The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-09-10
Time to Turn the Hose On.

The Commonwealth, of Harrisburg,
DR.. Swallows paper, says:
We asked the Scranton Tribune (Quay
organ) whether 1t was proud of its support
of Senator Quay in the light of his record
as published by the New York Voice, the
World, the Times, the Evening Post and
other reputable papers. Instead OF an
swering this question 1t says we "deleni
the course of the New York Voice in
printing u maliciously scandalous libel on
Senator Quay" 1t errs. The New York
Voice is not the party that needs de-
fense. The way the case stands at pres
ent it is The Tribunes client that needs
defense. These accusing papers have
made out their case. such accusations
under oath in a criminal court would
make out "A prima facie case and put the
accused upon his defence. If he had no
defense it would put him to Jail. With
out argument II may be submitted that
II man under such charges without a de-
fense is not a tit man to hold public Office
or to lead great party of respectable
men, to conduct the business of a COM
monwcalth or boss the politics of a moral
and self-reSpeCting state. We submit fur
ther that he is not the sort of a man that
a decent newspaper with any moral sense,
with the first instincts of honesty or the
smallest claims to self respect can afford
TO champion. We. wonder how a newspa-
per that does can circulate among de-
cent people. In the estimation of the
Scranton Tribune it is not an offcnse to
stink. The ofiense lies in having "a nose.
The offense of having a nose which
smells stinks that have no existence
in fact, and of having q mouth which
utters scandal and bears false witness
is very great We can conceive of no
meaner role for q doctor of divinity
or for the editor who conducts a So
called reform" journal than that of a
dissemination of malicious libels going
into private life and befouling the
fame of the living and the memory of
the dead with salacious untruths.
If the accusations referred to above
are true, it is the duty of those who
bring them to make them under oath
in criminal court ana brlnS the cul-
prits to defense. The cause of JUS
tice docs not end with merely scatter
ing them broadcast in print. Every
man is entitled to be considered inno-
cent until proved guilty; but under
the swallow view any man who has
the disposition to rake up the filthy
gossip of the gutter and spread it be-
fore the public may fasten guilt upon
his victim until that victim proves his
| own innocence. We do not concur in
this view of the proprieties. We hold
that the doctor of divinity who sane
| tions the wantOn invasion of private
life and makes a business of peddling
back-door scandal is guilty Of q worse
| transgressiOr of morals than is the
| hiShwayman, the pickpocket or even
| the public thief.
Tho public acts and words of Senator
| Quay or any other man in public life
are legitimate subjects of public re-
| view; but when the case of profess
| sional reform gets so desperate that
it has to send its reverend sewer rats
| scurrying in the slime of private sus-
| picion to secure the constituent odors
of a manufactured stencil we think it
is about time to round up the charac-
| tcr-defilers and turn the hose on.