
ton for unexampled success alike In pre-
pairing for the conflict and fighting II to
an early end. The three great events Of
the war, two naval and one land engage
ment, were each and all such victories
that they stand alone. History has no
Measured by results accomplished in pro-
portion to cost. each and all OF them and
the war as totally eclipsed all records,
While the war was on the campaign
Jagged, for there was more Of patriotism
than OF politics In the hearts and minds
Of the people. Who cared to talk Of coin
age, OF tRrln, OF currency REFORM or any
other issue; who cared to remember that
the people were not all Of one mind when
our ships were sinking the enemy's fleets
and our armies were moving on the Phil
ippines, Cuba and Porto RicO3 But there
Is no longer any great apathy In politics.
The Post makes reference to the par
tlsan cry which has been raised by
Democratic papers, based upon the
mass OF falsehood and vicious misrep-
resentatIon." which has been piled up
largely by the aid of few Republican
papers" in their desire to dish up sem
satIonal news, and further comments
sensibly:
OF course there were mistakes In the
operations Of the war department.. or
course some incompetent men were ap-
pointed to office. OF course there was
sickness and death that might have been
prevented II all the officers and enlisted
men had known months ago as much as
they know to-day. All the mistakes and
all mIsdeeds will be shown up, and all hon
est citizens demand that no guilty man
shall escape. But there II neither sense
nor decency In Il campaign OF calumny.
And while II may be eXcusable for Demo-
cratic organs to take the hint given them
by the professional liars in certain New
York papers, Il Is really superfuous sR-
slnlnlty that lmpels Republican papers to
Zap their ears and bray with the Demo-
cratic chorus.
Fortunately for the country, and for
the Republican party the intelligent
masses are little affected by the attempt
to make party capital of the deaths and
sickness in the military camps for there
is no politics in the matter. The I'M
conscious aid certain Republican papers
have given the organs Of the Democ-
racy Will hardly do much damage.